1987 Mercury 45HP Makes single "click" when starting?

[achilles555]

So I recently bought a Bass Tracker with a 1987 Mercury "Classic Fifty" 45HP outboard on it. When I turn the key, I get a single "click" and then nothing. When I push to choke, I also get a click from the electronic choke, and then a single click, and still nothing.

I charged the battery and cleaned all connections on solenoid, starter and battery until shiny. Still doing the same thing. I ran a wire from the red post on the solenoid to the yellow post on the starter...basically bypassing the solenoid. Still nothing.

Where do I go from here? Is it difficult to remove the Starter Assembly? Is it difficult to replace bushings? I haven't had the chance to buy a repair manual yet - i just bought the boat yesterday.

Any help you guys could give would be greatly appreciated.

 

[achilles555]

Re: 1987 Mercury 45HP Makes single "click" when starting?

One other thing. The gentleman that I bought the boat from just replaced the battery...with a Marine Deep Cycle Battery. The whole boat is wired to this battery. Motor, accessories, trolling motor, etc. This wouldn't be the cause of my problem, would it? Does an outboard need a cranking battery to start? Thanks!

 

[Don S]

Re: 1987 Mercury 45HP Makes single "click" when starting?

It doesn't need a cranking battery, but the battery you do have has to be charged up and usable. Check it with a volt meter before you try to start it, and again while you have the key in the start position. What does the meter read on both?
Can you turn the flywheel by hand?

 

[Scoots]

Re: 1987 Mercury 45HP Makes single "click" when starting?

Did you try bypassing the solenoid altogether? I had the same problem a few weeks ago when looking to buy a 1971 Merc 50.

 

[achilles555]

Re: 1987 Mercury 45HP Makes single "click" when starting?

thanks for the reply guys.

don - the flywheel turns freely (w/ spark plugs out), so i know it's not seized. the battery i am using is charged up to 12 volts. i also pulled the battery out of my truck and tried it. same click. i have not watched the meter after turning the key. i'll do that and get back to you.

scoots - i did try bypassing the solenoid, but not sure i did it correctly. i basically took the heavy guage +positive red wire from the battery and held it to the starter where the yellow wire comes off of the solenoid and makes contact at the starter. i get nothing then...not even a click.

fyi - this boat sat in a garage for about 2 years without being started.

thanks again for the help.

 

[achilles555]

Re: 1987 Mercury 45HP Makes single "click" when starting?

well, i got impatient, and just took the starter off to see if i could figure something out. when i turn the shaft with the top nut, it does turn. however, when it turns, i can hear a "crunching"noise in the bottom of the starter. also, the positive screw post on the bottom right side of the starter is rusty, and loose/wiggly. why is the inside of my starter housing corroded?

guess it doesn't look good for this starter. i guess my question now is: can this one be rebuilt, or do i have to buy a new one?

is this a common problem, or could this be an indication of more problems to come? what else could be corroded/ruined? thanks for any help you can give. ac.

 

[gride830]

Re: 1987 Mercury 45HP Makes single "click" when starting?

i just bought the exact same boat a month ago and have been working on it ever since then. the boat i bought had sat for 5 years before i started repairing it. the starter was in the same condition as yours and i had it rebuilt at a local starter shop for 30 dollars. if the casing on the inside is messed up, i believe they wont be able to rebuild it. john

 

[achilles555]

Re: 1987 Mercury 45HP Makes single "click" when starting?

thanks jon. i just picked up a rebuilt starter on ebay for $40. hopefully that will take care of it. anything else that you have run into on your motor thay i should be aware of? thanks, ac.

 

[gride830]

Re: 1987 Mercury 45HP Makes single "click" when starting?

so far ive had to do a lot....i had to replace
the trailer jack
2 tires and a spare
spark plugs
some fuses
grease lower unit and change impeller
all fuel lines
exchange steel gas tank for a plastic one
tune tilt and trim
took out auto blend system and resivoir(premix gas every time)
rebuilt carbs
rebuilt starter
couple stator wires were old and broken as well

My only real issue was the carb rebuild kit. I bought the seloc book and referenced my carbs in there. The carb they showed was close to the same but not really the same as mine. pics were a little different. the boat shop gave me 3 bags of parts per carb. one float bag, one bag with some fuel pump gaskets and the last bag with many gaskets as well as a lot of small 'o' rings. exploded diagram didnt help any and i did have parts leftover somehow. im thinking the kit covered a wide range of carbs with more parts, i hope. gonna put gas to it this week and try it. it has good compression but havent even started it yet. keeping my fingers crossed. hoping to have it together by at least duck season in mid missouri.