1996 Mercruser 3.0 Start Problem

[jeepers]

Hey guys,

i just bought this boat from and it apparently ran last year. I/O is new to me so i need a bit of help. First, i dropped it in the water for the first time this weekend and was met with much disappointment when i couldn't get it to start. i was able to raise and lower, engage the blower, run the bilge pump, light the lights, and honk the bloody horn but i could not get it to reliably turn over. i say "reliably" because i actually got it to turn over a few time. The first and second turns of the key it was slow, successive attempts resulted in what sounded like just the solenoid. I grabbed a battery boosting kit and after twisting the key maniccally 15-20 times it would catch but i was to quick and let it go. Same thing a couple of times and then i just gave up.

Anyone have a clue? Am i just dealing with a bad battery here?

thanks,
dean

p.s. How long can i run the engine out of water. i didn't try it in the garage for fear of it overheating and causing damage.

 

[Don S]

Re: 1996 Mercruser 3.0 Start Problem

Anyone have a clue? Am i just dealing with a bad battery here?

Get your battery load tested, that is the only way to know for sure. You can't tell by looking at them or measuring with a volt meter.
Could also be loose/corroded terminals. then check this troubleshooting thread. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=167035

p.s. How long can i run the engine out of water. i didn't try it in the garage for fear of it overheating and causing damage.

Only a few seconds on a dry impeller, why don't you pull it out of your garage and hook up some muffs on a garden hose to run it and make sure everything is working properly before you head for the water.
Here is an example of how it's done. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVdTmSTkBvc

 

[jeepers]

Re: 1996 Mercruser 3.0 Start Problem

Hey Don,

Thanks. yeah, i agree that it's probably just be a bad battery. I pulled out the battery that i used on my outboard last year but it turned out to have no voltage at all. No lights, horns, or anything. It's on the battery charger tonight so hopefully i'll be able to test it tomorrow.

I've seen this many times with cars over the years but i figured it was worth the asking. There seems to be a dozen interlocks on the outboard and figured there must be something on the i/o too. The only one that i am aware of is the throttle which much be in neutral. Are there any others that may be out of line or anything that i may be missing that would prevent cranking? e.g. lower unit all the way down, blower engaged, fluid levels, etc. I'm also thinking, contrary to my first line of thinking, that if the starter solenoid is engaging then there mustn't be anything but the bad battery stopping the engine from turning over.

Rambling now...let me know if there is any sense in here and i'll post the results of trying the other battery.

thanks,
dean

 

[jeepers]

Re: 1996 Mercruser 3.0 Start Problem

Okay. Swapped out the battery and the problem remains. Just a click when i turn the key which i assume is the starter's solenoid. So is there an interlock or am i now looking at a bad starter? I had it turn over a couple of times on the weekend but only after hitting the key a dozen times or so.

 

[Don S]

Re: 1996 Mercruser 3.0 Start Problem

when i turn the key which i assume is the starter's solenoid

I would never assume anything like that. Why don't you just test things. Like this. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=167035

 

[jeepers]

Re: 1996 Mercruser 3.0 Start Problem

Hey Don,

I pulled the starter off and tried it out on the bench. First i tried the solenoid and got it to fire. Tried the starter and it spun as well. Confused, i tried each of them several times and after a half of a dozen hits or so I started getting no response from either.

In the end, it was full of rust. The local starter/alternator shop cleaned it up and replaced the brushes and now that its installed, the engine turns over every time.

Tomorrow i'll be hooking up the muffs and hose and give it a proper test (thanks for the link!).

later,
dean