85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

jason32038

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 25, 2009
Messages
555
Re: 85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

Ok for 88'-91 85hp it shows 2 blues on one m...one going to the kill switch and one going to ground on the terminal bar. It also has 2 whites on the other m...the first white should come from the wiring harness and the second white goes to the other side of the kill switch. The blues and the whites shouldnt be together at all as blue is the ground. It's also possible that someone wired a kill switch and or overheat buzzer with different colored wires. You might have to do some tracing. Let me know what you're workin with in the morning maybe I can help you. I understand wiring very well i'm an electrician.
 
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
17
Re: 85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

Jason,
I'm going to go check that out this morning. Would you by chance have any way of loading or emailing a wiring schematic for this 88? I am about ready to start running down all wires one at a time from the motor out so I can figure out whats what here. This thing is driving me insane not to mention I missed a beautiful weekend at the lake due to my "electrical work" :) Thanks for your help!
 
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
17
Re: 85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

Well - here we go down a new road... :( I could not figure this out SO I carried it by a local shop.. He put some type of mecahnism on it and said it WAS firing, which I could not detect via a volt meter.. Anyway, long story short he said my switch was wired right and it showed fire to the plugs SO he put 3 plugs in and it fired right up! BUT, died a few seconds later. He thought he had it whipped and went to lunch only to return and never get it started again.. He says the Merc dealer about 25 miles from here has a merc-tronic checker or something that will read the voltage coming from the cdi's correctly in order to help diagnose the issue.. SO.. I guess I will go the merc dealer tomorrow with this thing.. Man I never thought putting an ignition switch in could turn into this kind of nightmare.. :(
 

jason32038

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 25, 2009
Messages
555
Re: 85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

You might have damaged them when the switch was dangling while you were runnin the boat.
 
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
17
Re: 85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

You might have damaged them when the switch was dangling while you were runnin the boat.

Nope.. Wires were long enough that the switch hung down into my shoe..lol..It never shorted against anything at all.. I actually have some electrical certification and a decent general understanding of AC/DC voltages so I was really careful with all this.. I honestly did nothing wrong.. It was verified today that I had it wired correctly.. I just dont see how this guy cranked it today with new plugs then it would not crank again.. The other guy is over a week behind so I may be working on my dang motor in his parking lot! I HATE to see my boat sitting still for something so simple / stupid... Im gonna take 3 new plugs up there tomorrow and see for myself.. Could the trigger mech be going bad ..??
 

jason32038

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 25, 2009
Messages
555
Re: 85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

At this point I dont know what to tell you. I'm sure the mechanic will figure it out eventually.
 
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
17
Re: 85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

Well, the shop finally got my boat in yesterday and he's stumped too.. :(

He has a device to check firing and says it fires intermitently.. It fires then it wont....

I did read something in this forum about a magnet underneath the flywheel being loose ??

This guy says the trigger and stator are fine.. Any ideas?
 

Rydan

Recruit
Joined
Jun 30, 2010
Messages
2
Re: 85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

Feel your pain. I have a 1990 Maxum that ran last year and had rotted seats and decking. Just repaired all of it and put back the ignition switch the way I thought it was terminated. Now I have nothing. Battery is fine, tested same at starter selonoid.

can you tell me the wiring layout for the ignition switch?

This is what I have. (6) position switch with following terminations C,B,S,M,I,M

(2) wires :red&blue with pink& black together
white
purple
yellow
green
black

any help would be appreciated. I cannot find a drawing anywhere on the web. I guess I should stop complaining and buy a damn manual.

email at: tomfriesema@hotmail.com
 
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
17
Re: 85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

Well, mine is about 30 miles away but the best I recall your wiring layout is exactly what I had.

I just talked with my mechanic again and he's still stumped.
 

USMC Hoss

Cadet
Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
11
Re: 85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

I just replace the switch on my Capri: Here how mine worked.
Green wire (Choke) to the 'C'
Red wire (Breaker/Rectifier) to the 'B'
White wire (CD units) to the 'M'
Orange wire (Overheat alarm) to the 'I'
Blue wire (Starter Relay) to the 'M'
Yellow wire (Interlock Switch/Starter Relay) to the 'S'

Hope this helps.
S/F
John
 

mikel1291979

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 28, 2010
Messages
106
Re: 85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

Well, the shop finally got my boat in yesterday and he's stumped too.. :(

He has a device to check firing and says it fires intermitently.. It fires then it wont....

I did read something in this forum about a magnet underneath the flywheel being loose ??

This guy says the trigger and stator are fine.. Any ideas?

If the magnet comes off then its no spark at all. It sounds like everyone is looking at the big picture, and what you need to do is get back down to basics. Start simple. Turn the key on, verify you have voltage to all the components you are supposed to have voltage to. After that take each component and verify you have the correct amount of voltage leaving the component. Each part one at a time till you are sure then move on to the next. Remember that the "correct" voltage is important. Slow it down, use your volt/ohm meter test everything till you find the problem.
 
Joined
Jun 18, 2010
Messages
17
Re: 85HP Force wont start after new Ign switch

If the magnet comes off then its no spark at all. It sounds like everyone is looking at the big picture, and what you need to do is get back down to basics. Start simple. Turn the key on, verify you have voltage to all the components you are supposed to have voltage to. After that take each component and verify you have the correct amount of voltage leaving the component. Each part one at a time till you are sure then move on to the next. Remember that the "correct" voltage is important. Slow it down, use your volt/ohm meter test everything till you find the problem.

Well, nearly a month later STILL not running. The guy didnt charge me and said he hated to let a motor get the best of him but he cant figure it out. There is a guy near me who specializes in Force but he's 3 months behind. I just bought an 85HP Johnson so I have a real nice (looking) 1989 Force 85HP motor - Complete - I will take 250 for with the control box if anyone needs it. I am in West TN about 65 miles east of Memphis. You can reach me at seven three one - 617 - two one zero one.. Scott
 
Top