Electrical Starting Issue

[billblanken1]

1994 Mercury mariner 115 Hp. Replaced Stator, trigger, solenoid, (starter less than year old) battery cables, battery, fuel/water separator, primer bulb with fuel line and cleaned connections. Started right up and stayed running for good 15 minutes. Tried a hour later turned key nothing just a click from solenoid and no trim either. Multi meter tested and a full 12v going to bottom terminal on solenoid no reading on top terminal or side terminals on solenoid. Is it possible a new solenoid can blow?
I by new OEM parts from a marine parts store.

 

[sam am I]

Re: Electrical Starting Issue

Well if it clicks and you have voltage on one stud and not the other, I'd suspect it went bad, been there done that.

Short/jumper across the studs with like a screw driver and see what happens.....if it fires/spins up, there ya go.

 

[billblanken1]

Re: Electrical Starting Issue

What I was thinking. I a believe it is a short in a ground wire blowing solenoid. Did not look at all ground wires.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Electrical Starting Issue

The click is telling you that the solenoid closed the circuit....or should have, shorting the two high current posts together....aka sending voltage to the starter.

From the service manual: The solenoid should have 4 terminals: One large terminal for battery power input also used as a junction terminal for 12v distribution within the engine and off to the remote control, including the trim. This line is 20 amp fused and the fuse is usually close by.

The 12v power wire back from the ignition switch in the remote control is red/yel stripe to one small terminal of the solenoid. This has 12v when the ign switch is at the START position. The other small terminal has a black wire and is battery return (-) ground. For the solenoid to click, your fuse HAS to be good or you would get no 12v on the red/yel wire and you have continuity, hence current flowing through the solenoid small wired, energizing circuit and solenoid makes clicking noise indicating that the high current switch has closed, or at least attempted to close.

Upon energizing the solenoid shorts the two large terminals together sending 12v to the starter. The voltage on both terminals when energized will be identical. If not internal switching components of solenoid are bad. If the input drops drastically when closed, as will the output of the large terminals then you have a high resistance in the battery high current wiring, or a discharged/dead/sulfated up (on an old battery but yours is new) battery, or a shorted starter.

HTH,
Mark

 

[midcarolina]

Re: Electrical Starting Issue

Sounds like you have either a bad electrical connection.... make sure all pos and neg connections are shiny clean and secure.......
Or you could have a dead spot in the starter...check all connections, if it still acts up manual rotate starter then try and start engine.

 

[sam am I]

Re: Electrical Starting Issue

What I was thinking. I a believe it is a short in a ground wire blowing solenoid. Did not look at all ground wires.

It's certainly possible......But, the only load they typically put on the starter side of the starter solenoid is the starter itself and it's not fused.

A shorted/ing starter usually smokes wires, battery terminals and the like(but can smoke solenoids too, just wires and such usually get hot first). The feed #6(unfused as well obviously)you measured and said you have 12V. With clicking of the start solenoid and the feed 12V's there, sounds like a bad connection internal or external to the starter.


Re-check #6's stud and #7's stud when you hear the solenoid click, if #6's 12V is there forsure and #7's 12V isn't, back up to #1, if still nothing, the solenoid is bad. *[You can(if you're comfortable as it will arc) safely short #6 to #1 to confirm this as I stated above]

If there was 12V at #7, then the starter(or its ground) has issues obviously.


(Not your setup but close'ish)



The no trim thou is a bit baffling as it usually derives its power right at the #6 as well (not shown thou) you said has 12V. The low current(switches)side thou, this typically would indicate blown fuse/s("e" for helm control), did you check any fuses? Perhaps try the cowl trim switch?

*or do this if you're so inclined and your convinced it's bad but, it doesn't "load" test it per-se.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Electrical Starting Issue

A bad connection some place.

 

[billblanken1]

Re: Electrical Starting Issue

Figured it out. Small issue. Yes NEW solenoid was blown. Changed and cleaned what i could. But my own fault. Did not change positive and negative cable runs from post to engine connections. But after further eyeball research the negative ground run connected to the lower starter bracket had some major cracks and corrosion also the positive run connected to the lower copper post on solenoid had major corrosion at beginning of run. So a bad decayed corroded ground and power cables could play havoc on a marine engine. Shorted out solenoid (inexpensive part) protected electric in engine. What did I learn? Check EVERY wire and cable for decay and corrosion. Sometimes the biggest problem is the easiest fix. I now know that salt water, electric, fuel, engine fluids and metal do not play well together without proper supervision.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Electrical Starting Issue

Glad you got her fixed.

Mark