New to me motor old boat, please help

[abmaiden01]

I had a 1993 225 hp Evinrude Vindicator on my bass boat, #1 and #3 cylinders went down for the second time in 2yrs so I decided to replace it.

I purchased a 2003 225 H.O. Evinrude model # E225FHLSTA with 628 hours. The wiring harness, gear shifter, oil tank, and all the Teleflex Sahara series gauges except the systems check gauge was included. I purchased the systems check gauge/tach combo.

I swapped out the gauges, oil tank, and wiring harness. I used the old ignition switch (6 pin), shifter, and kill switch. The bow end of the wiring harness has the rectangular 8 pin systems check plug, the square 6 pin ignition plug, and the triangular 3 trim plug, a small 4 pin plug with a black, purple, gray, and white/tan stripe. A black, red and tan wire had been added and was not attached to a plug.

The 8 pin plug into the systems check/tach combo gauge, done. I cut off the 3 and 6 pin plugs, wired up my ignition (6 wire plug), and trim controls (3 wire plug). The 4 pin plug I wasn?t sure about; I used the white/tan strip wire for the trim sender (it works), I painted the ends of the purple, black and gray wires with liquid tape and zip tied them up. I did the same for the lone red and black wires. I spliced the lone tan wire to the tan wire on the warning horn, I spliced the purple horn wire into the purple ignition wire, and the black horn wires (it had 2 black wires on it) I connected both of them together and attached them to the flat ?M? lug alongside the black/white stripe wire on the ignition switch.

A huge thanks to you guys for the diagrams, made wiring much easier.

Now, I turn the key to ?ON? position, the horn blows, lights on check gauge light up one at a time until all lit then go off?.. within about 2 or 3 seconds the NO OIL, HOT, and CHK ENG lights light back up, turn the key nothing happens. Almost like it?s is in gear.

I tried moving the shifter lever back and forth, nothing. If I just turn the key and start it, all the lights light up like they should then go off and do not come back on.

Sometimes this does not happen but when it starts normal, one other thing I notice is when the key is turned to ON the buzzer sounds and the gauge lights do their thing, as they should, once the engine starts, the buzzer sounds again and the lights do their thing again, almost like a short.

Any Help would be greatly appreciated
Thanks,
Andy

 

[abmaiden01]

OK, what am I doing wrong??? This is my 3rd question in 2 months and none of them have gotten a reply. Is there not enough info, to much info, what?

 

[jbcurt00]

Probably too much info thats all sort of run together

On my cell, it appears as 1 long paragraph, although when you actually read thru it, there are some hard returns.

Let me edit your post and add some additional spacing to break it up a bunch.

Not sure why the other 2 topics didnt get replies.

Perhaps the same appearance of run on, but a few sentences shorter.

 

[oldboat1]

Well, I'll be fearless -- though maybe less so than you might be (not a bad thing, btw). Flashing lights and horns aside, I think I would want to insure the motor is lubricated and cooled. When running, is it pumping water, for example -- not overheating?

Think I would disconnect the new systems check system, and start with basics. I'm too basic to know whether your old harness with the remote with work with the new engine (Ficht engine, right?), but if she is firing up and running, I would first confirm independently that basic fuel and cooling systems are operating correctly.

 

[Fed]

I'll also have a go at being fearless but I have to say your post is a hard read.

Sometimes this does not happen but when it starts normal, one other thing I notice is when the key is turned to ON the buzzer sounds and the gauge lights do their thing, as they should, once the engine starts, the buzzer sounds again and the lights do their thing again, almost like a short.

That sounds like voltage drop to the emm while cranking.
After it fires and the voltage comes back up it thinks you have turned it on for a fresh start.

 

[abmaiden01]

Thanks guys. I have been out of town, away from my computer and just now revisited the post.

I had ran the engine 1x without the systems check gauge but was afraid to run it much without it. It seemed to do fine without the gauge.

I checked the spark plugs after I posted my question. The plugs were in terrible shape, they were so bad I don't see how it was running. It had the QC10WEP plugs in it but after looking on the evinrude site, I seen that the QC12PEP was listed as the correct plugs so that is what I put in it. I will know tomorrow (6/26/16) if the plugs make any difference. I will let you guys know what happens.

Thanks again for the replies.

 

[jakedaawg]

Those plugs need to be indexed by the way. Sure you knew that though.

The two blk horn grounds is what confuses me. Seems to me the under dash warning horn lead was a two wire Deutsch connector. I'll be rigging a similar boat this week and I'll pay better attention.

As far as the warning system restarting, it could be a bad key switch that is not.keeping power when switching to the momentary start position. You could disconnect and ohm the switch. An old analog ohms tester may reveal the fault.

 

[abmaiden01]

UPDATE

It seems as if the new spark plugs have fixed the issue of the lights going out then coming back on and the engine not responding to the switch. I have made several runs some long (12 + miles), some short (1/2 mile) shut the boat on/off several times and have not had this issue reoccur.

I am still having the ignition issue; I turn the key to the "ON" position, the warning horn sound, all 4 system check lights come on then go out one at a time. I turn the key over to "START", the motor fires up then 2-3 seconds after the motor starts the initial horn/light sequence starts all over again.

Jakedaawg, I did index the plugs and I have given the ignition switch some thought but if the motor doesn't start, the second horn/light sequence doesn't happen. It seems that if it were the ignition switch, the second horn/light sequence would happen weather it started or not but I am by no means an experienced trouble shooter.

Thanks,
Andy

 

[jakedaawg]

I sure wish you had just bought adaptors such as 176408 in stead of cutting up your new wire harness.

K, so what we have is a loss of voltage to the system check portion of the Guage. Seems to me that this will be either a complete loss or a substantial drop in voltage, enough to make it reset.

Hopefully some others will chime in here.

I would still like to see you isolate and ohm the key switch. If you use an older analog meter with the needle it may be easier to see needle movement as you come off momentary position. Back to run.

Try this as you say it does not happen if it doesn't start. Next time it won't start do not turn the key all the way back to the off position. Let it snap back to the run position as if it had started and wait. See if it resets and runs the lights again.



When you have it running ground one of the overheat leads and make sure you get a horn and a light. That's all I got. I'll think on it some more and get back with new ideas. This is something I have not noticed before.

Hopefully one of these guys that are reallying good at thinking and typing will chime in. You might ask a moderator via pm to change your ttitle to something like system check Guage help. Some of the guys that really know this stuff seem to respond more if they see its a newer Ficht or etec issue.

 

[jakedaawg]

K, so I'm still in the shop thinking about this. The warning horn should have a purple lead and a tan lead. It goes to a two pin deutsch connector that has a tan and blue and a purple.

The 3 pin with red/ stripe,grn/stripe, and blue/stripe go to the trim/ tilt. Sounds like you got that figured.

The blk lead with the ring goes to the trim Guage g terminal.


The WHT/ tan lead goes to the trim Guage so terminal.

The purple lead goes to trim Guage I terminal.

Also sounds like you have those figured.

The four pin is different as are the blk tan and red that you say we're "added". Added by whom?

I am referencing kit 176341.

The purple grey and blk wires would be fore a stand alone tach

I think your issue issue maybe the switch isn't the same even though they both have six pins. I am not sure though

 

[abmaiden01]

jdaawg - I will ohm out the ignition when I get home this evening and report the readings and I will attempt sending a pm to the moderator and get the title changed.

When I purchased the 2003 motor, the guy who I bought it from was swapping out motors. He included the wiring harness with the motor because the dealer told him he would no longer need the harness for the 2003.

My warning horn has 2 male (blade type) push in connectors and then it has 2 black wires that seem to be molded into the back of the horn when it was cast (total of 4 wires). I have the tan wire connected to where the previous motor's tan wire was connected, the same with the purple wire.

At first I had both warning horn ground wires connected to the "M" lug on the ignition switch along with the ignition ground. I thought this was causing the problem so I changed it and connected both ground wires to the ground wire going to the systems check gauge.

The problem continued so I then cut one of the ground wire off of the warning horn and only connected a single wire to the system check gauge ground wire and still nothing changed BUT these changes took place BEFORE I changed the plugs. Before I changed the plugs, I suspected a grounding issue was causing all the problems.

The 4 pin plug ( Black, Gray, Purple and White/Tan) looks just like the other plugs. It appears to be factory/original.

The red and black wire appears to have been added by the boat manufacture (Ranger) or whoever installed the 2003 motor. I suspected it was for some sort of master panel or accessory. The red wire has around 12.4 volts going through it and the black is a ground because I used it to get the 12.4 volts which I checked against my master panel ground.

Outside of the ignition issue, I'm confused about what to do with the 2 extra ground wires. One is from the 4 pin plug and the other is the one by itself that has been added.

Thanks
Andy

 

[jakedaawg]

Is this a side.mount control or a binnacle with the horn under the console tied up in the wiring?

 

[abmaiden01]

The horn is up under the dash

 

[abmaiden01]

It was originally laying down in the floor when the original motor was on the boat, now i have it zip tied to the main harness wires under the console.

 

[jakedaawg]

Hopefully faztbullett or emdsapmgr or racerone or daselbee will see this. I got nothing else for you. Sorry.

 

[abmaiden01]

OK, Thanks

 

[flyingscott]

Do you have the correct battery for your motor. The DI motors have different battery requirements than a carb motor.

 

[oldboat1]

As an aside, sort of:

Test resistance and voltages when needed, but most boat electricals involve simple continuity testing. A multi tester is often too bulky, imo, too hard to see and read in tight places -- assuming you have a tester with a continuity setting.

For continuity testing (as with switches), I find it far easier to use a simple battery powered tester with a light/probe/alligator clip -- particularly if crawling around trying to reach posts and connections. It's also helpful to rig a 15' extension wire with double alligator clips for reaching back to solenoid terminals, etc. For a keyswitch, just test between poles on the back of the switch while operating the key (engine off and boat batteries disconnected). If the tester lights up appropriately, you are probably good to go (clean up the contacts) -- which is to say, rule out the switch itself as a problem. Or more generally, go for the simplest solution first. It's possible to replace an entire wire harness or at least large portions of it, when the problem is simply a faulty ignition switch.

 

[abmaiden01]

Flyingscott - My battery is a blue top optima model # 34M (800 CCA) rated as a marine starting battery, 2 yrs old.

Oldboat - Yea, I had a difficult time trying to use the tester I have. I was unable to access the ignition without taking a lot of stuff out so I opted not to do that yet. I like the 15' extension idea. I will try that.

Thanks,
Andy