please help...motor is ticking me off!

[Gyp-sea]

okay, i have a 62' johnson 40hp...(model number rk24). the motor runs great...when you can get it started! it has a push button starter and sometimes i push the button and she fires right up. you can run it as long as you want, but sometimes when you shut her down and try to start it again it won't crank over...doesn't even make a sound, no clicking or anything. on top of that, you can try to crank it manually and not get the motor running. come back to it after and sometimes the electric start fires up again! i don't get it...and it can be a real drag when i run my boat out to the middle of the lake to fish only to find out i cant get it started again. what am i missing here? thanks in advance to anybody who may be able to help!

 

[jtexas]

Re: please help...motor is ticking me off!

what it sounds like to me, is corrosion/loose connections at the battery. take 'em off and make 'em shine (hint: sandpaper), then reconnect and I mean tight! tight! tight!

Especially if you have that battery-driven ignition (which you probably don't).

Still, can't tell you how many times I've seen it, sometimes the solenoid don't even click and sometimes it fires right up, and it's cause the ring terminals have gotten discolorated.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: please help...motor is ticking me off!

Yep. I totally agree here. Clean all your connections real good and make sure they're tight. Simple as that.

You could possibly have a faulty starter switch too.

 

[oldboatsrule]

Re: please help...motor is ticking me off!

There is also a micro switch stopping you from starting in gear or with the throttle open too far.... although I do agree it does sound like a bad connection

 

[Gyp-sea]

Re: please help...motor is ticking me off!

thanks for the suggestions...i just put a new battery in the boat so at least those connections are good. but there are some pretty shabby looking connections elsewhere like in the starter box. i'll give that a try today. but would bad wire connections stop me from being able to start the motor by manually cranking it?

 

[Mas]

Re: please help...motor is ticking me off!

The starter is going to give you better RPMs which makes it easier to start.

Mas

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: please help...motor is ticking me off!

thanks for the suggestions...i just put a new battery in the boat so at least those connections are good. but there are some pretty shabby looking connections elsewhere like in the starter box. i'll give that a try today. but would bad wire connections stop me from being able to start the motor by manually cranking it?

How do the coils look in that motor? Often times, "antique" coils will make for a hard starting motor. You might also look for any wires that have worn through to metal.

 

[Gyp-sea]

Re: please help...motor is ticking me off!

i'll be honest...i just got this thing and i'm not familiar with outboards, so i couldn't tell you what the coils look like because i'd have no idea what to look for. i'll try the easier stuff first like cleaning up all connections and check for worn out wire...if that doesn't solve it, i'll be back with plenty more questions.

 

[Gyp-sea]

Re: please help...motor is ticking me off!

so i noticed something odd when i was tinkering around. this black cylinder, (is it the starter?), that has two wire connections on the bottom of it...one of the post that the wire connects to can be slid right out of place. i've attatched three pictures...1. the black thing, 2. the wire that connects to it, and 3. the post sliding out of the black deal.
so, obviously, i'm not a mechanic...but i'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to happen. could this be the source of my problems? cause i can't get this motor to turn over at all now!

 

[jtexas]

Re: please help...motor is ticking me off!

somebody more familiar than me with that vintage of starter motor can jump in and confirm this, but yep, that right there is your most likely culprit.

an automotive alternator/starter repair shop should be able to fix that, provided they have a technician that's been around long enough.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: please help...motor is ticking me off!

That's not the starter. That's the generator. The starter's on the other side of the engine.

 

[Gyp-sea]

Re: please help...motor is ticking me off!

yeah i realized it was the generator when i did a little more reading about it. but still, this can't be a good thing with that post not being secure. can these things be rebuilt?