Wont crank, starter or solenoid, oh yeah i also found a wire just hanging pic inside

yohuallin

Cadet
Joined
May 27, 2008
Messages
29
last year i stopped using the boat because i thought the starter had gone out, one day it would just not crank while in the middle of the lake, I was able to start it with the cord thing. So two days ago, decided to start working on it, and when i decided to fire it up, it cranked and started fairly easy (being sat for over a year). Well today I decided to start it again before doing a dip on the lake, and it would not crank, you can first hear a click from the choke, and then a click coming from the starter, and the pulley rotor thingy barely moves (I know it is not seized because i can turn the flywheel)... once in a while I would get a full turn of the starter, then stop. Battery is charged and my solenoid got super hot after so many tries.... :confused:

while poking around the engine i see something kinda just hanging there, and turns out it was this orange wire with a spring on the other end... here is a pic. I cant think or find where it suppose to go... :confused:

1988 Bayliner capri. 85HP FORCE

FILE0043.jpg
 

Jiggz

Captain
Joined
Oct 23, 2009
Messages
3,909
Re: Wont crank, starter or solenoid, oh yeah i also found a wire just hanging pic ins

That my friend is the hi-temp sensor which is supposed to be screwed on the head block, I believe. As for the starter problem, disconnect all the large wiring from the positive of the battery and every section thereof all the way to the bottom of the starter, clean and shine and then re-install tight. and then try again. The solenoid could also be bad but only after you clean and tighten your wires. And your engine model is . . . ?
 

yohuallin

Cadet
Joined
May 27, 2008
Messages
29
Re: Wont crank, starter or solenoid, oh yeah i also found a wire just hanging pic ins

thanks for the quick response, my boat is a 1988 bayliner capri, with a 85HP Force. So the wire is a temp sensor... uhm. Ill check the repair manual for location and see whats going on. Ill remove and clean all connections tomorrow, then post some update. Thanks
 

jerryjerry05

Supreme Mariner
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
18,074
Re: Wont crank, starter or solenoid, oh yeah i also found a wire just hanging pic ins

Do a compression/spark test too.
The second click is from the solenoid.
The starter is easy to clean.
After cleaning and making sure the connections are tight.
If it still clicks then replace the solenoid.
Battery HOT???
Get it load tested.
 

Frank Acampora

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jan 19, 2007
Messages
12,004
Re: Wont crank, starter or solenoid, oh yeah i also found a wire just hanging pic ins

There will be a matching diameter hole (well) in the port side of the head, either centered or down low. The overheat switch plugs into the hole and the rubber compresses the spring. The whole assembly is hels in with an internal clip in a groove in the head. The broken wire connects to the engine terminal board-- usually just above red and the orange from the cable mates with it. At the dashboard. the orange connects to one side of the buzzer and the other side connects to the "I" terminal of the ignition switch.

If there is no well in the head, then it was changed for an earlier model OR some type engine work was done and the overheat sensor was extra. Older heads use a scew-in sensor next to one of the sparkplugs. If you have that and the orange wire is already connected, then the loose one you found is not needed.
 

aladin_sane

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 3, 2011
Messages
45
Re: Wont crank, starter or solenoid, oh yeah i also found a wire just hanging pic ins

I had this problem last summer. I fixed it by taking the starter motor apart. I used fine sandpaper to clean up the contact area on the bottom of the armature, I re-positioned the brushes and cleaned off some corrosion on the brushes grounding contact.
 

yohuallin

Cadet
Joined
May 27, 2008
Messages
29
Re: Wont crank, starter or solenoid, oh yeah i also found a wire just hanging pic ins

cleaned all the contacts and found where the sensor goes :) but the starting issues was not fixed, so then I removed the started and took it apart, turns out the magnet inside had shattered and it was obstructing the spinning of the starter, cleaned that off and put it back together just for no reason (since i have to order one) then placed it back on the engine, it spins but it does not have enough power to turn the flywheel constantly, the flywheel turns once and then it the starter gets stuck, I even jumped it with my car to make sure it was getting enough juice.... i have some pics, ill post them later.
 
Top