Mercury Thunderbolt 500 50HP, starter won't do anything.

[Roadblock]

I just bought a used Mirrocraft with a Merc Thunderbolt 500 on it.

The starter won't even try to engage at all. The person I got it from is a family friend who ran this boat last season without issues. He actually says he started it a couple days before I came to pick it up and it turned over fine.

He seems to think I'm doing something wrong which is VERY possible as I've never owned a boat.

So I key the ignition and turn it to the accessory position I guess you would call it and if I press the choke button, I hear it click.

Then I turn they key to try and start the boat, I get nothing.

I have the idle throttle about half way up like he told me to etc. Is there a fuse somewhere I'm over looking or could the throttle be in the wrong position?

If it wasn't for hearing the choke pop, I would think the boat was not getting any power. I have two batteries, a deep cycle and a starter and I get nothing from either of them.

Thoughts? Is there a process for making sure enough voltage is making it threw to the starter?

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Mercury Thunderbolt 500 50HP, starter won't do anything.

Is the throttle in neutral? The neutral switch won't allow the starter be powered if out of neutral.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: Mercury Thunderbolt 500 50HP, starter won't do anything.

That comment "had the idle up about half way" is the problem.

Depending on which control box you have you have to either push in a button at the control arm pivot, or pull the whole arm out away from the control box about 3/8 inch before moving the throttle arm for the box to remain in Neutral. Otherwise the Neutral safety switch keeps the starter locked out so you cannot start in gear.

Some controls have a separate idle lever on the riight that lays down flush on top of the box, those you just raise that lever, and not move the shift/throttle control arm.

 

[Roadblock]

Re: Mercury Thunderbolt 500 50HP, starter won't do anything.

I may have just figured it out based on your guys replies.

So my control has 2 levers. The larger master throttle and then the smaller idle throttle.

So um neutral would be like straight up in the middle right? that sweet spot where you feel the throttle kind of click out of either reverse before going into forward or vise versa?

I had the main lever almost ALL the way down to the back, I'm guessing it was in full throttle reverse.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Mercury Thunderbolt 500 50HP, starter won't do anything.

Big one is throttle. My control has two raised lines to mark neutral and, like you said, the detent can be felt. The flat lever is the fast idle.

Yep - She was in reverse and that's the prob.

 

[Roadblock]

Re: Mercury Thunderbolt 500 50HP, starter won't do anything.

Yep that was the issue but I have another problem now. OK so she took right off, started right up. I shut her off and tried again with the same result.

Then I shut it off for about 5 minutes and went to restart it, it turns over but won't start.

I checked the priming bulb to see if it needed another pump but it still seemed tight.

I've been trying to restart it for like 15 minutes now with no luck.

Then on a side note, I noticed I have gas dripping off this thing inside of the engine. Here I made a video.