Outboard will not start and trim stopped working

[lstewartff]

I have a 1990 Yamaha 115. the last time it was out it only started part of the time. I tried to start it in the yard the other day and it would not do anything. I used the tilt/trim for a minute then it stopped working. Now when I try to turn it over or use the trim I has a clicking sound coming from the relay assembly. I noticed that there is 2 relays in this box and the bottom one is the one making the noise not sure what the top goes to. is this relay out or can something else be causing it to do this. The whole assembly is expensive so if it could be something else I would rather replace that instead. Thanks for any help.

 

[racerone]

Inspection is where you start.------Check condition of battery,fuses , cables and connections.

 

[lstewartff]

Thanks for the fast response. after I checked again the clicking is coming from the starter solenoid when I try to start it. but the tilt/trim relay is also clicking when I try to use it. I have checked the battery and connections and also checked the battery with a load tester. I cant do anymore tonight since its getting dark I will have to look some more tomorrow. I wish I had two things, a manual and a place to work on it inside. If you have any other suggestions let me know. Thanks.

 

[99yam40]

do a voltage drop test while putting a load on the system.
Connections and the cables themselves can go bad inside where you cannot see

 

[lstewartff]

do a voltage drop test while putting a load on the system.
Connections and the cables themselves can go bad inside where you cannot see

To do this should I put a meter on the battery post and then try to start it or is there a different way to do it. or do I put a meter were the cable hooks to the solenoid. I have done that and it dropped some but not enough to make a difference that I could tell. I know I am getting nothing past the solenoid.

 

[racerone]

Does the starter itself crank properly when you use booster cables directly to the starter?

 

[lstewartff]

I don't know what type of problem I have exactly, but I tried it this morning and the motor was doing the same thing and the trim started working after a few tries. I went to try and start it again and nothing happened at all no clicking or anything. I checked the battery and voltage was still at 13volts so I tried to start it one more time and it turned over and the trim was working perfect. Every time after that when I tried to start it, it would work like nothing was ever wrong. It has to be a connection, Right? but how do I figure out were it is?

 

[rowboater]

I would reclean and double check the connections at the battery and starter.Sure sounds like the battery could be bad but if you load tested it kinda rules that out.If it happens again and you get nothing try flexing or working any wiring/bundles you can access between the battery and starter and see if you can isolate it.If it only happens at a certain trim position it would indicate the wiring harness is flexing and causing an open somewhere.

 

[lstewartff]

Thanks for the responses, so far it has been working. I cant do anything else till Monday with it so I will see if it happens again and hopefully find the problem. If I figure it out it post an update.

 

[daveski1964]

tried to start my 115hp Suzuki oil injection motor today to fog motor for winter but cant get it to start--tank is 3/4 full of non ethanol gas with sta-bil fully charged battery -seems to be turning over nicely but will not start primer ball seems to be hard and holding but wont start-any trouble shooting advise

 

[lstewartff]

I figured out what it was The battery had corrosion between the cable and the post. I was rewiring all my accessories and heard popping coming from the battery so I cleaned the post with a wire brush and it has worked fine ever since,