moral: never leave your boat

deedubya

Cadet
Joined
Jul 8, 2002
Messages
12
After having owned a 1996 90hp Mariner outboard with a Quicksilver control set for a few months with NO problems, I thought I would finally relent on a hot calm day and go ski a bit, leaving my wife and daughter to run the boat (first time) and spot. I crash, they come about and go off to pick up a ski I dropped 1/4 mile back to try to ski on one. They cut the engine to pick up the ski, and it won't start again. I yell directions across the water for the whole start process (lever to neutral-check, kill switch up-check, turn key....) wife says all that happens is a loud hum in the engine, no turnover, no click, nothing else. I swim back to the boat, sure enough the engine is humming like a bad transformer, and keeps humming with the key in or out. I disconnect the positive terminal of the battery and it stops, I reconnect, and without a key, the engine cranks and keeps cranking. It will start only with the key in and turned, but it cranks no matter what as long as its connected to a battery. So how does this starter work and what might be happening here?? Just out of curiousity, how would my wife have accomplished this feat??
 

ldiamond

Recruit
Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
3
Re: moral: never leave your boat

Sounds like eithert a short in the key barrel or a short on the starter solenoid. I'd be disconecting the main wiring harness that leads to the key barrel/instrumentation and then connecting the battery. If it still cranks , then it must be in the starter solenoid shorting out.<br />Not the wifes fault.
 

deedubya

Cadet
Joined
Jul 8, 2002
Messages
12
Re: moral: never leave your boat

Thanks ladco,<br /><br />I found an old post that sounded like yours and makes perfect sense. Ya know, I couldn't figure out how my wife could have done this, so I'm sure you're right, but I'm not a big believer in coincidence...how bout if she'd cranked the key for a bit while the engine was going, instead of turning the key off, kind of like what happens with your car???
 

clanton

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jul 9, 2001
Messages
4,876
Re: moral: never leave your boat

Disconnect control harness at engine, connect battery cable, starter stills runs, check starter solenoid.
 

wothersr1

Cadet
Joined
Aug 14, 2002
Messages
11
Re: moral: never leave your boat

I had a similar problem with a new 2000 130 Johnson fresh out of the box. It was the solenoid this April. Based on my experience chalk it up to coincidence.
 

sloopy

Commander
Joined
Jul 12, 2002
Messages
2,999
Re: moral: never leave your boat

it's 100% the wifes fualt! :D
 

tpcolson

Cadet
Joined
Aug 12, 2002
Messages
15
Re: moral: never leave your boat

Disconnect the wife, replace if the problem goes away.
 

denniz

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 21, 2002
Messages
743
Re: moral: never leave your boat

HA HA boatman, that was just not right.... or was it?
 
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