Nothing happens when I turn the ignition key

Motor: 1989 Mercruiser I/O 130HP

Brief history: I am the 3rd owner of a very clean and solid 1989 Mercruiser I/O 130HP that I purchased in 1998, and for 6 straight boating seasons not a single problem. However, for the last 3 years, the boat/motor has been not been used at all. (I know, I know, this is a bad-bad thing to do to a boat)

Problem: When I turn the key to START, nothing happens. The only sound I hear each time I turn the key to START is a single-click from the Mercathode unit. From a very brief phone conversation with a local boat shop mechanic, with whom I described this problem, the Mercathode unit has nothing to do with starting the engine. Their recommendation was obviously to bring it in but I am trying to troubleshoot the problem as best I can before doing that.

All gauges/instruments -- blower, bilge pump, horn, lights, etc -- are working. I have checked all fuses, at least all the fuses that I know about which are on the instrument panel and there is one 20-amp fuse/wire leading from the Mercathode unit to the Starter, which was bad but I have since replaced it with a new 20-amp fuse. Additionally, I came across an internet-post talking about resetting the 50-amp circuit breaker and it mentioned that it was "extremely hard to depress". So, upon taking this to heart, I *tapped* the red-button way too hard and and broke part of the the housing of the 50-amp circuit-breaker but the red-switch and breaker itself are still fully intact, or at least I think it is. And on this note, I'm really not sure if the 50-amp circuit breaker was bad, or if I have since broke it.

I am by far mechanically inclined but I am an analyst by nature and career so performing troubleshooting steps is right down my alley, but I am careful not to try and do anything outside of my skill-level and know-how. It just seems to me that I should be able to at least determine what and where the problem is, but I just don't know the proper troubleshooting steps I should be doing, or can be doing myself, for this problem.

Any advice on what the next steps to properly troubleshoot this problem is will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

-Mike

Re: Nothing happens when I turn the ignition key

your probably hearing a click from the master/slave solenoid.
Try replaceing the end crimps on the wires on the back of the keyswitch itself.....
if it doesn't work then your going to have to work your way back to the engine.

Re: Nothing happens when I turn the ignition key

Sounds like a bad starter to me. Try jumping it across the terminals with a screwdriver to see if it turns over.

Re: Nothing happens when I turn the ignition key

Battery fully charged?

Cables clean and shiny?

Follow the neg cable from the battery, the ground take off and clean the bolt and the connection, you want a good clean ground.

Try it, it crank? No crank, Disconnect the battery again and clean the connections on the starter.

Clean the connections on the slav.

The boat in neutral? For sure? Wiggle the handle.

The kill switch in in?

Heres a post from the master.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=167035

Re: Nothing happens when I turn the ignition key

Thanks captJason, Sea Wolf, and chiefalen. Your thoughts/input really is very much appreciated.

No doubt that the click is definitely coming from the Mercathode Unit. When I had someone else turn the ignition to START, I can feel it through the Mercathode Unit, but I'm going to double-check everything now that I've stepped away from it for a few days. My next steps will be to locate the Slave Solenoid and then do screwdriver tip against the starter.

I don't think I knew there was a Slave Solenoid on my engine but based upon chiefalen's link Don S's starting system troubleshooting, I can now trace the wires and find everything.

Again, thanks.

-Mike

Re: Nothing happens when I turn the ignition key

Your slave solenoid is located directly next to your mercathode system. It is a small solenoid with two to four posts on it. I had a very similar problem once. I removed the wires, sanded the connectors and put some dialectric grease on everything, bolted the wires back down and I was starting like new again.