1970 Johnson 60hp Starter / Neutral safety switch

Hello... New to iboats and thorougly amazed by the wealth of knowledge here. I have a 1970 60hp Johnson Electric start/shift. When at the lake the starter did not engage when I turned the key in the ignition switch (to my wife's dismay). I proceeded to jump the terminals on the solenoid with the key in the on position and it fired up to get us back on land. After strenuous troubleshooting I have replaced what I thought was a bad solenoid and then used a testlight to check for electrical current. When I turn the key to start the solenoid gets power at both small terminals but no power at the starter terminal. if i clamp the testlight to the disconnected solenoid ground and then to the positive of the battery I get no light. Should this produce a light with a 12 v testlight? I'm guessing by reading that this may be a neutral safety switch issue? After an exhausting search for the location of the neutral safety switch I have conceeded and need to ask for Help!

Many Thanks.

XIAN

Re: 1970 Johnson 60hp Starter / Neutral safety switch

Did you use the correct solenoid or did you slap in a car solenoid? A car solenoid will instantly destroy the safety switch.

OK, assuming you used the correct one, the white wire coming from the ignitioin/start switch goes to one small terminal on the solenoid. The other small terminal has a wire that goes to the safety switch--NOT ground. If you ground it you defeat the safety switch.

The fact that you get 12V at both small terminals says that the safety switch is shot. If the safety switch were working, you would get 12V at one small terminal and 0V at the other one, and the solenoid would click and run the starter.

Again, assuming you have the correct solenoid.

Re: 1970 Johnson 60hp Starter / Neutral safety switch

Safety switch location on a V-4. 3cyl 60hp similar.

Re: 1970 Johnson 60hp Starter / Neutral safety switch

Many thanks F R,
I jumped a ground wire to the safety switch terminal side and indeed the starter fired up with a turn of the key. I know from reading many of the threads on here that it is much safer and just makes sense to replace the malfunctioning switch. the picture you showed is slightly diffrent then what i am seeing and both of the wires connecting to the smaller solenoid terminals are solid yellow?
The closest to a switch is below the top plate (fly wheel?) of the motor. However it has one wire going in with an open end (male electrical connect) on the other side.

Also a full side view is attched. Is it possible to detect where the safety switch may be.

Your guidance is very much appreciated.

p.s. I purchased the solenoid from West Marine with a oem solenoid.

Re: 1970 Johnson 60hp Starter / Neutral safety switch

I believe that the item in your photo is, indeed, the safety switch on your motor. In looking at the parts diagram at shop.evinrude.com, it appears to be item #84, "SAFETY SWITCH & WASHER ASSEMBLY," which is part #0379542. Its a $26.00 part and it is still available. The later OMC triples have the setup that F R showed, but I don't think yours does.

Don't forget that your motor, which is a hydro electric shift model, has a "neutral start circuit." This system relies on a switch in the control box to prevent starting in either forward or reverse. In the Johnson version, the switch is integrated with the toggle switch (shift switch) in the control box. If the shift handle is not in the neutral position, this circuit will be open, and voltage will not be supplied to the starter solenoid.

There is an adjustment that can be done to the warm-up lever on the Johnson control box that affects the neutral start function. If this adjustment isn't correct, the circuit can be open, even when the shift handle is in the neutral position. The shift handle also can become "sloppy" with age, so sometimes all you have to do to get this circuit closed, is to "jiggle" the shift handle.

My best advice to you at this point, would be for you to purchase an OEM service manual for your motor. They are available from a variety of online sources. I do not recommend aftermarket manuals such as Seloc - they tend to try to cover too many models and years, to be of much help. Many folks also dislike the manuals that are available on CD. I've never used one, but have seen plenty of negative comments about them.

BTW, your solenoid should be properly installed on the amplifier bracket and boots should be installed on the heavy cables. The way you have the solenoid now, it can move around and the bare terminals might end up touching a ground.

Re: 1970 Johnson 60hp Starter / Neutral safety switch

Thanks for the clarification Jay.

I am baffled by how thw switch only has only one wire connected to one side when there are two connection points on the switch. Is one connection a backup? If i ground the other side of the switch (the one with no wire connected to it) the starter works fine.. I did not check to see if it starts when out of neutral with this "open side" grounded. I can't see any possible wire in the area that would connect to the open side... I wonder if this could be a problem.. before I replace the safety switch..
The apppreciation continues for all you have shared with me on this topic.

btw solenoid is mounted securely with rubber boots in place.. i was eager/tired and wanted to get a pic to post.

Re: 1970 Johnson 60hp Starter / Neutral safety switch

Ok, my error, that is the safety switch in your picture. They moved it in later years. Ignore that other connection tab. It is only there because OMC purchased a stock switch instead of something special. Your tests prove that either your switch is shot or mis-adjusted. The timer base pushes the switch plunger in which grounds it and allows the starter to operate. Obviously. if the throttle is advanced too far, it won't push the plunger in and it won' t start.....the whole purpose of it to begin with.

Jay erred also, there is no neutral switch on the 1970 models. So don't waste time looking for it.