88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

I'm thinking of purchasing a 88 evinrude 140 for $800. The previous owner got it with a boat and just ripped it off. Supposedly it was running before it came off the boat. Currently I have it hooked up to a battery and the controls are plugged in. I go to turn the key and nothing. I tested the voltage of the plug coming out of the engine (that plugs into the controls) and there is no voltage. I've tried using a jumper to give power straight to the starter and it spins. Is there a solenoid or something bad in it?

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

look for red inline fuse holder near stater solenoid. it has a special short 20-30 amp fuse in it. that powers the controls.

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

Fuse is an AGA 20 fast blow - don't use anything higher or you risk burning your harness wiring. Part # 514021

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

Awesome! Thank you for the specifics! Will I need to get this from a marina or will napa or somewhere have it?

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

Pretty common around marine supply houses - auto parts dealers can get them if they don't have them. iboats: http://www.iboats.com/AGA-20-Amp-Fu...89514236--**********.336146788--view_id.87171

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

Perfect - I got the fuses and I'm going to try it out today - I will let you know the results.

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

You better cuz that would be a STEAL for that motor.

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

ezMobee,

I checked the fuse and sure enough, it was blown. That being said, I replaced it, plugged the controls back in, turned the key and nothing happened. I checked the fuse and it was blown again. All I have hooked up are the controls, no trim, etc.... Could this be a bad ground, solenoid, voltage regulator? When i turned the key nothing happened, no clicks, nothing.

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

There is probably a short, either in the ignition switch or in the harness wiring.

The fuse is between the large post on the starter solenoid and the 'B' connector on the ignition switch, but an overload on the accessories post on the ignition switch can blow the fuse.

Start by disconnecting the large red plug at the engine and check for problems there (dirty or corrosion) then check for continuity.

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

now is the ignition switch referring to the control box?

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

Depends on your boat, but it's where you put the ignition key.

On a standard side mount control it is in the remote control: http://www.maxrules.com/graphics/omc_pics/REMCONTBOX.jpg

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

Okay... There are a couple of stray wires coming out of the control box, they look like they were speed/tach or something of that nature, could this be causing a short? It looks like I need to clean up all the wiring, check the grounds, etc....

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

gfuller40 said:

Okay... There are a couple of stray wires coming out of the control box, they look like they were speed/tach or something of that nature, could this be causing a short? It looks like I need to clean up all the wiring, check the grounds, etc....

Click to expand...

The 3 tach wires would be out of a plug just below the ignition key; the purple wire runs to the accessory post on the ignition switch as shown in the diagram and if shorted or attached to something with too much load, could cause the fuse to blow.

Sometimes people run a switch to override the neutral safety switch, so you may have extra wires for that.

Re: 88 Evinrude 140 - No power to controls

Gotcha... The speedo and tach wires that come out just under the ignition switch look like they were just cut during the engine removal. I'm going to stock up on fuses and try to do the best testing I can this weekend. I've also read where loose grounds or battery wires can cause this so I'm going to check all of that as well as open up the control box. I want to pinpoint what exactly triggers the fuse blowing (if it's anything else but the obvious turning of the key). In theory I would think I should be able to throw a new fuse in and not have it blow with the controls unplugged. If this passes I will then try plugging in the controls without turning the key and check again. I'm sure it will only blow when turning the ignition, but I just want to narrow it down a bit more. I really hate dealing with the electronics on these things! I'm lucky to have people out there that know what they are doing, thanks again for your help! I will let you know what I find!