1985 v4 90hp no eletrical power

bow2no1

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Jun 22, 2009
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i have a 1985 v4 vro, i just pulled it out for the year trying to get it running right.
i had the engine running ok.....then all the sudden i lost all power to the engine.
the starter doesn't work, tilt and trim doesn't work.....nothing....
 

jjzepplin

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Apr 26, 2010
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Re: 1985 v4 90hp no eletrical power

Happened to me once and ended up being a large fuse near the electronics box. You did not state the make of your engine, but I would venture to believe it's something of that nature. No way all those things go bad at once. I was swapping in a new battery and one of the accessory leads hit the wrong post. Fine now, though and I carry an extra fuse on board now.
 

Will Bark

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Re: 1985 v4 90hp no eletrical power

First place to look are the battery connections at both ends clean at battery and then at engine under the cowl. All must be shiny bright. Then there is a fuse connection under the cowl by the starter solenoid that should be checked. Post back after you clean the connections and check fuse.
 

bow2no1

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Re: 1985 v4 90hp no eletrical power

it's a evinrude......with a johnson cover :rolleyes:


i put a new fuse in, i have several parts motors around i stole one from.
now, the really are clicking for the tilt and trim......nothing happins.....
and it still doesn't turn over or anything.

seems like i have had this issue before but i can't remember what the problem was...

anything else i should be looking at? i'll check the connections tomorrow. it's getting dark out now.
 

Will Bark

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Re: 1985 v4 90hp no eletrical power

Dumb questions but you are sure the throttle lever on the control box is centered and that your "kill" switch clip is engaged fully? Still sounds like a battery connection at fault.
 

bow2no1

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Re: 1985 v4 90hp no eletrical power

lol yes, that was the 1st thing i checked....

how many fuses should i have? may be a numb question?
i found one small one in a black holder. thats the one i replaced yesterday.

after doing some searches, i noticed people had a larger fuse in a red holder.
 

bow2no1

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Re: 1985 v4 90hp no eletrical power

i have power going in to the starter relay but not out.......
 

archcycle

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Sep 21, 2009
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Re: 1985 v4 90hp no eletrical power

i have power going in to the starter relay but not out.......

This sure sounds a lot like a bad ground. If the ground near the starter isn't well connected then you would certainly have trouble running power through the relay. You have to have a good ground or power will not go anywhere. Electricity follows the path of least resistance and in this case that's accomplished by just staying put.

Remove the ground connection from near the starter and wire brush both the ring terminal and the motor. Better yet use a dremel wire brush if you have one. Get both good and shiny, and the bolt head that holds it down good and shiny.

The relay on the TT clicking could indicate that you've got enough power flowing to flip a little relay but not quite enough to jump the starter solenoid. The no power at all screams faulty ground.
 

bow2no1

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Jun 22, 2009
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Re: 1985 v4 90hp no eletrical power

good idea, i'll check the ground, i did neglect to do so..
i did go through an put dielectric grease on all the connections.
a friend of mine who is a ford master tech came over with his multi meter. tested the wires and said they was all good going to the starter switch.....some how he frigged with the starter switch and it work work......kinda periodically. he said it's most likely the switch. so i bought a new switch today and i still have the same problem....
i'll go check the ground right now.
 

bow2no1

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Jun 22, 2009
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Re: 1985 v4 90hp no eletrical power

This sure sounds a lot like a bad ground. If the ground near the starter isn't well connected then you would certainly have trouble running power through the relay. You have to have a good ground or power will not go anywhere. Electricity follows the path of least resistance and in this case that's accomplished by just staying put.

Remove the ground connection from near the starter and wire brush both the ring terminal and the motor. Better yet use a dremel wire brush if you have one. Get both good and shiny, and the bolt head that holds it down good and shiny.

The relay on the TT clicking could indicate that you've got enough power flowing to flip a little relay but not quite enough to jump the starter solenoid. The no power at all screams faulty ground.

Thank you!!!
just cleaned the ground and put dieletric grease on it...... she turns over now!!!

my next question is...my tilt and trim still does not work... just the relays are clicking
is there an other ground i should check? if so where?

Thanks again!
 
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