Ok this will be a long one because I dont want to leave out details. I have my first boat, just bought it this week. Its a 71 Glasspar that has a 71 85HP johnson. Engine Model # 85esl-71H. I hooked up the battery tonight to try and tinker with a few things. The accessories worked (lights, bilge, etc.) but I noticed the radio popped and smoked when I turned it on. I thought it was because of the tornadoes we had earlier in the day and it was soaked. I tried to start the engine and it wouldnt. Just kept turning over. I knew the switch was bad in the controls to change the gears, so I thought that was what was causing it to not start, because it was starting in forward not neutral. The owner started it for me when I bought it and showed me how I needed to jump the wires between different points to change gears. I took apart the contorls and saw how the previouse owner had used a jumper wire to change forward,neutral etc.I couldnt figure it out so I read how it should be for neutral online. Ends up Hydro-Electrics start in forward (from what I read afterwards) and then go into neutral when started. I put the controls back together with the wires set for neutral and then went to hook the battery back up. I then realized that I had the battery hooked up wrong before( I know, big dumbass here, but they were both black with grease until I smudged the red one). I hooked it up right this time, and everything works, even the radio that smoked. But now it doesnt even turn over. Did I mess something up in the controls when taking apart, or did I fry something by having the battery hooked backwards? Any help would be appreciated, or any steps to test things.
