Started, Sparked from Batery, Died. Could this be Ignition Switch?

Hi All,

1967 Mercruiser 2.5L 4cyl I/O

So to give you the short story:

1) Replaced ignition switch with standard auto shop one (probably not waterproof)
2) Took boat out, hosed it off
3) Went to my kitchen at midnight to find that my boat was running by itself without a key in it for (im guessing) about 30 min with no muffs
4) Stopped the motor by pulling the wires from the back of the ignition switch
5) Tried to start the boat the next day, small click sound from starter.

TODAY
6) Replaced starter and boat fired up first try!
But while it was running, it sounded almost like it was continually trying to start again with the starter motor, even though the motor was already running
7) Tried starting again, same sound, now SPARKS from battery terminals.
8) Now, wont start, gauges do not move when I switch key to ON.

I'm assuming it's this 10 dollar POS starter I bought for it. Thoughts/Guesses?

I appreciate it. Thanks

Re: Started, Sparked from Batery, Died. Could this be Ignition Switch?

are you saying that the engine was running for 30 minutes without any water? that's bad.

as far as the starter situation goes, sounds like you burned up your original starter, then you burned up your replacement starter, and you're going to burn up the next one unless you fix the ignition switch so it's not continuously engaging the starter without the key or whatever you said it's doing.

Re: Started, Sparked from Batery, Died. Could this be Ignition Switch?

Wow boat running and your in the kitchen doing dishes! Ha! Ha!

Gota say thats funny..... But seriously hate to hear you having issues..

First get rid of the auto key switch and THE AUTO STARTER....... Thats a accident waiting to happen

Next if im right you burnd up the impeller in the outdrive with no water to the motor.

Was the motor overheating?

Re: Started, Sparked from Batery, Died. Could this be Ignition Switch?

yep, i'm not sure how the boat started on its own. the only things I can think of are the either the ignition switch or that the starter motor somehow had one last spark and turned over and started.

either way, now i'm trying to salvage it and get it running.

i have bought a replacement ignition switch to test.

now i'm getting no power from the battery. the hydraulic lift wont work (which usually requires no key).

is it possible to have fried the wiring? or the battery itself? still not sure what the cause was. best guess is the ignition switch was faulty and kept trying to start after it fired and led back to too much electricity back to the battery, causing it to spark on the terminals.

all guesses are welcome

thanks

Re: Started, Sparked from Batery, Died. Could this be Ignition Switch?

WAG.....best case scenario, the circuit breaker popped....saving you a ton of work and money.....
You are gonna need at minimum a test light to start chasing voltage.....
unplug the switch, start at the battery, and check voltage there, then to go the starter and slave solenoid, if applicable,
The slave solenoid could be stuck as well....you should only have juice on the battery side with everything off....
if everything else looks good, check for power at the switch.
The more you post test results, the better the guesses will get

I hope for your sake it's a simple fix, and while running didn't fry your engine, hopefully just the impeller,

Re: Started, Sparked from Batery, Died. Could this be Ignition Switch?

As the others mentioned - it needs to be emphasized - beyond fixing your immediate starter / switch / wiring problem. You now also have a problem with your water pump in the drive at the very least. Maybe other exhaust components as well. These will need to be replaced before you run the engine again.

Re: Started, Sparked from Batery, Died. Could this be Ignition Switch?

is it possible to have fried the wiring? or the battery itself? still not sure what the cause was. best guess is the ignition switch was faulty and kept trying to start after it fired and led back to too much electricity back to the battery, causing it to spark on the terminals.

Click to expand...

Ayuh,.... It's Sparkin' at the battery terminals 'cause the connection is Poor, to Non-existent...

I donno what ya screwed up, or where, but the battery terminals are the 2nd thing ya gotta deal with,...

After the impeller pump, 'n exhaust rubber parts...

Ya need Tight shiny metal clean connections at the battery,...
'n use real nuts, insteada the Wing-nuts...