Key switch issues 1999 115 Johnson

Morning guys, been a while. Anyway I am dealing with some key switch issues this weekend. The boat has been sitting for quite a while. When I went to start it I had no power to the key switch. I went through the ignition system and battery and cleaned all the wire connections. This time I turned the switch on and got power to the gauges but nothing when I turned the key to start or pushed in the primer. I pulled the key switch and did a continuity test and everything checked out ok, I put the switch back in and the gauges once again worked but nothing happend again when I turned the switch to start.

After a half hour of blindly fooling around I went back to the motor and jumped a wire to the yellow/red wire of the starter solenoid. The starter worked. I went back to the helm and turned the key and the starter engaged. I thought I had won but was soon disapointed.

I cleaned up my mess and went back to the helm to start it one more time and this time when I turned the key on I once again got no power to the switch (no gauges or anything). I have retraced my steps from yesterday and still have nothing. At this point I am open to any suggestions.

Thanks in advance,
GatorMike

Re: Key switch issues 1999 115 Johnson

check the fuse located in the red rubber boot right behind the starter solenoid. thats always the first place i go to with ignition problems.

Re: Key switch issues 1999 115 Johnson

I got it figured out I just have a question to ask the experts, I don't want to screw up. The problem was with the Red/purple wire that goes to the terminal labeled A on the keyswitch. I figured out that is the wire that supplies power to the key switch. I ran a temporary wire directly from the battery to that terminal and everything worked fine.

Now I just need to know where that Red/purple wire runs to or can I just run a wire directly to the battery and cut that red and purple wire?

Re: Key switch issues 1999 115 Johnson

I think I just figured out the answer to my own question. At the motor I see a red/purple wire going to the ignition fuse I would assume this is the other end of the wire to the key switch. I still need to know how to run a new wire. Would I be better off to replace a few inches of the wire at each end or since I really don't know where the break in the wire is should I run a whole new wire? I have never replaced a wire that runs through the engines harness before. I can't make heads or tails of the wireing diagram in my manual so I need to know if this wire feeds anything besides the keyswitch and ignition?

Re: Key switch issues 1999 115 Johnson

Excuse me for posting so much but I am trying to think this out as I sit here at my computer desk.

I was just thinking maybe my best aproach at this time would be to use a circuit tester to see if I have power to the fuse then use a continuity tester to see if I have continuity between the fuse and the other end of the red/purple wire and go on from there.

Re: Key switch issues 1999 115 Johnson

continuousWave: Whaler: Reference: Ignition Switch

the red/violet is the battery feed wire and it comes of the starter solinoid (battery side big terminal) then goes to the fuse holder then via the plug to the boat harness and ends at the B terminal on the switch. When you turn the key the power from the feed B terminal goes to the S terminal on the switch then to the small terminal on the starter solinoid terminal via the neutral switch (is the gear shift in neutral?).

Re: Key switch issues 1999 115 Johnson

Thanks Glenn that pretty well confirms what I figured. I followed the red/violet wire from the fuse holder to the 6pin plug at the wire harness and used a test light to determine I had power to that point. Then I checked the 6 wire plug just before the keyswitch and have no power there. Sounds like if I fish a wire through and tie it into the Red/violet wire that goes to the swithc and the one that goes to the fuse at the other end I will be in business.

Re: Key switch issues 1999 115 Johnson

Mike it's not impossible but it's highly unlikely to be a broken wire.
It will be at a connection point somewhere in the system.

You should take advantage of it being in failure mode, try and set up your power tester to be able to pierce the cable insulation then start where the power is good and work your way along the connection points until it fails.

Re: Key switch issues 1999 115 Johnson

Disconnect the connector at the engine harness and check the condition of the the pins and sockets in the connectors. I had a similar problem years ago. Some moisture must have gotten into the connector and it shorted the +12 VDC to ground.The pin couldn't be replaced so I cleaned the carbonized plastic between the two pins out and had to run a new wire bypassing the connector . I had an extension cable between the engine harness and boat harness, so I didn't need a quick disconnect at the plug. I can still disconnect the two harnesses at the engine.