1998 Evinrude Ocean Pro 175 Wont Start; Just a Single Click When You Turn the Key

[daselbee]

Re: 1998 Evinrude Ocean Pro 175 Wont Start; Just a Single Click When You Turn the Key

I wouldn't take the starter off just yet. All symptoms point to a bad cable somewhere.....I left you a message.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 1998 Evinrude Ocean Pro 175 Wont Start; Just a Single Click When You Turn the Key

Voltage drop can be due to only one of two conditions. Bad/corroded connections or a bad battery. If you cleaned the battery terminals that's a start. YOu need to clean both ends. You also need to make sure the cable or wire going into each terminal end is not corroded. Check carefully. Any bulges in the insulation or corrosion peaking out from between terminal ends and the insulation points to a bad cable. Use jumper cables to jump directly from the battery to the starter. If the starter spins normally, you have a cable/solenoid issue. If not, you have a starter issue but I/m betting that is not the case.

 

[jonesg]

Re: 1998 Evinrude Ocean Pro 175 Wont Start; Just a Single Click When You Turn the Key

If you like wrenching get the real factory service book, it sounds like you have the seloc manual.

I looked in my book, that red wire, in black sheaf, going over the head into the plastic P/P cover is for the rectifier/reg.
SO I went and popped the hood on my engine to double check..yep.
It belongs on the main + post with the RED wire from the battery.
That POS post on the starter acts like a main power buss and distributes 12v to various components.

The main NEG post only has one connection...plus a strap connecting the starter body to NEG, make sure that strap isn't melted or cracked.

On the bottom of the solenoid there are 2 small posts , a black neg(left) and the power feed(right) to the power pack that is ony active during cranking, it is yellow with red stripe. The optical ignition must see a good clean 12v without v drop during cranking or the ignition will not spark, hence the switched 12v yellow/red wire .

 

[Big flop]

Re: 1998 Evinrude Ocean Pro 175 Wont Start; Just a Single Click When You Turn the Key

Sorry for the misdirection everyone was so worried about how bad it is to take the top
Apart it didn't click you don't need to. Two bolts on top & one on the bottom.
If you ran jumper cables from batt. Straight to starter power & ground at the same
time & no crank sounds like a bad starter.

 

[EHouseHead]

Re: 1998 Evinrude Ocean Pro 175 Wont Start; Just a Single Click When You Turn the Key

Sorry for having 2 threads going everyone. I will reply to both so if anyone has the same issue they can follow what I did and whatnot.
FORUM MODERATOR: YOU ARE WELCOME TO REMOVE EITHER THREAD AS YOU WISH

Well here is the whole story, one of an unfortunate chain of events that led to the demise of my motor.
1. Anti-Siphon valve got stuck at sea causing the fuel bulb to remain collapsed, not allowing fuel to the engine. Freaking out I tried multiple attempts to start the boat thus weaking the starter I'm sure.
2. After fixing the fuel problem, alas the boat cranks but wont turn over. Again I try several times, my last try is when all I get is a "click" of the solenoid. Turns out the reason she wouldn't start this time is because of a problem with the kill switch plug where it plugs into the engine (HOWEVER I wasn't aware of that at this point).
3. After replacing the solenoid there was still no difference, so I tested the voltage going into the solenoid which dropped from over 12v to about 6v when I turned the key. SO I was told and assumed there is a problem between the batteries and the solenoid. I had both batteries tested so I knew it wasn't that, so I ran jumper cables from the battery straight to the solenoid with the same drop in voltage. Stumped, tired, and aggravated Doug (daselbee) came to my rescue. He drove down and immediately diagnosed the starter being the problem so we pulled it off and well...... it smelled and looked like someone emptied an ashtray into it. It was shot out, so I ran and grabbed a new one, we installed it, it cranked beautifully....but no start. It would give us a single sputter when I would let off the key. Doug (daselbee) pulled out his timing light gun and realized we had no spark. Well, not exactly. We were getting a single spark with the initial turn of the key but it would not contiously spark when holding the key. Doug said it seems like a problem with the kill switch.
4. We unplug the big red kill switch plug under the cowel hood as well as where it plugs in at on top of the engine and it starter right up. After plugging both back in it stars again and again and runs perfect. I guess there was a gremlin in one of those plugs but all is well...so far.

I want to thank everyone for their help
I especilly want to thank Doug (daselbee). He came all the way down to help me, out of his way, and spent hours getting dirty and wouldn't take anything from me for my thanks. A special thanks goes out to him from my wife and I, I truely do owe you one. If you need help with something whatever it may be just let me know.

Cheers to all!

 

[jonesg]

Re: 1998 Evinrude Ocean Pro 175 Wont Start; Just a Single Click When You Turn the Key

Good man Doug,

on those plugs , its common...I spray with elec cleaner from NAPA, then white lithium dialectric grease before connecting.
Keeps moisture out and removes corrosion. Its just good preventative work.

 

[EHouseHead]

Re: 1998 Evinrude Ocean Pro 175 Wont Start; Just a Single Click When You Turn the Key

Good man Doug,

on those plugs , its common...I spray with elec cleaner from NAPA, then white lithium dialectric grease before connecting.
Keeps moisture out and removes corrosion. Its just good preventative work.

thanks for that tip I'll do that for sure because I am still nervous that it will pull that crap with me 25 miles out! Thanks JonesG

 

[daselbee]

Re: 1998 Evinrude Ocean Pro 175 Wont Start; Just a Single Click When You Turn the Key

You are very welcome. I had a fine time through it all, BUT....

I am just not sure yet about the "no spark" condition after we replaced the starter.

To all those readers out there with '96 60* optical ignitions...this is really weird.

Skipping forward to the meat of the issue, I pulled the big red plug and rechecked for spark, got none.
Then I noticed that when I pulled the trigger on the remote starter switch that we were using, I would get ONE flash of the timing light, and no more.
It was repeatable. One flash that occurred immediately as the engine spun up, OR at the very end as it was stopping as I released the starter switch trigger. Makes no sense.
Then I had DJ climb up and remove the plastic ignition covers, we located the black/yellow wire kill circuit connector and unplugged it from the PP.
Spark returned reliable and strong. Plugged the connector back in, and spark remained.

Now, why would the black/yellow kill wire be intermittent to ground, killing the ignition, and simply reseating the connector correct the problem? Remember, the big red plug was disconnected through all this.
And why only ONE spark (flash of timing light) when it was acting up? Seems like if there was a fault in the black/yellow kill circuit including the connector itself, I would get NO SPARK at all, not one spark, and then none....

DJ, keep your Sea Tow dues paid up....I am afraid that the gremlin may still be there....

Anyway. It is running now.

 

[EHouseHead]

Re: 1998 Evinrude Ocean Pro 175 Wont Start; Just a Single Click When You Turn the Key

You are very welcome. I had a fine time through it all, BUT....

I am just not sure yet about the "no spark" condition after we replaced the starter.

To all those readers out there with '96 60* optical ignitions...this is really weird.

Skipping forward to the meat of the issue, I pulled the big red plug and rechecked for spark, got none.
Then I noticed that when I pulled the trigger on the remote starter switch that we were using, I would get ONE flash of the timing light, and no more.
It was repeatable. One flash that occurred immediately as the engine spun up, OR at the very end as it was stopping as I released the starter switch trigger. Makes no sense.
Then I had DJ climb up and remove the plastic ignition covers, we located the black/yellow wire kill circuit connector and unplugged it from the PP.
Spark returned reliable and strong. Plugged the connector back in, and spark remained.

Now, why would the black/yellow kill wire be intermittent to ground, killing the ignition, and simply reseating the connector correct the problem? Remember, the big red plug was disconnected through all this.
And why only ONE spark (flash of timing light) when it was acting up? Seems like if there was a fault in the black/yellow kill circuit including the connector itself, I would get NO SPARK at all, not one spark, and then none....

DJ, keep your Sea Tow dues paid up....I am afraid that the gremlin may still be there....

Anyway. It is running now.

Ya Seatow ain't goin nowhere, and I am considering getting a get me home with tax refund lol...