2001 225 HP Ficht

Dusky203

Seaman Apprentice
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Sep 2, 2001
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37
Good Afternoon!<br />Heres my story:<br />Bought the above motor used and rigged it on my boat. Ran all new harnesses to the motor and console. When to start er up and the starter was dragging. Replaced the batteries with 2 new deep cycle bats and tested again. Still dragging, jumped starter with another battery and still dragged. Removed and replaced with new starter, still dragging, cleaned all cables and tested still DRAGGING!!!!! Replaced one of my brand new bats with a marine starting bat and guess what still dragging???? Tested the new starter direct to jumper cables and starting bat and she sounded better then ever.. My question is this: Is there a way to test the solnoid to see if I have a voltage drop? Or do I just replace it for 25 buck and move on? The cables in the boat are #1 guage and are in just ok shape mild corrosion but all connections have been cut and redone. Any ideas????<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Tim
 

DHPMARINE

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Dec 16, 2003
Messages
3,688
Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

One thing you might try is cranking it (the slow way) for about 15 seconds,then feel along the cables and connections,trying to find a warm or hot spot.That would be the problem area or connection.Don't forget it can be on the negative cable as well'<br /><br />DHP
 

tashasdaddy

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51,019
Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

sounds like cables to me. mine look great, but there had been a nick in one. when i finally found it the cable indice the insulation was corrodid, green and 1/4 its size.
 

paulie0735

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Dec 6, 2005
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Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

Dragging?? I assume you mean the engine will only crank over slowly! One well charged 'standard' battery will spin it just as fast as 2 or even 10! heavy duty ones, it will just die sooner! Did you get the chance to run the engine before you bought it? Are you sure the engine is not tight for some reason? Why did the previous owner sell it? Slip the spark plugs out and see if it spins freely than, if its still tight with the plugs out you may have a bigger problem!
 

Dusky203

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Sep 2, 2001
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Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

I did not get a chance to run it prior to buying it. The owner of them replaced it with an e-tec. I did get the computer print out and everything looked with in specs on it. I never thought that a motor could be tight? What would casue this? I sure hope I dont have a further problem!! The funny thing is when i attempt to start with both bats it sound preety good which leads me to belive I have voltage drop somewhere. With all of the other components already new the cables are the last item. The new cables should be ready today and I will attempts to install them this weekend.<br /><br />Thanks for the replys,<br />Tim
 

Cricket Too

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May 14, 2003
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Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

When I bought my 2000 150hp Ficht brand new, the dealer told me it was recommended to use 1000 MCA batteries for it. I always used two 1000 MCA batteries and never had any problem. I think that had more to do with actually starting the engine and powering up the ECM while cranking rather than affecting the starter. These engines will not start unless they spin fast enough. I would suspect your cables also, even if they don't look bad, there can be corrosion that you can't see. Had the same problem with a + battery cable at the engine, the lug and end of the cable looked OK, but when I stripped back the insulation about 1/2 inch, there was a lot of corrosion, cut the cable back and put a new lug on it, and solved the problem.
 

Dusky203

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Sep 2, 2001
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Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

Thanks for all of the input!! My new cables should be in today so i can solder the ends on and heat shrink everything. I hope to get them in soon so I will keep you posted.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Tim
 

Solittle

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Apr 28, 2002
Messages
7,518
Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

Tim could you share with us why you bought the engine without running it? Did you do a compression check? Have a marine mechanic check it out?
 

Dusky203

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Sep 2, 2001
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Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

When I found the motor it was already off of the boat. I did have my mech check it out and get the read out from the computer. It has 667 hours on it. Compression was 125 each hole give or take a few psi. Motor is in great shape the only warranty items on it were a new computer and an exhaust seal replacement. I have changed lu fluid which old stuff looked real good with no water, plus, wires, water pump, all new harnesses, fuel filters, etc etc. I have not got her wet yet since the install took a bit longer then I had time for. Once I get her started it sounds great! That is why I feel I have a voltage drop somewhere and the only place left would be the cables. I hope there is nothing wrong with the motor but the print out really looked good no overheats or nothing like that.<br /><br />Thanks again<br />Tim
 

Dusky203

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Sep 2, 2001
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Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

Update: Installed new cables and guess what ....same problem :mad: On a ficht motor when you turn the key once shouldnt the fuel pump come on for a seconds? If so mine is not. I switched the relays around and this did not help. I did notice that while attempting to start the fuel pump would come on and once this happened the "bogging down" on starting went away! Is it possible that the motor draws too many amps when attempting to start with no fuel or oil until the fuel pump actually engauges?<br /><br />Just a thought<br />TM
 

Seasport

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May 2, 2005
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Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

Tim I think you need to do some voltage tests to identify the problem area. Sounds like you still have a bad connection somewhere. Perhaps your solenoid as that's about the only thing you haven't replaced!<br /><br />Here's some instructions I have given others.<br />Easiest if you have someone else to turn the motor over for you while you take the measurements.<br /><br />Starter problems can be hard to diagnose. It doesn't take much to upset correct operation.<br />There's a big difference in starter motor turning effort for a motor with and without spark plugs. So even a poor starting system will turn over a motor without plugs.<br /><br />I presume you have access to a voltmeter. If so, I suggest you start by measuring the voltage directly across the starter motor during cranking under load, i.e. between the starter motor +ve terminal and the case of the starter motor. If this is greater than about 9.5V suspect a starter motor problem.<br /><br />If the voltage is less than 9.5V you are dropping volts somewhere else. Any resistance in the circuit will lead to voltage drop (and heat build up) and take power away from the starter motor. Check and clean all of the connections from the +ve battery terminal to the starter solenoid and from the solenoid to the starter motor. (As a clue, any bad connection should get warm when cranking).<br /><br />Check & clean also the -ve battery terminal & powerhead earth connection and also the earth connection from the starter motor to the engine.<br /><br />If this doesn't fix the problem, you may have bad cables or a bad solenoid. If you have access to a voltage meter you can use the following tests to isolate the problem. Measuring from a good earth or preferably directly from the battery -ve terminal, work through the starting circuit and measure the voltage at each point in the circuit while cranking the motor under load: battery +, solenoid battery side, solenoid starter motor side, starter motor +ve terminal and starter motor case. The difference between these measurements will tell you where the volts are being dropped and hence where the high resistance is.<br /><br />You can alternatively just measure the voltage across each component, e.g. from the battery +ve terminal to the solenoid,& directly between the solenoid terminals . In any event write down the readings and you should be able to figure out where the problem lies. They key is that the starter motor needs at least 9.5V to operate properly.<br /><br />As a guide you should get no more than about 0.8V drop from the battery +ve terminal to the solenoid, 0.4V across the solenoid and 0.8V between starter motor -ve terminal and -ve battery terminal. The voltage readings may well go up and down a bit as the motor turns over slowly but just try to choose a consistent set of readings.<br /><br />Also make sure your battery is in good shape. The battery voltage shouldn't drop below about 10V when cranking.
 

noelm

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Mar 8, 2005
Messages
761
Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

not too sure about your horsepower but on my 115HP Fichts when you turn the key to "on" your get a "beep" then the gauge lights all come on then go off, you can also hear a pump running under cowling, then turn key to start position and motor should go quite easily, OH and by the way the primer bulb must be hard or they will not start for ages, the battery must be in good condition but I guess that applies to all motors
 

Cricket Too

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May 14, 2003
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1,732
Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

Don't think you need to worry about the primer bulb as there isn't anything to prime, most DI's don't even have a primer bulb. I'm assuming you have a battery switch on your batteries, you should pull it off and look at all of the connections on it as well, I have seen these conncections become corroded, and that could add a lot of resistance into your starter circuit. Also are you starting this with two batteries or just one, if you have two batteries, try using each by itself to start the engine, and then try putting the battery switch on ALL to start, if it still doesn't work.
 

Dusky203

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Sep 2, 2001
Messages
37
Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

Cricket: Thanks for the reply. The bat switch is brand new. Also, starter, solnoid, batteries (800 CA), #1 welding cables for bat cables, key switch, harnesses, so on and so forth. I have a suspicion since my fuel pump does not come on when I turn the key to the on position. So I no begin to look at the start assist curcuit. However I do not know to test this. Also, with the new harnesses I had two extra wires one brown one purple that I think the schematic showed as leaving disconnected.<br /><br />Any help is appreaciate,<br />Tm
 

Seasport

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May 2, 2005
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410
Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

Assuming that the powerhead is not tight and turns over normally, then if your starter motor is good and is fed with the correct voltage it should turn the motor over normally. You must still have a bad connection somewhere. If your fuel pump fires up and the motor starts turning normally at the same time - that suggests an intermittent connection somewhere. Have you checked the earth connections?<br /><br />The voltage tests I suggested earlier will help you find it.
 

Dusky203

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Sep 2, 2001
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Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

Seasport,<br />What is an earth ground? Never heard of this on an outboard befor. Could you maybe explain what to check to ensure a good ground?
 

Seasport

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May 2, 2005
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Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

Earth and ground mean the same thing. In electrical/electronic circuits they both refer to the -ve or common part of the circuit. I should have been consistent and just called it ground to avoid confusion. The -ve battery terminal is connected (solidly) to the powerhead so that the whole powerhead is grounded. This provides the return path for the starter current.<br /><br />The point is that the starter motor current will flow from the battery +ve through the battery switch, solenoid (& connecting cables obviously) to the starter motor and then back to the battery through the ground connections. There is a lot of current flowing so any poor connection in the whole circuit will lead to excessive voltage drop and poor starter motor performance. This includes the ground connections from the starter motor body back to the -ve battery terminal. You will get voltage drop here too which takes away volts from the starter motor.<br /><br />On some motors the -ve battery terminal is connected directly to the starter motor body and on others it is bolted elsewhere to the powerhead.<br /><br />If you measure the voltage directly between the starter motor +ve terminal and its case, you are measuring the voltage that the starter motor "sees". As I said earlier this needs to be greater than about 9.5V for the starter motor to work properly. If it is less than this you need to find out where the voltage drop is occuring. You will get voltage drop in all parts of the circuit including the -ve battery cable.<br /><br />If you can trace through the circuit and measure the voltages at each position as I described you should be able to identify the problem area. You can measure all the voltages (using a DC meter) with the black meter probe connected to the -ve battery terminal and the red probe to each part of the circuit. Write the voltages down at each point and then subtract them to get the voltage drop across each component. Alternatively you can connect the meter across each component directly (e.g. meter red probe to battery side of the solenoid and meter black probe to the starter motor side) and measure the voltage drop directly.<br /><br />The voltages mentioned above are indicative. They will vary a bit with starting system. Battery voltage when cranking will also vary with condition of the battery. The service manual for my Johnson 150 specifies a voltage drop of no more than 0.3V from battery +ve terminal to solenoid, 0.2V across the solenoid, 0.2V from solenoid to starter motor and 0.3V from -ve battery terminal to powerhead ground. This adds up to a total voltage drop of 1V. A bit more would probably still be OK.<br /><br />Hope this hasn't confused you more. Good luck.
 

Seasport

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Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

I didn't answer your original question! Make sure that the connection where the -ve battery cable is bolted to the powerhead is clean and tight.
 

Dusky203

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Joined
Sep 2, 2001
Messages
37
Re: 2001 225 HP Ficht

Good day! Well I figured this problem out and just wanted to follow up so some one else might learn something. Out of curosity I connected the purple wire under my console to the A location on the key switch. Turned the key once and viola!!!! Fuel pump turned on for 10 seconds and she started right up. Plenty of rotation of the fly wheel and no drag to the starter. After further review it appears that this wire helps the computer send proper or increased voltage to start via the start assist circuit. So lessoned leared read the schmatic very closly.<br /><br />Thanks for everyones input I truly appreaciate it,<br />Tm
 
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