2003 Merc 40 elpto won't start not even a click

[fieldboss]

Ok, went to startup 1st time after winter (20' forest pontoon). Not even a click. Verified battery cables are clean, verified kill switch off, I can raise the motor on tilt switch on the motor. When I turn the key, fuel Guage does show full,. The Volt Guage doesn't Register. I Did move the shift arm to insure it was in neutral. The battery I am using just came out of my power boat that I had just ran. Please advise where I should star trouble shooting. Thank you

 

[Silvertip]

Did you verify the battery cables are clean by disconnecting them and then cleaning them shiny bright, or did you just look at them? And remember, there are two ends to each cable. Cleaning one end fixes nothing if it is the other end that's the problem. Break out the test light or voltmeter and see if you have power at the starter solenoid where the battery cable connects. No = fix the battery cables. Yes = have an assistant turn the key to START while you check for voltage at the small wire on the starter solenoid. No = troubleshoot the engine harness. Start by disconnecting the large harness plug at the engine. Connect and disconnect it several times to burnish the contacts in the plug and receptacle. If there is power to the solenoid from the ignition switch in START, the solenoid is suspect. The voltmeter has just 12 volt, ground and a light connection and gets its power from any other gauge so it is either bad or the +12 or ground connection is lost. Has nothing to do with the engine not starting since other gauges work.

 

[gm280]

Silvertip hit on so many ideas that I won't repeat them. Also, check the wires from the ignition switch. It could be the wires to the key switch are corroded and not supplying the voltage to the starter solenoid's small terminals to close the solenoid to pass voltage and current to the starter. A good way to check that is to jumper the starter solenoid and see if the starter pins. Take a jumper cable set and jump from the positive battery post to the starter and see if the starter works. If not, you could have a bad ground wire to the engine... JMHO!

 

[fieldboss]

Thanks for the input. All it took was hauling the boat with the mini van 40 miles to the marine shop...they moved the shifting level and of course it started right up. I must have put the shifting arm in and out of forward and reverse a dozen times...oh well. Thanks again