73 50 hp johnson quit, now nothing. Help please

[neub747]

I have a 73 50hp Johnson outboard, and I was cruising along last night just fine and all of the sudden it spit and sputterd for a quick second and stalled. Now I have nothing. Won't even click when I hit the key. The electric choke does work but the motor won't even click. I've wiggled the linkage, tapped on the starter and the starter solonoid and checked the fuse on the motor and it is good. I have no idea. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[tphoyt]

Can you turn the flywheel by hand?

 

[racerone]

Did overheat horn sound ?----Agreed , see if flywheel will turn by hand.----Drain gear oil and check for metal bits.

 

[jimmbo]

What happens if you bypass the Solenoid? Could be a bad Key Switch,

 

[neub747]

I can turn the flywheel. I don't think it overheated. It acts like the linkage is in gear but its not. Just absolutely no click or anything.

 

[neub747]

I;'m not real certain how to bypass the solenoid without damaging something.

 

[jimmbo]

I used to use Pliers. It will likely create Sparks, which can be a Fire Risk. A set of Booster Cables, one each side of the Solenoid, can move the closing of the connection away

 

[neub747]

crossing the solenoid made it work.

 

[jimmbo]

next would be a test to see if the Soleniod is good/bad. Jump across the Battery Cable at the Soleniod, to the small terminal next to the Battery Cable.
If the engine cranks, then the problem is in the Wiring to the Control, or the Key Switch

 

[neub747]

I'm sorry, but I'm not really sure what you mean. I have a parts motor and I swapped out solenoids and it's still not starting. That doesn't mean that the solenoid is good on the parts motor though.

 

[jimmbo]

Possibly. Or it means you have 2 bad Solenoids. That is why a Disciplined Troubleshooting Method is needed. Some People love to switch parts until the problem goes away. I hate spending Money and/or Time doing unneeded work. Do you have a Voltmeter? If so, you can easily check to see if Voltage is going from the Key Switch to the Solenoid.

 

[neub747]

yes i do

 

[jimmbo]

Jumping the Connections shown by the Green U, would test the Solenoid. While checking for Voltage at the wire going to the Terminal pointed to by blue arrow, while turning the Key to Start, will verify the Key Switch and Wiring

Edit: BTW, I know this Diagram isn't your Engine, but the Starting Circuit would be the same

 

[racerone]

Check safety switch in control box.-----Annd possibly one on the motor ( white wire.----Only one white wire goes to the safety switch on the motor.

 

[neub747]

I jumped that wire and got nothing. I put my positive lead on the top small wire on the back of the solenoid and my negative wire on a ground and had my wife hit the key and I got 12.8 to my multimeter.

 

[jimmbo]

So you are saying when the Key is turned to Start, voltage is arriving at the Solenoid, and that jumping from the Battery Cable to the Same terminal that the wire you got current on when wifey, turned the key, results in No Cranking? Check to see if the other small wire on the Solenoid is Grounded

 

[neub747]

I'ts in my linkage, I just took my shift linkage off and moved the shifter manually and it is rolling over. Started it up, it ran, shifted correctly, I put everything back together and now it won't roll over again!!! grrrrr!!!

 

[jimmbo]

As racer said, Neutral Safety Switch(es) could be the Culprit, You might need to take the Control Box apart.

 

[neub747]

I'm pretty sure my gear box is bad(or whatever an outboard has). There is no differentiation between gears when i move the shifter arm manually. It just smoothly moves front to back. My parts motor has a clunk and a stopping point when i get into forward of reverse.

 

[jimmbo]

If it is the Neutral interlock, you can bypass it, but then you have manually insure the motor is in Neutral, and not in gear at Full Throttle, when you go to start it.