78' Merc Thunderbolt 70 HP

[Rockpainter]

At the end of the 05' season I put my boat away and disconnected the battery.<br />This year after I fully charged the battery the lights work but I seem to not get any juice to the motor. I checked the connections at the battery and at the engine. Also made sure it was in nuetral when trying to start. Any Ideas ? Can I somehow see if the motor will start by going direct to + & -connections on motor? <br />Thanks

 

[dmcomp]

Re: 78' Merc Thunderbolt 70 HP

Hi Rockpainter, What do your lights do when you turn the ignition switch, Do they dim slightly and do you hear a clicking sound from the motor when the key is turned?

 

[Rockpainter]

Re: 78' Merc Thunderbolt 70 HP

At first I heard a single click every time I turned the key.<br />Now I get nothing, I dont think the lights dim when the key is turned.

 

[dmcomp]

Re: 78' Merc Thunderbolt 70 HP

To eliminate a battery problem, I would take the battery to a gas station and get them to do a load test on the battery, Quite often cells in the batteries can collapse which can give you enough power to run lights but when the load of a sterter motor is present, the battery fails. Keeping your fingers clear of the flywheel, You could also try running a wire from the positive side of the battery to the "small" positive terminal on the solenoid (Will be the side with a small yellow cable attached). At the very least you should hear the solenoid click or motor will try to crank. Just out of curiosity, Do you hear a clicking sound from the motor when you press the choke button on yout forward control?

 

[Rockpainter]

Re: 78' Merc Thunderbolt 70 HP

Thanks for the advice<br /><br />I actually ran a line from the + battery post to the Solenoid and now everything runs off the ignition switch.<br />Perhaps I have a weak connection when I ran my lighting in the boat and it is enough for the lights but not enough to start the engine. <br /><br />I will at some point re-wire my lights probably after my trip to Canada.