Boat wont turn over…Safety Switch?

[Green Mountain Boy]

I just got an old Stingray SVB 165 SS with a 120 Mercruiser motor. I threw a good battery in it….and it does nothing. Fuses on the dash are good. I don’t know anything about it. Is there some type of safety preventing it from turning over? I should at least hear the starter clunk….or something. Help me please.
Thanks in advance!

 

[j cat]

I just got an old Stingray SVB 165 SS with a 120 Mercruiser motor. I threw a good battery in it….and it does nothing. Fuses on the dash are good. I don’t know anything about it. Is there some type of safety preventing it from turning over? I should at least hear the starter clunk….or something. Help me please.
Thanks in advance!

remove the lower out drive ... remove the spark plugs ..then crank the engine . see if water is in the bellows/cylinders.
what is your 120 merc year .?

 

[Buzzsaw420]

Battery is a good start now start following every wire to their connections and cleaning them up all the way to the ignition.

 

[dubs283]

Is there some type of safety preventing it from turning over?

Gear shift in neutral?

 

[achris]

remove the lower out drive ... remove the spark plugs ..then crank the engine . see if water is in the bellows/cylinders.
what is your 120 merc year .?

Again, too invasive, too quickly. Plenty of checks to do before pulling things apart.

First up, turn the key ON, do the instruments come on?
If so, use a multimeter or test light and check for voltage at the ignition coil+
Then get a helper, and with the gear shift in neutral, turn the key to START and check voltage at the starter slave solenoid.
You can also put a remote starter switch on and see if that turns the engine over.

Yes, a lot of diagnostics to do before pulling drives off.

Chris.......

 

[j cat]

Again, too invasive, too quickly. Plenty of checks to do before pulling things apart.

First up, turn the key ON, do the instruments come on?
If so, use a multimeter or test light and check for voltage at the ignition coil+
Then get a helper, and with the gear shift in neutral, turn the key to START and check voltage at the starter slave solenoid.
You can also put a remote starter switch on and see if that turns the engine over.

Yes, a lot of diagnostics to do before pulling drives off.

Chris.......

HE BOUGHT IT NOW !

 

[achris]

HE BOUGHT IT NOW !

Yes I know, I did read his opening post and I maintain, lots of diagnostics to do before ripping into things.

Chris........

 

[Scott06]

Again, too invasive, too quickly. Plenty of checks to do before pulling things apart.

First up, turn the key ON, do the instruments come on?
If so, use a multimeter or test light and check for voltage at the ignition coil+
Then get a helper, and with the gear shift in neutral, turn the key to START and check voltage at the starter slave solenoid.
You can also put a remote starter switch on and see if that turns the engine over.

Yes, a lot of diagnostics to do before pulling drives off.

Chris.......

Yep, if you hear the starter engage and click then look at engine/gimbal/ujoints/drive being locked up, but thats not whats happening here

 

[nola mike]

HOW TO: Troubleshooting your engines starting system

So you hit the ignition switch so you can go home and either nothing happens, or you hear a click from the engine, but the starter doesn't crank......... Now what ? If you have a test light, you can find out in only a few minutes what the problem is. I like test lights because they are faster...

forums.iboats.com

 

[Green Mountain Boy]

Thank you everyone for the help…so quickly too!! it turned out that the starter was froze up. It has been setting for a few years. I am sure there will be other issues…..
Thanks again!

 

[Scott Danforth]

@j cat

how could you come to this conclusion

remove the lower out drive ... remove the spark plugs ..then crank the engine . see if water is in the bellows/cylinders.
what is your 120 merc year .?

from this information

I just got an old Stingray SVB 165 SS with a 120 Mercruiser motor. I threw a good battery in it….and it does nothing. Fuses on the dash are good. I don’t know anything about it. Is there some type of safety preventing it from turning over? I should at least hear the starter clunk….or something. Help me please.
Thanks in advance!

since there was no movement or clunk from the starter. this would normally be dirty connections, bad key switch, bad cables, bad battery, bad starter solenoid or bad starter. all external to the motor and all diagnosable with a multi-meter and test light

so why are you suggesting removing the lower out drive and spark plugs?

or arguing with @achris who is a certified mercruiser mechanic and used to be a mercruiser dealer

Just wondering, as your diagnostic comments over the past few weeks have me believing you get your bad diagnostic information from youtube

 

[j cat]

Thank you everyone for the help…so quickly too!! it turned out that the starter was froze up. It has been setting for a few years. I am sure there will be other issues…..
Thanks again!

when the engine does not start the starter motor locks up because the engine does not go in the reverse direction ..
when the engine starts up then the starter motor does not lock up ..
take the starter motor out and see if it runs .. then rotate the engine in the correct rotation if the engine rotates.

 

[achris]

when the engine does not start the starter motor locks up because the engine does not go in the reverse direction ..
when the engine starts up then the starter motor does not lock up ..
take the starter motor out and see if it runs .. then rotate the engine in the correct rotation if the engine rotates.

I think the original poster is saying the starter motor was seized from a lack of use, not that it was locked in the ring gear.

Oh, and one thing. The engine doesn't go in reverse when it starts. The starter motor gets thrown out of mesh by the flywheel going faster than it (if the key isn't released before that actually happens)...

Chris...

 

[Scott Danforth]

when the engine does not start the starter motor locks up because the engine does not go in the reverse direction ..
when the engine starts up then the starter motor does not lock up ..
take the starter motor out and see if it runs .. then rotate the engine in the correct rotation if the engine rotates.

the OP already posted that his starter was seized/rusted up from sitting