No power to ignition switch

[peeleb]

Hello I have a 1995 mercury tracker pro series 60 outboard model 106041 . I'm not getting power to my ignition and have several wires I have no clue where they go, it was oil injected but that system was bypassed, previous owner said they can't be trusted.
Any help is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance

 

[Faztbullet]

Unplug the purple wire in second picture and replace 20amp fuse . The other wires are for trim/temp gauges. The red/blue/grn are from trim switch

 

[peeleb]

Unplug the purple wire in second picture and replace 20amp fuse . The other wires are for trim/temp gauges. The red/blue/grn are from trim switch

Changed the fuse and retried with the wire plugged and unplugged and nothing. I do hear a pop or clicking sounds coming from this area though. Is it possible the solenoid could be bad? They said it ran when they took it off their boat, but it's been sitting 2-3 years give or take

 

[Faztbullet]

Could be starter or solenoid

 

[Texasmark]

If I am picking up correctly on this, its not your lack of power to the ign switch, its the fact that when you roll it over to the start position nothing happens but you hear a "click"???????

The click is probably the solenoid switch which is located close to the starter and usually contains the red wire from the battery on an input 3/8" terminal and on the opposite side of the solenoid the other 3/8" terminal is wired directly to the starter.

Harbor Freight sells a cheap multimeter...less than 10 bucks. Others sell them. Get one and on the Voltage scale, 20V range, put one lead on the wire from the solenoid output to the starter and the other on the engine block that is shiny....not on paint...an insulator.

Get someone to turn the switch to start and see if you get voltage to the starter and if you do, how much. Report back.

 

[Chris1956]

Just a note on those cheap multimeters. I had one and it could not tell the difference between a 400 ohm resistance and a dead short. I had to give it the float test.... Just saying....

 

[peeleb]

If I am picking up correctly on this, its not your lack of power to the ign switch, its the fact that when you roll it over to the start position nothing happens but you hear a "click"???????

The click is probably the solenoid switch which is located close to the starter and usually contains the red wire from the battery on an input 3/8" terminal and on the opposite side of the solenoid the other 3/8" terminal is wired directly to the starter.

Harbor Freight sells a cheap multimeter...less than 10 bucks. Others sell them. Get one and on the Voltage scale, 20V range, put one lead on the wire from the solenoid output to the starter and the other on the engine block that is shiny....not on paint...an insulator.

Get someone to turn the switch to start and see if you get voltage to the starter and if you do, how much. Report back.

Got 12.43 on the in post key off and switched on. 0.03 on the out post to the starter key off and on

 

[Texasmark]

So is it the solenoid or the power to it? Get across the small terminals on the solenoid and flip the switch. If you get no 12v you have a supply problem. If you get 12v time for a new solenoid.

Some times I have bypassed the solenoid to ensure that its the problem, being internal or supply. I take a pair of common pliers, turn them around so that the handles are sticking out and put them across the 3/8" terminals....expect a spark doing this. If the starter spins trying to start the engine, or if it starts, that ensures your problem is the solenoid or supply voltage.

Something else you could do, if the jumper test works, while you have the pliers handy, select the small terminal with the colored wire....yellow/red stripe I think.....jump from the input 3/8" post to the small terminal with the colored wire. If the starter spins you have a supply problem.....otherwise internal problem with the solenoid.

The solenoid can have 2 internal problems: 1, the solenoid is old and even though you hear a click, the contacts are pitted reducing the cross sectional area and therefore is incapable of suppling the necessary current to spin the starter. 2, The internal coil (small terminals) that when energized, causes the contacts to close is broken...open wire.

 

[peeleb]

So is it the solenoid or the power to it? Get across the small terminals on the solenoid and flip the switch. If you get no 12v you have a supply problem. If you get 12v time for a new solenoid.

Some times I have bypassed the solenoid to ensure that its the problem, being internal or supply. I take a pair of common pliers, turn them around so that the handles are sticking out and put them across the 3/8" terminals....expect a spark doing this. If the starter spins trying to start the engine, or if it starts, that ensures your problem is the solenoid or supply voltage.

Something else you could do, if the jumper test works, while you have the pliers handy, select the small terminal with the colored wire....yellow/red stripe I think.....jump from the input 3/8" post to the small terminal with the colored wire. If the starter spins you have a supply problem.....otherwise internal problem with the solenoid.

The solenoid can have 2 internal problems: 1, the solenoid is old and even though you hear a click, the contacts are pitted reducing the cross sectional area and therefore is incapable of suppling the necessary current to spin the starter. 2, The internal coil (small terminals) that when energized, causes the contacts to close is broken...open wire.

I feel like a complete idiot now . Turns out, I couldn't see the 2 small post that good, not good enough to see any wires on them and the yellow/red stripe was not connected, I hooked it up and now it turns over fine with the switch. Thanks for all the help though I appreciate it