Last fall I purchased an Oday 26 with a 1984 9.9 Evinrude motor with electric start When I ran the motor in the fall to run the gas out the electric start worked fine. When I was ready to launch this year the electric start would not work. No clicking, nothing but silence. I verified that the starter button itself is working and I jiggled the shift lever while holding the starter button down, and that did not help. So I am thinking maybe a corroded connection, but I can't see the connections. Any thoughts or anyone had this problem before?
Outboard electric start not working
- Thread starter boatnut
- Start date
Hate to state the obvious, and you've probably already checked - does battery have any juice in it???
Had a friend who had the problem on a large motor as you describe. Ruined our planned fishing trip. Shift lever would not go into neutral and lockout worked to not allow engine to turn over...
Had a friend who had the problem on a large motor as you describe. Ruined our planned fishing trip. Shift lever would not go into neutral and lockout worked to not allow engine to turn over...
Yes the battery was find 12.8 volts. According to an electrical diagram I saw online the positive lead goes to the start switch, to the neutral lockout, and then to the starter. Its all packed in there so tight I can't see where the wire attaches to the starter.
When my electric start failed, it turned out to be the switch. I thought it would be a cheap and easy fix, but as you have found out, everything is so jammed together in there that you need to take the whole thing apart to get at it. Anyway, I guess it was cheaper than putting in a new starter motor, but it wasn't the $50 job I had hoped.
Did you check the safety cord switch? Is the Stop button stuck? I would rule out those next.
Funny story inserted here.
I bought my boat in Sept 2012 and got to sail it 4 times.
In the spring they put me in the water and waited for me to start the outboard and warm it up before letting me loose.
No go. Would not start. Dead, Nothing, Nada. Yard guy checked the battery then started it right up.
Wife got a good photo of me pressing the stop button instead of the start button. Whoops.
Funny story inserted here.
I bought my boat in Sept 2012 and got to sail it 4 times.
In the spring they put me in the water and waited for me to start the outboard and warm it up before letting me loose.
No go. Would not start. Dead, Nothing, Nada. Yard guy checked the battery then started it right up.
Wife got a good photo of me pressing the stop button instead of the start button. Whoops.
electric start problem
We have an 83 2 cycle 9.9 Mercury ( which may actually be the same engine you have). The first 2 years we started it manually, since pressing the start button did nothing. Last year when the engine went to an outboard repair shop for another problem, the technician also replaced the electric start button and PRESTO, we now have electric starting. He said the buttons go bad and the wire connections were corroded
I replaced the starter button on my Chrysler outboard. Get an ohm meter and test the switch. Could be the neutral safety switch too. Mine was bad and just bypassed it since old parts are hard to find and expensive.
If the button checks out you may want to check the solenoid relay too. Could be stuck in the open position. You can tap it with something while pushing the button. Sometimes that will unstick it.
If the button checks out you may want to check the solenoid relay too. Could be stuck in the open position. You can tap it with something while pushing the button. Sometimes that will unstick it.
It will have a starter relay. When pressing the start switch you stated that nothing happens. Assuming good wiring and a good starter button, this relay is bad. If it was good, it would click plenty loudly to hear clearly. Most boat starters have a "hot" connection on the starter and no other wires at all. You can hook jumper cables to a battery, then ground the black one to a good engine ground, touch the red jumper to the hot wire on the starter. If it cranks, relay again. While the jumper cables are still hooked up, you can test the relay the same basic way. Two big wires on the relay go straight to the battery or to the starter. The little wire or wires activate the relay. One is a ground, the other is a switched hot. If you touch a hot wire to it, the relay should click or, the starter engage. If it clicks, and the starter engages your start switch is probably bad. All this assumes your wiring and battery are good. Keep clear of rotating parts when doing any of this and there will be sparks...make sure no gas is around. Good luck!
Did you remove the motor or battery or disconnect anything when you hauled? If so I would suspect something didn't get reconnected. If not, corroded battery terminals would be my next check.