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1988 Mercury 80 on Montauk. No response when started for the season when I put it in the water. Charged battery, cleaned terminals, checked engine & panel fuses and started with very slow winding of starter. New battery. Getting only a small solenoid "click" and no turnover now. Tilt control has plenty of power. Neutral start setting has to be wiggled a bit to get starter contact. Push button "in" and throttle in forward setting gets "click" only too. Rapped on starter by helper while trying to start.

Thanks/Regards

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On my whaler which is a 13 sport i have a 2001 honda 40 and it works every time and i have never had any problems. I do not like mercury and i dont trust them. If i were you while looking at the age of the engine i would think about a new one like honda, yamaha. Thoes are the best brands.

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Boat and engine were owned by a little old lady from Mercer Island and have very low milage. It's run like a champ for the last 4 summers and should keep it up with some tweaks. How about some useful advice!

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Washington Whaler -

Don't let B get you down. Many of the members here are savy with older model engines that exhibit weird symptoms. Hang in till they post.

I would say it appears to be electrical in nature due to the "wiggling" you need to do.

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Thanks!
I also just realized I haven't cleaned the ground wires on the engine. it ran like a champ when I put it away in October so I'm thinking I'll stay focused on simple solutions. This is a great forum and we're lucky to have it.
Rgds

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A quck way to check a connection/cable is to put a volt meter on the lugs on each end of the span of the cable you want to test and crank the starter while observing the meter. Anything over .5V or so means excess resistance and a trouble spot.

Another quick test if cleaning up the grounds doesn't do it is to jump out the solenoid terminals and see what kind of response you get from the starter.

But given you got some life out of it after your first clean up, you may be on the right track! Keep us posted.

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Thanks!
Tried the voltmeter between solenoid power & ground with ignition on start. Lots of power, no crank. Tried the screwdriver between black & red terminals on solenoid - no response. Looks like solenoid.

rgds

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Yes, that voltage you checked should be just about the same as what's across your battery, at least 12.2V.

If you jumped the big lugs on the solenoid with no response, battery is strong, and all connections and cables are good, the starter is the only thing left it could be,

Pull it out and take a look behind it, make sure it had a good clean connection to the block. You can test it off engine with a pair of jumper cables or more and more auto parts stores have test equipment and some will test a boat starter if you ask nicely, but that looks like it may be your culprit.

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Sounds to me like a bad ground or a bad solenoid. I`ve been through that problem a few times over the years. Have you tried to jump the solenoid. Its very frustrating but you will find a simple solution.

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Here we are:

1/ Power is going to solenoid per starter wire from ignition & common motor ground.
2/ Ran 2 screwdrivers across from big red solenoid lug to the starter's positive lug and it doesn't kick the starter over. Significant fireworks, though. I'm not sure how conclusive this is. I've made it work on tractors before though. Tried this across big lugs on solenoid without results, too.
3/ Hearing a solenoid click with ignition on "start". Not to be confused with the choke click.
4/ Did get some slow starter revs a few tries back.
5/ Battery test at shop (4 years old) indicated not fully charged, nor cranking as needed - replaced.

I'm assuming it's starter and/or solenoid.

Regards,

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That sounds about right.

If you jumped the terminals of the solenoid and the starter still won't turn but is getting full battery power, then it is the starter.

Like you said, could also need a solenoid but it does click.

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I would do like "Dave" suggested, buy some stuff from the auto store, and ask "Nicely" if they could "Bench test" the starter for you. Early Sunday AM is a good time to "ask", as most auto stores are not busy then.

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Thanks, Guys!

For around $25 for the solenoid, I'll probably just replace solenoid with the starter.

Regards,

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Are you saying you're going to replace the starter?

Starters like yours that have seen light duty are usually pretty easy to rebuild. But it requires a metal lathe and a little knowhow. If you know a good alternator/starter guy it's usually much cheaper than buying a new one, especially for a marine starter.

BTW, I agree with you; I think your solenoid has quit working. That's an easy fix too, but new ones are pretty cheap.

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Replaced starter, also solenoid while I was at it. Cranked right up. Enjoy the 4th, guys! And thanks for the support.

rgds

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Glad to hear the problem is fixed.

Happy Boating and 4th of July...