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25 Merc - Intermittant Starting
vibroluxe	#1  Posted on 08/28/10 - 11:50 AM
Member Posts: 10 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/05/10	Driving me crazy... This guy will start and run great. Turn it off and come back an hour or two later and it cranks all day long and won't start. Come back tomorrow and it fires right up. ARGH! Checked the plugs when this was happening an no spark to either one So I checked the resistance on the stator and it was lower than what the manual said it should be. Replaced the stator. Started it up and drove it around and it ran great. Started it 15 times at least - no problems. Went out to get some gas an 15 minutes later - it wont' start again. Could the kill switch be my issue? Will the motor turn over if the kill switch is open? What's the best/easiest way to isolate the kill switch from the motor? Or - is there somewhere else I should be looking? 1990 25 HP Merc with electric start and console controls Thanks - John
Joe Kriz	#2  Posted on 08/28/10 - 12:47 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11447 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	The motor will still crank with a bad kill switch. You could temporarily put a jumper wire over the kill switch terminals to check that out or use an ohm meter between the 2 terminals to see if it is making and breaking connection when activating the switch.
vibroluxe	#3  Posted on 08/28/10 - 1:12 PM
Member Posts: 10 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/05/10	So I would need to go into the controls and jump it from there? There is a wire coming through the cable harness that is coming from the kill switch (yellow and brown I think?) through the wiring harness. Can I jump it from there? Or - hook up a temporary kill switch on the motor to see if it behaves better? Thanks for the help Joe - John
Joe Kriz	#4  Posted on 08/28/10 - 1:52 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11447 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	John, I would just take the kill switch loose and then you can view the 2 terminals on the back of it unless this one is built into the switch. My prior Mercury had a separate kill switch though. Just jump the 2 terminals or check it with a mult-meter for continuity when open and closed.
DWinter	#5  Posted on 08/28/10 - 4:03 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 252 Comments: 0 Joined: 01/02/10	It almost sounds like a float/needle valve sticking causing the engine to flood and not start. When it won't start, are you getting spark. If not, you could be in the right area with what you're already looking at. If you get spark, it could be flooded. You'll need to do a little more diagnosis to narrow it down. Duane G Winter 1984 BW Sport 15 Center Console
vibroluxe	#6  Posted on 08/28/10 - 4:52 PM
Member Posts: 10 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/05/10	Joe - OK, I will open up the control and see what is going on in there. Problem is that it is so intermittent, I'll have to catch it when it's not working. Another thought - if the kill switch turns out to be OK, could it possibly be a problem with the key/ignition switch? Duane - when this problem happens I have no spark on either plug. Then it mysteriously comes back. Just had the carb rebuilt so I don't think that it is a fuel issue. Thanks for the help guys - John
vibroluxe	#7  Posted on 08/29/10 - 3:18 PM
Member Posts: 10 Comments: 0 Joined: 07/05/10	Well I removed the kill switch and so far so good. It started every time today. I'll make a few more test runs and if it still works well, I'll order me up a new kill switch. Thanks for the help guys! John
stevebaz	#8  Posted on 09/03/10 - 8:40 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 45 Comments: 0 Joined: 09/14/05	I had this problem with my Mercury 25 on my 11 footer and it was the wiring harness plug where it connects to the motor harness. I seperated the loose plug and took a jewlers screwdriver and slightly respread the connectors inside the plug and plugged it back in. This solved my issue. If you still have issues I would check that plug.