I need help! I recently bought a '71 Ebbtide tri-hull with a 60hp evinrude selectric. The motor runs great and starts immediately, when it turns over. I had the family out on the lake all weekend with no problems. I turned the engine off to let the girls get in the boat after tubing. When I went to start it up, I had nothing. The lights work, the bilge pump works, but the starter does not. It is as if a safety switch is not making contact. I checked the ignition key switch, and I have plenty of power to it in the off position. When I turn the key to run I have nothing. I thought it was the push buttons, and I removed the switch, but after a continuity check I think this is working okay. Could it be the key switch? I know this can't be a major problem, the engine started, ran, and shifted great all weekend. Any help is greatly appreciated. The model number is 60173C and the serial number is J07783. Again, any help is appreciated, I am a pretty good mechanic but know little about electrical problems! I need to get the kids back on the lake!
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Help with Evinrude Selectric
- Thread starter skipusmc
- Start date
There's a 20-amp fuse between the starter switch and the solenoid. Also a throttle safety switch, probably operated of the timing base, and the pushbutton gear select switch must be in Neutral. If looking at these doesn't fix it, check that the solenoid is grounded. See if you can trigger the solenoid with jumper wires and make it crank. I have a manual, so if you want me to scan a few pages for you, send an email address.
Thanks! Yes, if you could scan some pages from the manual, that would be a big help. Send them to skipusmcrb2@gr5thotmail.com. I checked a fuse coming from the battery, I believe this is the fuse you were refering to. It was okay. The throttle safety switch sounds like it could be a strong possibility. While playing around with the throttle last night I got the starter to bump for about half a second. So, I'm convinced something like a throttle safety switch is not being made. I just can't find it. You say it is operated off of the timing base, is this under the flywheel? I will look today. Thank you very much for your help.
Skip- I believe e-mail addresses posted here are purposely scrambled for your protection against low-life spammers & scammers who collect addresses from forum sites. Just refer to your profile where others can reach you through safer anonymized access to your valid e-mail address required for registering . If you are determined to post yours here, try replacing the ampersand with the word "at" .
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- Nov 7, 2005
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You'll find the neutral safety switch inside the throtle control box. The mounting screww could be loose. It should be connected with a white wire.
Yeah Sandy you're probably right. I guess my frustration was keeping me from thinking clearly. Mud Runner, I'll look for the neutral switch again, but I can't seem to find one in the control box. I thought it could be integrated into the push button switch.
I tried shorting across the starter solenoid, but didn't get anything. I took the pushbutton switch out, there were three wires with blade connectors going to it. With the reverse switch pushed in I get a circuit between two of the blades, and the one I am assuming to be hot. With neutral pushed, I get a circuit between one blade and the hot. With forward pushed I can't get a circuit at all. I believe I read somewhere that the default position is forward, so I am assuming that with forward pushed there is no power to the solenoids, and the drive is in forward. Pushing the buttons activates the different solenoids and shifts the outdrive. If this is correct then the pushbutton switch is functioning as it should, right? I still can't find a neutral safety switch, unless it is internal to the pushbutton switch. Every now and then I get the starter to bump for a fraction of a second. Every time it bumps I am "playing" with the ignition key switch, or the push button switch. Any ideas?
See if tracing one of the white wires from the control side of the starter solenoid leads you to a pushbutton type switch. My recollection is it's under the motor cowling and works off the throttle. Only one white wire on it, provides ground to the control coil in the solenoid. There are also two White Wire Terminals on the Pushbutton Shift Switch in the Control Box. White from the ignition switch is hot in Start [cranking] position. In Neutral, the White Wire Terminals on the Shift Switch are closed, so one side of the solenoid control coil goes hot. The second solenoid control terminal's white wire goes to another safety switch that provides ground. So, the shift switch allows cranking only in Neutral, and the safety switch that provides ground makes sure the throttle isn't too far open when you try to crank the engine. So...
If you ground the solenoid terminal whose white wire does NOT go into the harness leading to the boat, AND apply 12VDC to the solenoid control terminal that does, the solenoid should allow the starter to crank. Of you do that and it doesn't, solenoid or starter is defective. If you go across the large terminals of the solenoid with a battery jumper cable and it cranks, solenoid is bad even if it clicked in the previous test. If you run a battery jumper cable from battery cable side of solenoid to stater terminal and it doesn't crank, starter is defective.
That's UNLESS all the years of flexing from steering and tilting haven't flexed some of the wires in the harness to the point they've broken, usually right near where the cable goes into the motor.
If you ground the solenoid terminal whose white wire does NOT go into the harness leading to the boat, AND apply 12VDC to the solenoid control terminal that does, the solenoid should allow the starter to crank. Of you do that and it doesn't, solenoid or starter is defective. If you go across the large terminals of the solenoid with a battery jumper cable and it cranks, solenoid is bad even if it clicked in the previous test. If you run a battery jumper cable from battery cable side of solenoid to stater terminal and it doesn't crank, starter is defective.
That's UNLESS all the years of flexing from steering and tilting haven't flexed some of the wires in the harness to the point they've broken, usually right near where the cable goes into the motor.
Thanks everyone! I found a defective wire going to the starter solenoid. It was attached, but only by a few strands. I replaced the end, and everything works just fine. J-D, you were a God-send, thnaks for your help. Now I need to check the rest of the wiring.