Solenoid or starter problem?

[kmelford]

Serial No. 1B549967

I have a 2008 Merc 250 Opt Pro XS. On a very rare occasion my starter won’t turn the engine. I will wait and retry many times and usually on the 5th to 10th time it works. And it doesn’t happen again for several weeks.

It has happened at all times of the fishing day and the battery and all connections are good.

Has anyone experienced this before? Reminds me of an issue I had with some older cars about 30 years ago. Any insight is appreciated. Thanks

[blackboat]

is the starter engaging the flywheel but won't turn the motor over or is nothing at all happening with the starter...or does the starter spin but doesn't engage the flywheel?

[Murph McB]

My ‘08, 225 did that off and on for quite a while. I ended up tightening everything on the Motor. Grounds and Hots. Hasn’t done it again.

[EuropeanAM]

is the starter engaging the flywheel but won't turn the motor over or is nothing at all happening with the starter...or does the starter spin but doesn't engage the flywheel?

Important questions. ^^^^

[kmelford]

Thanks for the replies. The starter does nothing. I did the same thing and disconnected and reconnected the wires and it didn’t occur for a longer period but It started happening again about every other trip. I may just try disconnecting and reconnecting all wires this time? Thx

[heymack]

I had the same experience recently. I took both starting batteries out and meticulously cleaned every terminal and connector then reattached. Fires right up every time.

[EuropeanAM]

Recommended steps:

1. Clean all battery terminal connections, make sure you are using a CLAMP style terminal (see FAQ- Batteries that Meet the Requirement, Post# 1).

2. Load test battery to confirm it's ACTUAL capacity.

3. If still not starting, try moving shift handle around while attempting to start.

4. If still not starting, check wire at the Starter Solenoid (on the starter) that is YELLOW w/RED STRIPE. Make sure it is tight, and check voltage on that wire when attempting to start engine.

That's should get you moving along... if you have not found the problem with the above, you'll have to work methodically BACK through the starting system (following the yellow w/red stripe circuit through the SLAVE solenoid, Neutral Safety Switch in the control, and finally the key switch or start button circuit, depending on boat).

[kmelford]

Thank you again for all your replies. Here's what I've done previously.
- replaced the key ignition switch
- pulled all battery wires, cleaned, filed and reconnected multiple times
- checked connections to the solenoid/starter
- changed battery (AGM 31)
- when I have this rare occurrence, I make sure the switch is in the on position and exercise the handle multiple times. Also, the normal 'start' beep occurs when I go from off to the on position before I move it to the start position

I plan to check all the internal connections at the solenoid and starter again. But considering I can always get it to eventually turn through multiple tries, tells me something seems stuck. Is there a voltage regulator or something else between the battery and starter?

Kevin

[kmelford]

I like your suggestion regarding clamp connections. I'm going to try that. I will have the engine cables on the clamp by itself and all other connections on the screw on portion.

Thanks again.

[EuropeanAM]

No regulators between key and starter- but there is (in correct order), a:

-Neutral Safety Switch (in control)
-Slave Solenoid (on the electrical plate)
-Starter Solenoid (on the starter).

Circuit's wire color remains the same from the keyswitch to the starter (yellow w/red stripe).

[kmelford]

Thanks for the info. I bought some brass clamps and will see if that makes a difference before digging deeper. I will provide an update next month.

[EuropeanAM]

Serial # -- 2N110471

I love BBC I am having a nearly identical issue to this one. Just started acting up last month. I have a 2015 Pro XS 250. My battery is good and I have the terminals attached to the clamp on style battery posts. Last month I launched the boat at a little club Jelly Jar and once it was in the water I turned the key... heard the beep, heard the fuel pump kick on when the switch was first turned to the "run" position, then when the key is turned to "start" I hear a faint click like a solenoid or relay clicking under the engine cowling, and nothing... if you keep turning the key enough times maybe 10-15 times the starter spins, engages, and starts the engine right up. The rest of the day it acted fine, it was just the first start of the day that it did this.

It also did the same thing to me this weekend... again, just on the first start up of the day.

Please open a separate/new thread for your engine- and verify the serial number (likely a "B" rather than an "N").

Per the Forum Announcements/Guidelines, one engine (only) per thread. This helps to avoid confusion and/or post hi-jacking. Thanks!

[kmelford]

Engine serial no. 1B549967

I installed the brass clamps and didn't have an issue for 2 months at mult-day and single day events until 2 weeks ago on a small local lake. I checked voltage and the starter/solenoid, I checked resistance in all cables, and voltage drop from the battery to the starter on both positive and negative. All looked good and the voltage drop was less than 1V. Anyone have any other suggestions? I think it's either the solenoid or starter having an issue which comes up 1/2 way through a day but doesn't happen again for a long while.

Thanks

[kmelford]

Engine serial no. 1B549967

I installed the brass clamps and didn't have an issue for 2 months at mult-day and single day events until 2 weeks ago on a small local lake. I checked voltage and the starter/solenoid, I checked resistance in all cables, and voltage drop from the battery to the starter on both positive and negative. All looked good and the voltage drop was less than 1V. Anyone have any other suggestions? I think it's either the solenoid or starter having an issue which comes up 1/2 way through a day but doesn't happen again for a long while.

jsmcobra201 - did you figure it out?

Thanks

[Savage]

Take your starter to an Automotive Starter/Alternator Repair Shop for evaluation...….cheaper and better alternative to an aftermarket replacement starter.

[EuropeanAM]

Engine serial no. 1B549967

I installed the brass clamps and didn't have an issue for 2 months at mult-day and single day events until 2 weeks ago on a small local lake. I checked voltage and the starter/solenoid, I checked resistance in all cables, and voltage drop from the battery to the starter on both positive and negative. All looked good and the voltage drop was less than 1V. Anyone have any other suggestions? I think it's either the solenoid or starter having an issue which comes up 1/2 way through a day but doesn't happen again for a long while.

jsmcobra201 - did you figure it out?

Thanks

Guys- please keep your separate engines in their own separate post to avoid confusion, also known as post hi-jacking. Thanks!

Given your description of the "click"... you will have to duplicate that. Recommend working BACKWARDS by checking for voltage on the yellow w/red wire at the STARTER SOLENOID (if you hear a "click" and you're not getting voltage there, back up to the OUTPUT side of the Slave Solenoid (likely the slave solenoid you hear "clicking").

[kmelford]

Original issue:I have a 2008 Merc 250 Opt Pro XS. On a very rare occasion my starter won’t turn the engine. I will wait and retry many times and usually on the 5th to 10th time it works.

Update: I may have figured it out. I was fishing a multiday event at Lake Mead and suddenly the issue was occurring every other start which is very concerning on a massive lake like Mead. Fortunately I was practicing for a few days prior to the event. I next changed the solenoid on the starter which helped for just more than a day before the issue continued. Than I changed the solenoid that connects both the starter and trim motor and didn't have an issue after that (so far). During this last step I cleaned off all the black coating on the connections that were applied during manufacturing to make sure I had good connections. This may have been the true root cause of the issue (too much applied causing issues). Most of my issues were after long runs on warm days. If I were starting over I would take the following steps and move to the next if it didn't work:
1. pull and clean off the black coatings on the connections to the starter/trim solenoid
2. Replace the starter/trim solenoid
3. Replace the solenoid on the starter. This is tricky. The plunger needs to be above the fork in the starter.
4. Replace the starter (haven't gotten to this point yet)

I will keep you posted.

[lpugh]

You could have prevented wasted time and expense by following Dons advice to the letter, It would nailed the problem down with out guessing

[DewRonInc]

Mine did same, I bought new starter and all great. Brushes were bad in mine