Electric switch troubleshooting

[tanner101]

'98 Javelin 389dc
'94 Evinrude 150 E150GLERA

Symptoms:
I've lost power from the keyed switch. No click to the starter. No engagement of the primer solinoid. My fuel gauge is wired such that it only gets power when the key is in the ON position, I'm no longer getting power to it. My switch panel is still getting power. All pumps, lights, accessories are working. All trim buttons still work. So I'm led to believe it's isolated to the keyed switch.

Thus far I've reset all breakers. Replaced keyed switch. Visually checked and ohm'd the fuse on the port side of motor. Verified batteries good. Getting good voltage at the starter.

I haven't found any inline fuses to the switch as yet. I plan to pull the under console panel out tomorrow to better access the wire loom looking for wire breaks or hidden fuses. Barring finding anything there, i'm kind of at a loss of what to look at next.

Also, recent history though may not apply. Starter solinoid was replaced a few months back to correct starter not disengaging after motor was running.

[tanner101]

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[316jughead]

Are you getting 12 volts to the switch? You would test the purple wire. If you have 12 volts at the motor, + and - from the battery and no voltage at the switch I would suspect a problem in the negative or positive wiring from the motor to the switch. Clean those switch connections, those will suffer corrosion. Oops, should be red with purple wire, positive to the switch.

[tanner101]

So the routing goes from battery, to starter, to switch, grounded back to battery? Is that right?

Also, the solid purple wire or purple with white stripe? Which would be the ground wire?

[ChampioNman]

Nope it goes from battery to starter solenoid to switch.

Here is your inline fuse.

Inkedfuse_LI.jpg

[tanner101]

Right. I ohm'd it already.

[316jughead]

Red with purple is positive from motor to switch, black is negative from motor to switch, it all is in the motor wiring harness.

[tanner101]

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If this is accurate to my system, it appears the neutral safety switch gets its power from the ignition switch, and wouldn't kill power to the ignition switch itself.

[tanner101]

No black wire at my switch.

[ChampioNman]

Here is your ignition switch wiring.

switch.jpg

[ChampioNman]

There better be one on the M post.

[ChampioNman]

Is there an adapter cable between the boat and the motor? The 1995 motor has a different wiring harness than the 1996 motor and you have a 1998 boat. So either an adapter cable was used or the wiring harness was hacked to make it work.

[tanner101]

Is there an adapter cable between the boat and the motor? The 1995 motor has a different wiring harness than the 1996 motor and you have a 1998 boat. So either an adapter cable was used or the wiring harness was hacked to make it work.

Your comment made me realize I had a typo. The motor is a '94. I corrected the original post. The story last owner told me was that the motor is original to the boat. Manufactured in 94, shelved until used for this boat. Realistic, believable? I don't know, but that's what I have to work with, so grain of salt you know. I have no idea about an adapter harness. The connection plugs seem stock, wires run to connectors, doesn't seem hacked. I guess I should look at wire color codes for OMC '94 vs '98 and see what I likely have on my hands. The ignition switch matched the '94, but I didn't look to see if a '98 happens to be the same model.

[316jughead]

You probably have a wire from the solenoid to the fuse and from the fuse, a red with purple wire to the battery connection on the switch for positive. I don't know about what wire is used for the ground, should be black.

[tanner101]

Ok just spent some time on it. I can jump across the starter solenoid and engine turns over, with key in the run position. I'm getting 12v through the fused line, I'm getting 12v at the red/purple traced wire at the ignition switch on the 8 pole. I'm not getting power through the switch to the yellow/red traced wire for the neutral safety switch.

I'm thinking tomorrow I jumper power to the neutral safety switch direct. If she'll bump, that would indicate I may have replaced a defective switch with a new defective switch. I also need to come up with a plan to test the neutral switch.

[ChampioNman]

At the wiring harness on the motor you should have a big red plug both male and female. On the ignition switch does the kill switch lanyard slip over the key or is it a separate switch?

[tanner101]

I do have a big red plug. Kill switch lanyard is over the key, shown in my first photo.

[ChampioNman]

OK then the ignition switch that's installed is for a 1996 and up motor's harness but if the harness connections at the motor are both big red plugs this picture is how it would be wired using that harness. So you'll have to figure out the wiring differences between the two harnesses.

[316jughead]

Did everything work and then this happened?

[tanner101]

Did everything work and then this happened?

Yes. Was loading up to take the kids out and turned key on to check fuel level. I got no reading, no power trying to bump motor. Glad I checked it before dunking it at the lake.