Ran boat out of fuel now won’t start

[Crooked stick]

I forget to turn the fuel valve back on and now it won’t start. 518 DVS with Mercury 200 EFI. I can hear the pump run for about 20 seconds when I turn the key on. The port side shrader valve sprays fuel when I press in on it. The boat tried to take off this morning after sitting all night but just sputtered out and quit. It wouldn’t even hit after that. The primer bulb I just replaced and is pumped up tight.

G939607

[JOE54]

checked for spark on all six ?????

[Crooked stick]

I have not. I did check to make sure I hadn’t hit the kill switch and that was still in the run position.

[EuropeanAM]

If you would, please take a moment to review the Announcements at the top of the Forum, and be sure to provide the Required Info (serial number) when posting. Thanks!

Check spark... also check fuel that's in the VST for WATER or CONTAMINATION (assuming you actually ran the tank low it can pick up the nastiest stuff at the bottom).

[Crooked stick]

If you would, please take a moment to review the Announcements at the top of the Forum, and be sure to provide the Required Info (serial number) when posting. Thanks!

Check spark... also check fuel that's in the VST for WATER or CONTAMINATION (assuming you actually ran the tank low it can pick up the nastiest stuff at the bottom).

Done. Serial number added to first post.

[Crooked stick]

Well I checked spark and basically don’t have any. I check four holes and they were dead except for one second when tester lit up and the motor simultaneously started for about two seconds. I was watching the tester when it happened and then the tester light went out and the motor was dead again. Spin and spin and won’t hit. How do I go from running out of fuel to losing spark?

[Crooked stick]

One other thing, over the past summer the boat went through a fit where I would get the key and nothing. It wouldn’t beep or spin over. I thought the battery was dead . Took boat home and put on charger only to discover battery was fully charged. Try the key again and it would start as normal. This happened twice and then it never did it again. Not sure if that’s a seperate issue or if the two are related.,

[Crooked stick]

Is it possible the ignition switch could be allowing the gauges to work and the engine to spin over but at the same time not sending juice to the motor and causing the lack of spark? If so can I check it on the back with a test light?

[JOE54]

Well I checked spark and basically don’t have any. I check four holes and they were dead except for one second when tester lit up and the motor simultaneously started for about two seconds. I was watching the tester when it happened and then the tester light went out and the motor was dead again. Spin and spin and won’t hit. How do I go from running out of fuel to losing spark?

shirrrrrt happens , parts fail, light bulbs go out, if you suspect wirring or key switch (dout it) unplug cannon plug get a starter button pull all plug wires and check it ,dont be poking thing in threre with test light unless you know who your poking that mtr has to have spark for injectors to operate

[Crooked stick]

Would it be possible for someone to post a picture showing me where the magneto wire that comes from the ignition switch attached on the motor? I think I found it but would like to make sure I’m checking the correct wire to determine if I have power from the switch back to the motor with the key in the “on” position.

[JOE54]

if fuel pump runs and mtr spins over you have power on purple = 12v with key on and red =12v constantly, disconnect both blk with yellow stripe wires on switchboxes and see if it has spark still no spark problem is on mtr

[Crooked stick]

I disconnected both ylw/black wires from the switch boards and the motor started and runs fine. I can still shut it off with the key or the Kill switch either one. I hit either one or the other and it kind of stumbles a few times and finally dies almost like it’s flooding out. Reconnected the ylw/black wires to the switchboard and it’s dead again won’t even hit. So I believe the problem lies either in the kill switch or the ignition switch The ignition switch has 10 wires coming off it. There are three ylw/black wires one of which goes about a foot and has a plug-in the other two go into a wire loom. Does anyone know is the single ylw/black wire that plugs in for the choke? I’m trying to figure out if my problem is in the ignition or the Killswitch and I’m not quite sure how to isolate one from the other without cutting wires.

[JOE54]

yellow blk is choke on carbed engines not connected on EFI mtrs,blk yellow is kill wire you should be able to unplug either blk or blk/ yellow going to kill sw to isolate, yep you got switch or wirring problem/ the wires you disconnected arte blk/yellow not yellow /blk primary color is most seen not stripe good luck ,does that 518 have keyless ign ???????

[Crooked stick]

No keyless ignition. I’ll look again for somewhere to unplug the kill switch.

[JOE54]

just disconnect blk with yellow stripe from kill switch to harness should be bullet connector

[Crooked stick]

I’m wiring in a new ignition switch. I want to use bullet connectors and I will then tape individually each wire after I connect the bullet connectors. The switch came with heat shrink connections that also have a solder ring inside that melts to hold the wires together. Is there any reason I should not use the bullet connectors? I was wanting to use them to make it easier to disconnect in the future if I needed to diagnose problems whereas the solder connections that came with the switch would be a permanent connection. I don’t see why the bullet connections would not work but just want to make sure there’s not something I’m missing?

[Crooked stick]

Wired in the new switch and nothing. Still won’t start. Cut the wires to the kill switch and still nothing. Twisted the wires together and still nothing. I checked spark again at motor and found spark on bottom port cylinder and a slight bit of spark on the bottom starboard cylinder for a second or two and then it was gone and no spark again.

[EuropeanAM]

No reason you can't use bullet connectors at the key-switch, provided that all wires are matched by colors and function.

Lanyard switch should be OPEN for engine to run. Reconnect it PROPERLY.

Note when sorting these out: The IS A DIFFERENCE between BLACK w/Yellow Stripe, and Yellow w/Black Stripe.

Black w/Yellow Stripe is the "M" (Kill) circuit. When shorted to ground, the ignition system will cease to function.

Also note: Very critical that the switch boxes have CLEAN, SOLID, GOOD GROUNDS to the body of the switch box.