Frustrating Weekend with the Suzuki 250 SS

[BassCatKev]

I had planned to run boat and get a fishing weekend in during this freezing midwest weather. Drove to Lake Cumberland and backed boat into the water late Friday night and planned to idle to the houseboat I was staying on and get things ready for the morning. The motor would not turn over and start. Just made that "click" sound. Of course I thought maybe the battery was low (even though I had it on charger for days). So tried to jump it but still got the same click. The motor screen then said Alarm 4-2. We googled this and it said something about a crankshaft sensor. Nonetheless we couldn't launch with no juice. Saturday we returned to the parking lot to hope for something good to happen. We took the cowling off to look around but did nothing. I turned the key a few times just to say I did. Then it started. So decided to launch boat again and after 7 or 8 tries it started. I wanted to do some substantial running this weekend in order to burn out some gas I've had for a while and get Stabil through the engine. I figured once it got started I was good to go run around as long as I didn't turn engine back off. This part turned out to be true. I ran from one end of the lake to the other. Of course I didn't stop and fish because I didn't want to turn off engine. This morning while boat in water at houseboat I tried to start again. After 7 cranks I gave up and just trolled to the ramp to take boat out. I tried to speak with a Suzuki person Saturday afternoon and they sounded helpful but we had a bad cell signal and I only heard parts. He said something about maybe grease being hardened on some neutral position safety switch? (sorry we didn't have good connection). I'm hoping to get this figured out without having to take to authorized dealer. The nearest one is 48 miles away. Though I do need to establish a relationship with a dealer, I was hoping to not have to drop the boat off there so soon after buying it. It's only the 3rd time I've taken it out. 4-2 says CKP sensor. If anyone knows something to try pleae reply to this thread or PM me.

[Cajunhunter67]

I'm sure someone will be along that's familiar with Suzuki that can offer help.
Meanwhile, these are things you can try (which you may have already done).
Make sure the kill switch is all the way in the up position. You may want to try cycling it up and down a few times to see if its working intermittingly.
Next, I would move the shifter from forward-reverse and back a few times. Make sure the neutral switch is activated. (This will normally not let the motor turn over at all, but its worth a try). I wasn't sure if the motor would not turn over at all, or not crank (engine spinning but not starting).
Even though it threw that code, I feel it may be something simple. No crankshaft sensor? It should have never ran at all.
Just to clarify....Is it not turning over (Starter just clicking)? Or is it spinning but not starting?

[BassCatKev]

Thanks cajunhunter. The guy I had on the phone Saturday said it may be something simple like you said. I understand the moving of the shifter forward and reverse a few times and that it must be in neutral to start. But what is the actual NEUTRAL SWITCH you refer to? How do I physically look at the switch and tell if it's activated? Where is it and what does it look like? Are you referring to some internal part? As far as the engine not starting, when it actually started, it started just like it normally would with no issues. When it doesn't start, there is a click and that's it. I hear no spinning whatsoever. There is no thinking it might turn over and start. I hope that makes sense. If not let me know. Thank you

[BassCatKev]

Well this evening I held up on the little red round kill switch piece above where the horseshoe piece pops between. I managed to get it to start ALMOST every time when I spin the removable horseshoe piece around and/or pull up on that little top piece. Is it possible that the sensitivity and tolerance of starting and not starting (just clicking) is that close? I don't want to have to deal with THAT every time I go to reach down and start my 2017 (practically brand new) engine. That would be ridiculous. I know they are universal (I think), but should I get another kill switch cord and pop on piece? Would .00000001 millimeter make the difference if another one was the tiniest bit thicker? When I say pull up on that piece, I don't mean to say there is any (that I feel) slack when the horseshoe piece is in. So I really don't know why it makes a difference when I pull up on it. All I can say is that doing this absolutely made it begin to start (I know it would have but I backed off because boat was in garage). When I DON'T do this it just clicks. Am I over thinking this and in reality there is a different problem? The Suzuki dealership that I spoke with Saturday for the first time that specificalky asked me to email them never called or emailed back today. I feel like if I was taking boat out tomorrow (I'm not) that I would get it to start. But the thought of having to reach down to turn the key with my right hand while pulling up on kill switch piece with my left would be exhausting. Today I was doing it while standing outside the boat and leaning over. I don't know if I could physically do that sitting in the driver seat. Thanks cajunhunter for getting me thinking in this direction to get me closer to a solution. I also moved throttle shifter forward and back s few times like you suggested. I did not see a correlation of that making a difference. Pulling upward on the kill switch piece did make a difference though.

[Cajunhunter67]

If pulling up on the kill switch toggle allows the engine to spin and start, than THAT is the problem.
With the lanyard removed from the kill switch, and the toggle in the up position, will the engine crank and stat without putting upward pressure on the switch?
If it does crank and run without the lanyard installed, than the horseshoe shaped lanyard connection may be to thick.
I had one that did the same thing. It was just a little to thick for my toggle switch. If I barely pulled or bumped it, it would kill the engine or not allow it to start.
At fast speeds, this can be unsafe. Killing the motor accidently, while at speed will cause the bow to drop, and with no prop bite the boat could hook.

I took a sharp knife and cut away some of the plastic on the horseshoe shaped plastic piece. I thinned it out till it fit easily and didn't effect the switch, unless I physically pulled it out.
This is how the system should work.
I basically cranked the engine a few times, stood up and made sure it would come out and kill the engine.

[billnorman1]

From what you wrote it sounds like the problem is the boat or rigging not the engine. Hope you get it reliably fixed.

[BassCatKev]

Cajunhunter I will try this when I get home from work. As frustrating as this is, I hope this is the problem and I will eventually understand it and have it isolated to this area.

[AlumRanger]

Also, check your starter battery cable connections. Make sure they are not loose. When it doesn't want to start and you hear the "clicking" sound, it sounds like a bad battery connection to me.

[BassCatKev]

Will do Alumranger

[JoePA]

Also, check your starter battery cable connections. Make sure they are not loose. When it doesn't want to start and you hear the "clicking" sound, it sounds like a bad battery connection to me.

Make sure you are NOT using the wing nuts on your batteries. They get loose and cause problems.

[BassCatKev]

No wing nuts. Just hex nuts.

[atvalaska]

And check your ground....