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  1. #1
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    Question Starter won't turn the motor with a good charge?

    At the end of the day and 15 minutes prior to weigh in and after a decent run and a short 5 minute fishing spot, my starter wouldn't turn the motor over. When I opened up the battery compartment I could here a faint consistent clicking sound. Almost like I had a short. I pulled the battery cables and it stopped but my starter still wouldn't turn the motor. But I could hear a faint spinning sound for about 2 to 3 seconds inside the motor and that's it every time I turned the key. My meters showed I had 12.4V on my battery which is really good.

    I ended up sending my fishing partner and our fish on another boat and getting towed in.

    When I got home I tried turning it over but it still didn't work. I plugged in the charger and immediately turned the key and the engine cranked over.

    It seems like may the solenoid may have stuck but not sure. Or is it possible that the battery CCA is diminishing but the RC remains strong?

    Any thoughts or ideas is appreciated. Thanks.
    2008 BassCat Puma with a Mercury 250 Pro XS / 1996 Champion 186 with a Mercury 175 EFI

  2. BBC SPONSOR Bass Cat Boats's Avatar
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    #2
    Load test your battery and double check your battery terminals for tightness and corrosion.

  3. Member Bassdeer's Avatar
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    #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Bass Cat Boats View Post
    Load test your battery and double check your battery terminals for tightness and corrosion.
    This^^ My guess is battery is toast.

  4. BBC SPONSOR Bass Cat Boats's Avatar
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    #4
    It could also be terminal conections, though ^^ will tell you that.

  5. Member
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    Jan 2005
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    #5
    Need a voltage reading while you're trying to "start/crank" the outboard. This will tell us how much load is on the battery. I too would start by cleaning the cables, but it sounds like you have a battery that isn't holding up under the load of the starter. I don't think the solenoid was hung since the starter wasn't trying to turn the engine over.
    John
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  6. Member
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    #6
    Check all your connections, if they check out good get a load tester or take the battery somewhere that has one. 12.4 volts is meaningless without a load.

  7. Member
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    Mar 2015
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    #7
    Thanks for the tips. I will get a load tester and see if it tells me anything.
    2008 BassCat Puma with a Mercury 250 Pro XS / 1996 Champion 186 with a Mercury 175 EFI

  8. Joe4d
    Guest
    #8
    just cruise by any of the big auto parts chains, they'll load test it for free,