'01 Opti 200 - Won't start (Key to starter position - silence, no starter kick)

[BassnG8r]

Would appreciate any thoughts on next steps here?

2001 Opti 200 (no smart gauges) will not kick (no starter function) when I turn the key to start position. I turn the key to the on position – I get one beep (like I should), I hear the fuel pump prime, then i turn key to "start" position – silence, nothing to starter.

Diagnosis so far: (1) checked out kill switch circuit – good (2) checked out neutral switch position – good (3) check fuses under cowl – good (4) replaced ignition switch (5) motor cranks if I connect battery directly to yellow/red wire under cowl. (6) unplugged/replugged round molded wiring harness under cowl (starboard aft side of motor) (7) unplugged/replugged ECM modules

I just got the boat out of the shop for an unrelated problem -- the tilt/trim on the motor worked, but the switch on the console/throttle handle did not. Dealer (located away from my local area) ended up running 2 wires directly from the console to the round molded wiring harness (Starboard aft side of motor) under the cowl. Said they fired the motor after the repair.

Guess my next step is to isolate a wire break/short in the harness from the ignition switch connection to the harness under the cowl. I have an undercowl round molded wiring harness pinout diagram for Mercruiser -- Would it be the same for the Opti?

Do I only need to check out yellow/red run?

[taeheel2az]

I had a similar occurence which proved to be the plug you mentioned (I think it's called the cannon plug) not seating firmly.

It caused a fault, some verbage about bad bus connection or something. If memory serves, the symptoms were exactly as you described. The beep I heard turning on the key was the fault occurring, not start up. I don't recall whether or not I heard the fuel pump tick.

The fix was to bendout a couple of the outside pins on the male half of the cannon just the tiniest skosh. Bending 'em too much can be bad. I also cable-tied the two halves of the plug together.

I'm gonna throw in a plug for SmartCraft here. I was a died-in-the-wool Yamaha guy before this motor - now I'm pretty much 50-50, except that I'll never consider another high performance engine without digital gauges equivalent to the SmartCraft. I averted an engine catastrophe thanks to fault information alerting me to a problem I caused doing maintenance.


Modified by taeheel2az at 4:44 PM 1/9/2012

[EuropeanAM]

Yellow w/red stripe circuit is the one to check.

DON'T use MERCRUISER wiring harness schematics for your outboard (though similar- there are indeed differences).

Simple circuit consists of:

Keyswitch connects power from RED wire to yellow w/red. Travels through Neutral safety switch (in control box)- which if CLOSED (in neutral), passes current through to SLAVE SOLENOID on side of engine. Test for 12V+ power at this point when key is turned to "start" position (small yellow w/red stripe wire). Also test for OUTPUT power at the larger-terminal (yellow w/red stripe). Power must be present at this terminal (solenoid closed) to activate starter.

When the SLAVE solenoid is activated, it passes 12V+ current to the Starter Solenoid (mounted on the starter). This activates the starter solenoid, and thus the starter.

A failure in EITHER the Slave Solenoid or the Starter Solenoid will prevent the engine from starting.