Electrical.....or Starter?

I have a 2 stroke '06 Merc 50 hp. I've been having trouble getting starter to turn over. I can't vouch for the battery strength, but when I turn the key, it will either crank (and start) or make no sound at all...no click, click, click...nothing. I might try the key 3 or 4 times, and it might catch and start. Today it would take 10-15 tries and at the end I had to just give up.

Am I right that there are two circuits from the start battery? One for electronics/gauges, etc...and one dedicated to the starter? Tilt is fine, electronics/gauges are fine and none of them seem to be dragging like the battery is low. Battery is kept on the on-board charger so should be at full charge. I will try looking for oxidation on cables, but there is terminal protector sprayed on the terminals. Will check the terminations inside the motor also, but any suggestions would be hugely appreciated.

The motor starts right up when it turns over. Guess it could also be the ignition?:dono

Thanks in advance

Have you checked your "dead man" switch?????
Could be "partially" activated.

might be a loose wire on the ignition switch, or the switch itself is standing on one leg now, loose wire on starter, solenoid on starter. Only the T&T would put any real load on the cranking battery when you test the battery, lights and gauges are a low draw item compared to the starter and tilt. You could try cleaning the switch out, dirt and stuff has a way of working into the smallest and darnest places. Does this situation happen when everything is cold/1st thing in the morning or after you have run the boat/motor for a bit.

You say no "click click", but if you are doing this with the cowling on it might just be too faint to hear it. Likely the solenoid is the problem as more current flows thru it then the key side. It could however be the ignition switch. Remove the cowling and get close to the solenoid as you turn the key.

You need to test the parts individually to determine the problem with the least amount of time/effort. Otherwise it's just pot luck changing parts.

check your neutral safety switch.

Does the problem only occur after the engine has got up to operating temp or intermittently? IDK if your engine has one but the older mercs have a mercury switch that will kill the starter circuit if the engine is tilted too far. They will occassionaly go bad. They are easy to bypass to verify if that is the issue.

Have someone crank the ignition when it is acting up and see if you get a ground, power and signal to the starter relay. The results will narrow done the troubleshooting needed to find the problem.

I would strongly suspect the neutral safety switch. Try it again and when it acts up jiggle the throttle back and forth a little. The kill switch and the mercury tilt switch has nothing to do with the starter circuit. They put a ground on the switchbox(s) which kills the spark to the plugs. The ignition switch does the same thing when you turn it off. They all 3 use the same black/yellow wire.

I remember that the kill switch will allow motor to spin and spin with no spark, so not that. Neutral safety is in the throttle, correct? It did try to spin once when I went from the throttle on(neutral) to throttle at the neutral (straight up) position, so will try "phasing" while turning the key to see if it will jar it loose. This problem has only been happening the last several times I've been out, and seems like it happens when the motor is cold, but not really enough time/occurences to say that is a pattern

Is the neutral safety switch repairable, or a replacement item?

Going to try some of these suggestions tomorrow and will update. Thanks for the help!!!

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Originally Posted by Inline6

Does the problem only occur after the engine has got up to operating temp or intermittently? IDK if your engine has one but the older mercs have a mercury switch that will kill the starter circuit if the engine is tilted too far. They will occassionaly go bad. They are easy to bypass to verify if that is the issue.

Have someone crank the ignition when it is acting up and see if you get a ground, power and signal to the starter relay. The results will narrow done the troubleshooting needed to find the problem.

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I forgot the kill switch and merc switch killed the ignition not the starter circuit. Definately would check the neutral switch and check the start relay for power, ground and signal. Could be a loose connection or failing wire that would be easier to narrrow down with a quick multimeter check.

Check your battery connections. The motor requires a lot more current than anything else. It may be corroded. May get hot enough when hit the key many times to make contact. Been there, done that. The tilt and trim does not require nearly as much current (amps).

Okay, went out for some trouble shooting, and of course the thing spun up on the first try...............and every try after that. I jiggled the throttle arm, I engaged the neutral switch several times. I checked(visually) the battery connections, and the connections inside the cowling. Now I'm wondering if the battery isn't getting on it's last legs. I usually keep charger connected, and pull the plug when I'm ready to head for the lake. I now have the charger unplugged and will wait until I go to work and see if it will still turn over, and if it does I'll try that test again at midnight and tomorrow morning to make sure the battery is holding charge.

I hate intermittent problems......especially when I might be 5-10 miles from the ramp!

Battery connections, short brushes in starter, bad solenoid can all cause the click, click problem.