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Turned the key, and nothing!

Spoiledrotten

Spoiledrotten

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I kept putting it off while not using the boat for a couple of months. I few weeks ago, I decided that it was warm enough to take the boat out for a spin. Well, I got the boat backed into the water, turned the key, and it just moaned a little and died on out. Crap! Anyway, I secured it to the trailer, pulled it back home and charged it. Since I learned the hard way not to ignore the batteries while being parked for a while, I went and purchased a pretty nice battery maintainer to keep hooked up all the time while the boat is not in use. I'd also been going out every few days, connecting the water hose to it, and cranking just for piece of mind. This past weekend, after the ice storm, and the weather warmed up to a nice 75* - 78*, I turned the key while it was still in the driveway, just to see if it would crank. It fired right off, and I quickly turned it right off since it proved that it had a nice charge. I took it to the ramp, backed it down and turned the key while it was still on the trailer. Nothing. It didn't bump or anything. I checked to see if the battery cut off switch was in the correct position and found that it was. 


I couldn't figure it out, so I figured that if it cranked on the drive way, I'd just pull it back out to the level parking lot, and try it again. If fired right up! I backed it on down again, where it was almost flat in the water, tried it again, and it fired up like it was supposed to. What could have caused that? Do these have some kind of safety that prevents them from firing if there's too much angle of the boat, such as angled down into the water on a ramp?
 
Hmm, I'm no mechanic but I've never heard of such a "safety" feature as you describe. I'm sure someone on this board will have an answer for you. 


With regard to the battery tender, I believe that they might help to almost double the life of a battery based upon my experience. 
 
A neutral safety switch is usually installed inside the controller. At least on a Mercury that is. What year boat and what motor? I fixed mine last year by spraying WD40 inside the controller.
 
Are you sure it was in neutral? I've done that more than once.
 
Loose connection somewhere, if not neutral switch.
 
myv10 said:
A neutral safety switch is usually installed inside the controller. At least on a Mercury that is. What year boat and what motor? I fixed mine last year by spraying WD40 inside the controller.
Click to expand...


myv10 said:
A neutral safety switch is usually installed inside the controller. At least on a Mercury that is. What year boat and what motor? I fixed mine last year by spraying WD40 inside the controller.
Click to expand...

Mine is the 2015 Yamaha F90. 
 
cwag911 said:
Are you sure it was in neutral? I've done that more than once.
Click to expand...

I checked that a couple of times. Toggled the throttle to be sure it was in neutral. Didn't understand why it would fire up perfectly when I pulled it out of the water. I guess I'll see if it does it next time. Might have been just a fluke. I appreciate the feedback, and if there are more ideas, bring them on. 
 
0002666681096_500X500.jpg



Good reminder to all to charge all their batteries during the winter months 


Charging the ride mower all winter with above and the Golf Cart has its own charger on 24/7 both only charge when needed


Golf Cart Batteries are checked routinely for water level in batteries , The Dealer deals with the Boat (lol) 
 
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OK, it seems by what myv10 is saying, that the neutral switch, although seeming to be in neutral at the shift handle, might not actually be in the right spot inside the controller due to being out of line because of the lack of lubrication?
 
Yamaha motors are actually the same as Mercury, I had a Mercury 90 and interchanged Yamaha parts because Yamaha produced the motors for Mercury. The neutral safety switch is basically a pushbutton that is depressed when in gear and releases when in neutral. if the button doesn't release or sticks the motor won't start. Mine would act sporadically, which drove me crazy. If you  look under your helm at the bottom of the controller, you should see 2 yellow wires going into the controller, they go to the neutral safety switch. I used the straw on the WD40 can and pushed it into the controller and gave it a couple of squirts, that solved the issue. In an extreme case, you could jumper those 2 yellow wires, which would by-pass the neutral switch, and start the boat, but be careful, it will start in gear. This would be a way to trouble shoot the problem, or eliminate the safety switch if the motor still won't start. The reason the switch will stick is docking the boat in gear and not returning the controller to neutral, allowing the switch to set in the depressed position. Banging on the side of the controller also will help sometimes. Good luck.
 
Thanks for the info myv10
 
myv10 said:
Yamaha motors are actually the same as Mercury, I had a Mercury 90 and interchanged Yamaha parts because Yamaha produced the motors for Mercury. The neutral safety switch is basically a pushbutton that is depressed when in gear and releases when in neutral. if the button doesn't release or sticks the motor won't start. Mine would act sporadically, which drove me crazy. If you  look under your helm at the bottom of the controller, you should see 2 yellow wires going into the controller, they go to the neutral safety switch. I used the straw on the WD40 can and pushed it into the controller and gave it a couple of squirts, that solved the issue. In an extreme case, you could jumper those 2 yellow wires, which would by-pass the neutral switch, and start the boat, but be careful, it will start in gear. This would be a way to trouble shoot the problem, or eliminate the safety switch if the motor still won't start. The reason the switch will stick is docking the boat in gear and not returning the controller to neutral, allowing the switch to set in the depressed position. Banging on the side of the controller also will help sometimes. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Excellent information, myv10! Thanks for taking the time to explain. I do sometime, launch my boat, pull up to an bank area that is grassy and leave the boat in gear just enough to keep it tight against the shore while people are loading/unloading. I wonder if that would be a cause of what you are talking about. That's the only time I leave it in gear for a little extra time other than normal running. Now, I do put it in gear while trailering long distances, to keep the prop from freewheeling in the wind. Maybe another cause to that problem. 
 
Great info. If it is the neutral switch sticking,then it's not caused by any thing your doing Spoiled. Sometimes the switches just need lubing. Isn't your motor and rigging still under warranty? They may replace the switch if it's hanging up. Just a thought.
 
I doubt if leaving it in gear for a short time would do it, but trailering in gear might. Mine would act up more on hot days vs cool. 
 
Good responses. I'll spray the WD-40 for the time being. I'll see if it does it the next time I take it out. If I have more trouble with it, I'll take it to see what can be done. I love the experience this forum provides!!! Thanks guys.
 
Well, it's definitely the neutral safety switch! I tested this past weekend when I launched the boat. It did the same thing, so I toggled the throttle up and down a couple of times, put it back into neutral, and it cranked right up. 
 
Well that is a relief, trouble shooting the problem. If it was like mine, my parts guy had never sold one and couldn't find any on his parts line. This would indicate that it may not be a big problem. The part was listed at 17.00. This could be under warranty, but I would try wd40 first.
 
I'll do that myv10. Again, thanks for all of the advice! 
 
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