Boat ignition delay problem?

[Pigeontroller]

Since about the time I upgraded to my 05 Yamaha F90 I've had a 2-3 second delay between turning the key to START and the starter engaging. Not been a big problem till this fall when a few times there has been no starter engagement. If I turn the key a few times eventually it fires...

 

Any mechanics out there?

[irishfield]

Could be the key switch itself not making contact immediately..the starter solenoid or the starter itself..or any wire connection in between.

[Pigeontroller]

Thanks Wayne! I was hoping for some more specific advice...I figured it was one of those things!

[Bernie]

A wiring diagram would be handy. Like Wayne said,ignition switch etc. First check battery connections,a loose terminal may cause it. We dont handle the Yamaha line here so I dont know if they use a ground signal or a positive signal at the starter solenoid. Have to go right now..more on this later.

[irishfield]

Sorry Dax..you need to work your way thru it to find the culprit. Take a heavy piece of insulated wire, bare the ends and jump from the battery side of the large cables lug on the starter solenoid to the small input wire to the starter solenoid. If it engages right away then you have a key switch or wire from it to solenoid problem. Not sure if the Yamaha has a combo solenoid/starter but if they are seperate and it's still slow to engage trying what I just suggested... then try booster cable sized wire/or the cable itself..clip it to the stater + lug and hit it to the + on the battery or battery side lug on the solenoid. If you get immediate engagement then...you have a solenoid problem.

 

CAUTION...and what Nippissing said. The above solenoid jumper won't work if it's negative feed to it.

Edited March 5, 2007 by irishfield

[Bernie]

Irish pretty much covered it at the starter end. A voltmeter to check polarity at terminals and continuity in the circuits will be handy/necessary here if it is in between solenoid and ignition. A wiring diagram to show circuits and wire colour is real handy too. If you need more on this PM me and I will see if I can locate a diagram for you. My first suspicion is a bad ignition switch.

[misfish]

I know.......Buy a Merc. LOL

 

Im thinking it,s a bad connection forsure. The ignition switches do at times, turn on you inside making the transition for ignition not connecting... Im betting a conection somewhere is the culprit.

Edited March 6, 2007 by misfish

[Rippinlips]

Exact same thing happened to my Yamaha(175) last summer, key switch went. Started out as a couple second delay then finally just quit.

I bypassed the switch with a push button style to a hot wire and boom fired right up. Yamaha wanted 165 bucks for the wire harness as they do not sell just the key switch seperate.

Even just to test,this will work to determine if the switch is bad.

good Luck.

[bigfish1965]

Won't pretty much any key switch work as a replacement? $175 to fix a $10 problem seems like bad engineering.

[irishfield]

$175 to fix a $10 problem seems like bad engineering.

 

Depends which side of the $175 you're on! LOL