Replacing Starter On A Boat - Need Help, Does Not Have Power To Anythi

[Mossyoakglock]

I just replaced the starter on our boat. It's a '90 Commander 200 FS w/ 4.3L (Yamaha or Mercruiser, can't remember now). We had it rebuilt since we couldn't find one around here, plus it was cheaper. I would assumed that replacing the starter on a boat would be the same as a truck/car since it's a GM 4.3L V6. Can somebody take a look at the picture and see if I have everything connected properly. It's not the best picture, but it will do for now.

 

I have one wire running from the positive terminal on the battery to the 12V post on the starter and there are two other wires that are connected to the same post that run up to the starter relay/solenoid. There is a smaller yellow/red wire that is on a smaller post behind the red wires that you cannot see, and the negative cable is running from the neg. terminal to the block for the ground.

 

My new problem is that I have no power to anything, not even instruments, lights, depth finder, etc and obviously it won't turn over or click. Does everything look like it's connect correctly? Could a fuse or something have been tripped causing it to not have power?

 

 

Thanks in advance!

[csheatz]

Cant offer much help from the pic you posted, but if you had the battery connected while changing the starter then you need to check all your fuses. Also check the battery and your grounds. Could also be bad connection at battery with either cable/post.

 

Hope this helps.

[Mossyoakglock]

Cant offer much help from the pic you posted, but if you had the battery connected while changing the starter then you need to check all your fuses. Also check the battery and your grounds. Could also be bad connection at battery with either cable/post.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Everything was disconnected when changing the starter. It was disconnect for a few days while the starter was being rebuilt. The starter worked before we removed it, we just had to hit it with a hammer before every start. I didn't remove any of the grounds either but they were all good before the originally starter was removed. I'm gonna do a little more trouble-shooting this week and see what I can find.

[Mossyoakglock]

Just curious, but why not? My buddy used to have an old jeep that would die in a mud hole and wouldn't start so he would just give it a good hit with a hammer and then it would start back up. We did this for years because he was too cheap to buy a new one.

 

The first time we gave the boat starter a tap, it was a light one just to test if that was it because originally we thought it was a solenoid that was the problem. Once it started, we realized that it was the starter and not the solenoid, plus the starter was 20 years old.

 

I don't think it matters that we hit it with a hammer since the literally replaced everything in the starter. The only part from the original that's left is the outside housing.

[csheatz]

Just curious, but why not? My buddy used to have an old jeep that would die in a mud hole and wouldn't start so he would just give it a good hit with a hammer and then it would start back up. We did this for years because he was too cheap to buy a new one.

 

The first time we gave the boat starter a tap, it was a light one just to test if that was it because originally we thought it was a solenoid that was the problem. Once it started, we realized that it was the starter and not the solenoid, plus the starter was 20 years old.

 

I don't think it matters that we hit it with a hammer since the literally replaced everything in the starter. The only part from the original that's left is the outside housing.

 

Magnets don't get replaced at most shops. Hitting the starter will crack them. Once one breaks loose at a later time, it is no go no matter how hard you hit. Dead in the water...literally.

 

Thats funny right there!

[Mossyoakglock]

I'm sure they would have checked them when they had it apart and if they were cracked, they would have replaced them. They tested the starter when they finished and it worked. I haven't tapped the new one though. I would think that a cracked magnet would prevent the starter from working, but would that prevent the whole boat from having power? Like I said before, we have no power to anything (running lights, radio, bilge, blower, etc.).

[cerbomark]

I once had a 5.7 marine engine which would not always power up and it had a relay that was bad. It was a small black box type device in the engine bay. See if your engine has one. Also check your safety tether(sp) switch and neutral lever and switch.