Starting Issues

[supervol0509]

So, some starting issues with our boat have been well-documented, in the past. Happened again, yesterday, our first time out this year. We pulled out the boat, and talked to another boater at the ramp. He said to give the throttle a little jiggle, next time. I tried this, after he told me this, and it started right up. We'd already had someone tow us across the channel, so was bummed that the fix may have been this simple. We took the boat back out, and were unable to resimulate the problem. It seems the boat typically decides to not start up when we are in the most inconvenient situations. I'm don't know that this solves everything, but if it is truly just an issue with the throttle, is there a way to fix it? Are there loose connections? Parents coming into town next weekend, and hoping to not end up being towed across the lake.

[Beejwest]

Sounds like a loose neutral switch to me. There is a position switch that should prevent you from starting the boat in gear. Stick your head up behind the throttle console, and or pull the throttle off the wall where it's mounted and see if you can find the source of your issues.

[supervol0509]

Are there any screws that I need to loosen to pull it off the wall?

[supervol0509]

Also, reading through old threads, sounds like there is a neutral safety switch on the side of the transmission. Any idea exactly where this is? Port side? Starboard side? Top? Bottom?

[zabooda]

Locate the wires back from the throttle and use a temporary jumper and see if that works.

[supervol0509]

Jump across safety switch at transmission, right? Just use a screwdriver? Anything to keep in mind, from a safety standpoint? I will have to find the switch, first. The boat started, after we had the problem, so will have to encounter the problem again, before testing this. It's still something intermittent, at the moment. I guess jumping across safety switch takes throttle out of circuit? So, if that works, I'll know it is specifically at the throttle.

[Rakkasan]

When the problem occurs does the engine turn but just not start (as in the starter turns) or does nothing happen at all (as in no starter turn?)

[supervol0509]

Nothing happens. Just hear fuel pump.

[supervol0509]

So, we were back out in the water yesterday. Every time we turned the boat off I jiggled the throttle back and forth in neutral between the forward and reverse stops, and it started up every time. First day that we haven had a problem, since last June. I've always disengaged the prop (i.e. put it in neutral) when turning the boat engine off, but I guess it was not registering at the throttle. Anyway, what should I do, at this point? Would like to make the throttle less sensitive to the neutral position, but not sure how?

[gregski]

So, we were back out in the water yesterday. Every time we turned the boat off I jiggled the throttle back and forth in neutral between the forward and reverse stops, and it started up every time. First day that we haven had a problem, since last June. I've always disengaged the prop (i.e. put it in neutral) when turning the boat engine off, but I guess it was not registering at the throttle. Anyway, what should I do, at this point? Would like to make the throttle less sensitive to the neutral position, but not sure how?
This is a classic symptom of an issue at the neutral switch on the transmission. Usually, there is a way to adjust it there and it shouldn't be "sensitive" at all, it really should "just work" if it's adjusted correctly.

[supervol0509]

Let me know if you have any pointers on adjustment. It was my understanding that the neutral safety switch in my boat is this (https://www.skidim.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R153011), and that when in neutral, at the throttle, the circuit is completed, and the boat can start. I checked the connections at the switch, shown in the link, this weekend, and everything is tight and secure, so I was thinking that it probably required an adjustment at the throttle. The switch that I checked is on top of the transmission housing, as was described in some old posts.

[gregski]

I meant to say that you should check the adjustment of the transmission shift cable at the transmission. On my old boat, the shift cable worked well enough to get it into forward/reverse but when the throttle handle was in the neutral position, the transmission was effectively in neutral but it was "off-center" just enough that the neutral switch wasn't registering correctly. I don't have any pictures but I think if you look at where the cable connects to the transmission, you will find some detents for the F-N-R positions. Adjust the cable such that it is exactly in the neutral when the throttle is in the neutral position.

This doesn't rule out a failing switch but those cables do stretch over time and need to be adjusted. This is true for the throttle as well.