Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Had to get towed back in today...this sucks...I HAVE to figure out what is going on.

2009 Cypress Cay boat
2008 Mercury Optimax 175 Pro X with less than 30 hours on it

Been using the boat regularly since first of June with no issues whatsoever. It sat for 10 days (rain rain go away) and went out to go for a ride Friday night, no start... Volt gauge says 13 volts, everything else on the dash is normal except the trim gauge which is pegged up. I'll spare you all the details of what all I've done to diagnose, but heres what I've devised. If there is not enough voltage going into the engine, something in the engine shuts off and lets no power to anything on the engine (specifically the trim).

13.6 volts at the battery, 13.4 volts at the hot side of the solenoid...motor no cranky, trim no worky...

I finally had to go back to town and get my big battery charger...With it on high (225 amp, engine start) after a few minutes...I noticed when I turned the key on that the trim gauge went to it's normal spot and the engine fired right up.

Thinking the stupid ipod controller just ran the battery down too far, I left the charger on the battery at 40 amps for 90 minutes and went back home to get the wife and dogs. Back at the slip,unhooked the charger, turned the key and it fired right off. Fantastic...fixed it. Drove it out to our favorite cove, shut it off, started it right back up no problems. Hung out there for about 2 hours, never even turned the radio on...went to start it...trim gauge went funky pegged and I knew we were in trouble. No starty...

Flagged down a boat, had my jump cables with me, jumping it off of a running boat doesn't give whatever relay is shutting off on the motor enough kick, won't start it. So I had them run me back to the dock, I run to O'reillys to buy a battery then I hitch another ride back to the boat with the wife and dogs still out on it. Swap the battery, nothing... Try jumping it with that guys boat...nothing. Everything on the dash works, volt gauge shows a little over 13 volts...trim and motor completely dead.

Got pulled back to the dock, took the wife and dogs home and went back to investigate. I never could get the new battery to start it. I put the old battery back in and after a few minutes charging on high, it wouldn't start either. For some reason, I pressed the trim button on the shifter and it WORKED!!! I turned the key again and it fired right off...

This ringing any bells with anyone yet? It has to be either a relay or circuit breaker shutting off the juice to everything on the motor or something funky with the trim switches or wiring.

I left the charger on the battery for 90 minutes on 20 amps, just to make sure it's fully charged and came home...and the battery I bought at Oreillys is going back in the morning...

Any suggestions on what to chase down next? To boat and engine is under warranty, but I want to use it this month....not let it sit in a shop for three weeks only for it to intermittently work when they finally look at it and not fix anything. I'd rather fix it myself if I can.

Sorry for the rant, I hate it when my shiat don't work...

You may have a bad voltage regulator. The diode that keeps current flowing one way could be bad.

Check CDI's website for a trouble shooting guide.

Thanks... Do you have a link to the CDI's website?

I don’t know about the voltage regulator causing this problem. It sounds like your trimming system has something to do with it simply because when you hit that button you motor started right up.

1. It’s not your battery because you’ve replaced it and with no change to the problem. That and 13.5 volts is more than enough to get you engine started. Plus, you’d probably get some kind of clicking from the starter solenoid even on a low battery.

2. Your trim gauge goes wacky when the problem occurs. You hit the trim button and problem goes away. I’d try to electrically disconnect the trim system, if possible, to see what happens.

3. Your trim system is in your throttle/shifter (I assume). You don’t even get a clicking from your solenoid on start. Your shifter has an (in gear safety switch) which will not allow the starter to engage if the motor is in gear. It sounds like the trim system is somehow interfering with the in gear safety switch. I’d go into the shifter and have a look see.

This is just a suggestion in that I don’t know the optimax stuff to well. “LTB racing” is on this site from time to time and is a knowledgeable mechanic and may be able to steer you in the right direction better than I can. Good luck.

Sounds to me like an ingintion switch problem, check the wires for tightness. As stated eariler, the neutral saftey switch could be hanging up also not allowing the engine to fire. But the the Trim issues got me stumped, those should work with the key even turned off.

Went up this morning, disconnected the charger, turned the key on and the trim gauge went where it was supposed. I turned the key off, turned the key back on and the trim gauge went wacky...then I knew it wouldn't start...and it didn't.

I'm still not convinced it's not a battery issue. I took the old battery with me and I've got a friend that runs a battery place. I'm going to have him load test it and verify that it's good to eliminate that question. It is a 1000 cca battery and the one I bought from O'Reillys in a pinch was only a 500 cca battery.

I also have wondered about the neutral safety switch as well...but wouldn't the trim button on the engine itself work even if the shifter wasn't in neutral? When the engine is in this "no start mode" even the trim button on the engine doesn't work...I get just a little buzz when pressing it up or down.

When the battery is fresh off the charger or I've just shut the engine down after a long run, it starts right back up. Any sitting of the battery at all and everything on the engine itself including the trim, is dead.

Lets' hope it's the battery.

Scratch looking at CDI apparently they don't have anything for your motor. Sorry.

since its a 2009 should it not be under warranty just have them look at it

It is under warranty...I just don't want to take it out of the water for an extended time to chase something that I could easily fix myself if possible...

If you are getting a buzz, Then you are not getting enough voltage. Check the connection at the starter and your ground. I bet you have a loose cable.

Not a mech but check the trim switch on the motor an have some one watch the trim gauge an volt meter while operating the switch on the cowl. Think slingshot had some good ideas. Good Luck an bet it isn't any thing major just aggravating, I know
doc

Check your ground.!!!!!!!!!!!!

I checked all of the positive connections all the way from the battery through the solenoid. All were clean and tight. I checked the ground on the battery but could not find where the ground cable connected to the engine. Any hints there?

Remember, the boat is sitting on a lift with the engine pointed out the back of the slip,so all of this was done hanging off of the back of the boat over the water. I guess if I could get the engine trimmed up, I could turn the boat around int he slip to make tinkering on the engine easier.

I'm still holding out hope the battery is bad and a new (good) one will correct the issue, but it is a faint hope i know.

Does that engine have a trim position "safety" that doesn't allow startup with engine at full up trim? The OP states this happens when the trim guage "show" full up trim.

So, could this be a faulty or loose trim indicator sending/sensing/guage unit that is preventing the engine start?

From what I can tell, the trim gauge defaults to full up when it doesn't have any power to it. As soon as the key is turned on, if the engine has electrical power, the gauge goes to the trims actual position.

Remember, when the engine is in this "no start mode" the trim button back on the cowl doesn't work either...and it should work ALL of the time.

Thanks everyone for throwing ideas out there, keep them coming. I'll let you know what I find out from the battery guy a bit later on.