TOPIC: Question about Evinrude Solenoid for '59 Fat Fifty

OK, has anyone else had problems with using a Sierra Solenoid with their Evinrude? Tried to save a little money and bought the Sierra one instead of the Evinrude and having problems. It started at the end of last year. Will start the first time for the day then after running a while won't work again. I have to bypass it with the pos going to the negative side of it. Of course nut doesn't look to good but it gets the job done when needed. Worked great a couple of times in a row before I winterized the motor and today started first time to prime motor before going to the ramp. Started again once I got there. After running one full tank through the motor, I shut it off to switch tanks. Once I switched tanks she wouldn't start. Had to jump around it again.

Any ideas folks? Do I just breakdown and spend the extra money and get the Evinrude one for that year (1959 Fat Fifty) or is it something else, heat related maybe?

Bob

I had a couple of fat 40's with the solenoid in the onboard control box. Seems to me the solenoid was different, larger contact area. You could just be burning the contacts on the sierra one. Put a voltmeter across the two terminals and measure the voltage when you are trying to start it, my guess is it will be significant and there is not enough juice left for the starter.

Not sure what the term " negative side of the solenoid " is referring to as they are both +

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So it leads me to believe that there is problem in the wiring from ignition switch to the solenoid.

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Do you always hear the click ( of the plunger ) when you operate the key switch ???

Professor,
Sorry should have said the starter side of the solenoid, although that is the side the negative post of the battery is connected to. Once it's been running a whil and it doesn't want to turn over, i do not get the solenoid click. I get absolutely nothing. Turn the key and nothing happens.

Dave,
Not sure about the insides but the outer is exactly the same as the one I took off. I would think I should still get a click but I get nothing.

Bob

The positive goes to one side of the solenoid

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When the solenoid operates ( click ) the plunger connects the 2 big posts and power + goes through the solenoid to the positive post on the starter.No negative connected to the solenoid.

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If you get no click you need to check ignition switch and associated wiring.

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You could ask on the

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aomci

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website, kind souls there will post the wiring diagram for your motor.

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That will allow you to check wires one at a time.

Thanks, I have to look at the box again, at work and trying to go from memory. Unfortunately my memory isn't what it use to be and I've only looked at the box a few times. I'll have to look around, I may have the wiring diagram printed off from somewhere.

Bob

"although that is the side the negative post of the battery is connected to."

The negative post of the battery shouldn't be connected to the solenoid at all! It goes to ground and ground only!

Try running a hot wire postive to the small conector on the solanoid and see if the makes the solanoid work. If it works that way the solanoid is good. You can get a ford solanoid but don't hook anything to the small conector marked S if you need one. I have 3 or 4 wiring digrams for that kind of motor. Email me and I will send them to you.
Mike aka pathfinderz1

Mike,
You've got mail.

Scott,
Yeah I went back and read that again and said boy that was stupid. That's what I get for doing this at work without my morning coffee!!!!!

Bob

Well checked the wiring per the diagram Mike sent. Everything looks fine. She cranks right away so I'm going to have to wait until I take her our again this weekend and see if she doesn't want to turn over after changing tanks again and see what happens. I'll make sure I have a jumper wire to jump across the solenoid and see if that is in fact the problem part.

Bob

Well she did exactly like I thought she would. Started right up, when I remembered the key , and off we went. After about an hour of riding took her home and tried to start her in the barrel, no joy. I made jumper number one and turned the key, nothing, no click, nothing. Took it off and did jump #2, same thing nothing.. Not sure #2 was right but tried anyway. See below pic.



Sorry for the ignorance but is it the ignition switch then? Shouldn't it have started with the #1 jumper, if the solenoid was bad?

Bob

One of those termanals should be marked S and the other I . Only jump to the one marked S with a hot wire and if the solanoid is good it should make the starter ingage.
Mike aka pathfinderz1

Well took her out all afternoon and she started first time. Stopped for a bite after about an hour or so and no joy. Put a jumper form the hot wire on right side and connected it to the left small terminal and no joy, so i guess the solenoid is bad. Just seems weird that it will start after sitting for a long time but won't after the motor's been running for a while.

This may sound like a dumb question but can I have too big of battery? The one I have is a deep cycle, 720 cranking amps, 600 cold and 115/hr.

Bob

Too big? Yeah, a big enough battery (like from a forklift) will sink the boat like any other overload.

Ok, new solenoid came in yesterday. I'm going to install it today and take her out. I was wrong on my first post about the brand of the solenoid. It was an Arco. The new one is a Sierra. Funny thing though, neither the Arco or this Sierra have a S or I on the small terminals. The solenoid only fits one way in the box so I'm just assuming I wire it just like the original. Which is how the Arco is wired now. See the pic in this thread.

Any thoughts?

Bob

The 2 small post are your coil. and the large post are your contractors. Wiring can be battery and starter to large posts (either side) and control to the small posts(either side)

The coil picks up the ground through the safety switch and the Pos from the key. Jumping from the bat side (large post) to the key side of the coil and still a no go , then your safety is out for some reason (most of the time out of adj)

However if you make the mistake of jumping to the ground side of the coil with the pos and the safety is closed you can (1) burn the points as not to work again (2) weld the points as to never cut out (3) and if you are lucky just throw a few sparks

Take a Ohmmeter and check for continuity...pull the wire going from the safety (I drew it in yellow on the photo) to the coil post; off at the coil, and ground one side of the ohmmeter to the motor case and then the other lead to the wire

With the motor out of gear you should zero out on the meter

Did a bit od paint shop

BTW many Ford started solenoids are case grounded...meaning that the coil pick up the neg through the casing. These will work, however it does away with the safety switch

if you have not an ohmmeter you can jump from the battery side of the contacts (large post) to the starter side of the coil (small post) with no click then run a wire from the other coil post to the ground wire and try again...If you have a click (or starter spin) then your safety switch is the problem...or the wire going to it

TT,
Thanks, put the hew solenoid in real quick and went to the music/fireworks and you guessed it same problem so I'm guessing it's the safety switch. I'm going to try and get at it tomorrow. Took most of the day to go get the next project, '53 Century Resorter.

Bob