mickburder Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 Problem starting my Tohatsu 60hp outboard. I went to start the engine at the weekend and first the tilt wouldn't kick in but after checking battery terminals (brand new battery) and trying a few more times all of a sudden I got it to go down. To start the engine I have to push the key in to activate the choke, this wouldn't work and there was a sort of fast clicking noise coming from the engine , which my mate said could be a solenoid not working properly. The tilt stopped working again. I dont know if the choke and the tilt work off the same solenoid but niether are working now. As you can proberbly tell I dont know one end of an engine from the other, does anyone know off a local (boat is in Bransgore now) engineer that knows about the electrical side of outboards and can fix it on site rather than me coming back down from Watford just to tow it 'round the corner'. regards Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 Flat battery or bad connection at engine end I would guess. There is a guy who is mobile, Charlie A and Mike02380 have used him. HTH, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 (edited) As Rob said, Flat Battery. Did you charge it when you bought it, new batteries are not cycled, they're filled with acid and flash charged. Always a good tip to cycle a new battery several times. Nearly all battery failures are due to lack of cycling. Edited May 3, 2011 by Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 well the good news is that all your symptoms suggest that the problem lies in the primary battery/starter circuit! Even better this should be very simply to pin down and resolve. basically you are not getting sufficient electrical power to operate the starter solenoid properly the intermittent representation of the trim/tilt, as presented, seems to suggest that it may be a loose or incomplete connection somewhere. This could be within the wiring eg poorly installed or corroded cable fitting or as simple as a failure to clean and tighten properly when fitting new battery. as Brian says it could be the state of the 'new battery' I favour the first because if it was the battery I would have expected the trim tilt to operate initially but then get slower and finally 'die' as any current in the battery was expended. I also don't see it being in the battery to starter connections because the trim tilt is outwith this circuit. I would start with the earth/return connections at the battery and then block - but I would also quickly check the battery condition because it's so easy to do! Unfortunately I'm as far away as you or I would pop round and do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickburder Posted May 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 Thank you for your help on this, you guys are such a great source of information and help I really appreciate it... My mate had a meter on the battery and that was reading 12.5 volts so we assumed it was OK, maybe this is not the case? I have made an appointment with Phill Brown to pop round Friday and see if he can sort it, some of the other members have used him and he said it sounds like a bad connection or battery problem, so hopefully it will be a quick (cheap?) fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 (edited) 2 Questions: 1. How accurate is the meter? 2. Was the measurement taken at rest? If the 12.5v is at rest, it's only 70% charged. Edited May 3, 2011 by Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickburder Posted May 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 I am pretty sure the meter is accurate, the battery was put on last week and has not been used at all, untill I tried to start it at the weekend, The instruments worked Ok but I guess they don't draw much power? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 I have a 60 HP Mercury and even when my battery is flat and will not turn the engine over and start it, I can still use the power tilt. Will raise and lower the engine every time. Hope you get it fixed soon, please let us know the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan Posted May 3, 2011 Report Share Posted May 3, 2011 Thank you for your help on this, you guys are such a great source of information and help I really appreciate it... My mate had a meter on the battery and that was reading 12.5 volts so we assumed it was OK, maybe this is not the case? I have made an appointment with Phill Brown to pop round Friday and see if he can sort it, some of the other members have used him and he said it sounds like a bad connection or battery problem, so hopefully it will be a quick (cheap?) fix. As Brian points out 12.5v at rest is at best 70% charged, but then again a voltage without any load at all is only a basic indicator. However it suggests that you haven't lost a cell - which is one of the more common failures on a new battery. On the other hand a healthy 70% should be more than enough to start the engine, let alone power the trim and tilt (at least at a snails pace!). I frequently have the battery bank down at that level (due to intermittent use and no shore power) and they fire up a fairly meaty diesel. I'm sure it will be an easy fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 (edited) I originally went for a low battery because you said that after trying to start it the tilt stopped working. This could also be due to a bad connection heating up. Clean and tighten the main battery connections at the battery and at the engine. Did your mate measure the battery voltage while you were trying to start it? You need to do this at the battery and then at the starter motor. If you measure a lower voltage at the starter motor than at the battery you've got a voltage drop, probably a loose or dirty connection causing a volt drop when you try to draw any current. A volt drop could also be caused by a faulty battery isolating switch, if you've got one, bypass it and try again. Edited May 9, 2011 by Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 When I had battery issues that looked like a faulty regulator!!! I started the outboard from my car with jump leads - this the proved the output to the battery was ok and teh battery was faulty. is this an option for you?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickburder Posted May 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 We did try to jump it from a spare battery but no joy, hopefully Phill will sort it out on Friday and I will report back to you exactly what it is, when you take the cover off it all looks very clean and dry, no signs of damp or rusty connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 We did try to jump it from a spare battery but no joy, hopefully Phill will sort it out on Friday and I will report back to you exactly what it is, when you take the cover off it all looks very clean and dry, no signs of damp or rusty connections. If you are talking about the engine cover here then, yep - unlikely on an OB boat to be corrosion at the engine end because they are so well sealed. Vibration may have loosened a joint or connection though. Inboard's (most) are very different environments and the connection to the starter solenoid is rarely clean and dry! If you have a battery isolating switch, especially the ones with the removable red key, then this would be moved up to my No 1 suspect! Your comments re trying to jump start further reduce the likelihood of it being purely battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisherman1055 Posted May 4, 2011 Report Share Posted May 4, 2011 It is always worth checking the red cable from the battery as they tend to corrode and you end up with a load of green dust Has happened on my out boards on 2 occasions Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted May 5, 2011 Report Share Posted May 5, 2011 Well, good luck tomorrow. I have had at least two power trim units (rams) break on me and I did get a `clicking` noise when I turned the key. But, from what you say, it did work, albeit not the whole time so I hope you get lucky (loose cable etc) and it's a cheap fix as my trim is expensive and difficult to get hold of as my engine is quite old now. Keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickburder Posted May 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2011 Phill visited Friday afternoon and the problem is sorted.... The problem was the red on/off battery switch, he replaced the switch, cleaned up one or two connections and jobs a good 'un. Hope to get out sometime this week and chase a few bream around the bay. Thank you all very much for all your help and advice kind regards Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted May 9, 2011 Report Share Posted May 9, 2011 Thanks for that and happy/safe boating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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