No tilt and trim and Pro max won't start?

[Larry33kc]

I am not sure how to explain this but I will do my best. This winter while in storage my 98 2003 with a 98 225 PM I had a cat issue.

Cats where getting in the back drivers compartment to get back to the battery charger to get some heat off the charger. Well the cat issue is fixed. but now the motor, trim and tilt won't work. I did find a green wire that was chewed on, I have fixed it and checked all the rest in the compartment and they all look good.
They would crawl in from the front where the hot foot is and crawl down the inside to the back, so I don't know if it is an issue up at the key switch or the starter or in the back.

Here is what it is doing when I try to start the motor or work the trim I hear a click and thats it. If the charger is plugged in when I do this it goes from trickle to fast charge like it zaps the battery instantly, but everything else works on the boat. I have taken the cowl off and you can see the starter gear spinnig a little but it is not engaging in the flywheel.

There seems to be 3 fuses in the back compartment and they are all good and it looks like the trim relays are there also but I am not sure how to check those.

Could there be something up front or at the console that could cause this. Thanks for the help and ideas.

 

[SLOmofo]

Use a volt meter. First measure voltage across the Battery posts 12.6^. Then load the battery by attempting to start it again. Again measure the voltage across the posts. Should be the same voltage. If not try another battery.
Sounds like the battery was cooked over the winter. Any battery charger that one uses should turn off completely or drop to a Mili volt charge rate when the battery is fully charged. Otherwise one cooks the battery and warms the cats.

 

[JR]

I agree, it sounds like a cooked battery since the starter is not spinning up fast enough for the inertia to engage the bendix gear.
I also have to lube my bendix on the starter shaft once a year too.
JR

 

[suicidealli]

i agree too. you could have boiled out the water too, from over charging. check the water level if you can. i would say battery is smoked.

 

[Jessie]

If you have a wet-cell battery, check the specific gravity of each cell. The specific gravity of a fully charged battery should be around 1.300. Some battery chargers won't fully charge a battery, that's why you should check the specific gravity.

 

[Larry33kc]

OK I went to put a volt meter to it I tried the tilt first nothing I hooked up the volt meter and went to hit the tilt switch on the motor and BAMM it works, It starts and tilts WHAT THE HE!!.

I might go ahead and get a new battery anyway.

 

[SLOmofo]

Clean ALL the connections at the battery. You've experienced the "Electrical Twilight Zone". Take them APART and scrape them shiny clean. Then seal them with a LITTLE grease or Dielectric grease.

Physically attached butt electrically insulated.

I'm not sure by your choice of words that the STARTER worked or not? Did it?

 

[Larry33kc]

Yea the starter gear would spin just a little bit. But its all good for now.

I would blame it on the aliens

 

[Speedman]

Blame it on the friggin cat! I would have got some huge NYC rat traps and baited them with sardines!

 

[CommonArcWelder]

Damn cats! I had rats get in my old Skeeter and chewed all the handles off my fishing poles....:smile

 

[Larry33kc]

I had to exterminate cats racoons and a bobcat which was in the boat one time when my son went to get something from it. The only good thing that comes from this is I get some practice for turkey season, except I won't be using OO buck shells for the turkey.

Thats the one downfall about being in Gods country is all the critters. I also have a ton of mud dobbers that I would like to get rid of if I new how.

 

[hack02]

Watch out for the mudd dobbers. They'll migrate up into your lower unit and stop up the water intake.

 

[CommonArcWelder]

Watch out for the mudd dobbers. They'll migrate up into your lower unit and stop up the water intake.

Yea, and also nest up in your cowling. Ya' go run your boat; they fall off; breaks up into dust due to vibration; and your mota' breathes it. Happens alot 'round here.....My father n law about wore out a Mercury 125 on his bay boat last summer. He brought it to the house complaining it wouldnt idle. I pulled the cowling off and it looked like someone just threw dust at it.