My 1994 200 with a Quicksilver 3000 sometimes won't start and I suspect it is not sensing neutral. I have been told there is a switch in the throttle and also that the cable may be stretched. The engine, battery, starter are all OK. Anyone had this issue?
Yes, not uncommon on older boats. The other thing to check is that your kill switch hasn't been tripped.
Try moving the control handle a little past center, either fwd or rev, and see if the starter will crank. If the shift cable is stretched or out of adjustment it can prevent the handle from centering. The control has two wires coming out of it which one goes to the ignition switch and the other into the main wiring harness. If you can get to both wires you can check operation with ohm meter.
Hi Albert, I can get to both wires just behind the throttle--can I check them there or do I need to go to termination point? What am I looking for?
Use a ohmmeter to check continuity with throttle in neutral and for a open circuit with the throttle lever in forward or reverse. The same continuity check can be done on the kill switch located below the throttle handle. The other kill switch mentioned in the original post is located back in the engine compartment with the shift cables. This switch is used to momentary kill the ignition when shifting out of gear. The shift interrupter switch can also prevent the engine from starting if not centered due to worn or stretched shift system components. Does the engine crank at all? The two switches at the helm will prevent the engine from cranking the load switch on the shift plate in the engine compartment will allow the engine to crank but not start. If not sure how to check continuity of the two switches at the helm then I would suggest taking it into your local repairman. Good luck. Albert
Albert Thank you very much! The engine does not crank at all when this occurs, but suspecting I have an issue with cables or switches I have moved throttle around the few times it happened and then I get a start. I have a guy coming down this week to check all. Thanks again, John
John a quick test would be to remove the wires from the safety switch and tie them together. if your starting issue goes away, order another switch or just run without it.
