Ground Issue? Sea Ray 240

[Clacquam]

I have a 1994 Sea Ray 230.

Mercruiser 5.0L 201 HP version


Came back from 2 weeks away from the boat (and 3 major rain storms) and turned the key, no response from the gauges, all gauges and not even a flicker, and the engine turns over fine but does not start.

Before I left the boat ran fine and started on first try.

Battery voltage is good, blower, bilge all work fine.

No blown fuses and main engine circuit is fine.

Thinking it is a grounding issue?

Does anyone know of where the grounds are usually located on this engine / boat?

Any other thoughts on the cause?

Thank you!!

 

[Westie]

Sounds more like the purple wire to me.
The ignition wire is what powers your gauges and the voltage to the coil. Mercuiser uses a purple wire for that. Look at the back of your ignition switch and check to see if the purple wire has voltage on it when the key is in the run position.

 

[Last Dollar]

One summer a few years back I had an intermittant problem with getting the engine to start. Sometimes it would act like a bad starter, or cable, or corroded cable or etc. Most times it would turn over and start immediately. I spent countless hours troubleshooting this intermittant problem and lots of money thrown at parts. I had the starter off twice for a rebuild, replaced solenoids, battery and many other things that lead nowhere. It went on for weeks!! Suddenly one day I realized the keyswitch at the helm was the only thing I had not considered. I replaced it and never had another issue!!

Keyswitches are cheap and relatively easy to replace. I suggest you try that. The ignition voltage may be lost right at the switch!!

 

[Chris Nowell]

Try to do some testing with a multimeter so you don't have to go throwing a bunch of parts at it. Trace the lack of voltage back from the gauges to where it appears again and you'll have an idea of WHERE to start throwing parts. Like Westie said, it could be just a wire that's loose, or even corroded. Better yet, just go out and buy yourself a new boat and let the warranty dept look after any problems:grin:

 

[Bob & Sue]

As some have suggested start with a meter, I had a similar problem a few years ago after Sea Ray changed the coupler several gauges would work sometimes then quit. It turned out to be corrosion on several pins in the wiring harness plug at the engine. Since all the gauges go through the plug I would unplug it and check for voltage on the engine side & continuity to the gauges. While you have the plug apart put some dielectric on the faces before putting it back together to stop any corrosion (don't get it on the pins just the face it's not an electrical conductor). Good luck hope it's a simple fix.

 

[Last Dollar]

Keep in mind there is more wrong here than just guages!! He says the guages don't move when he turns the key on but most importantly the "engine turns over but will not start" so I still think the keyswitch is not giving the ignition or the solid state ignition module any voltage. Just a humble opinion and worth a look see with a meter.

 

[GJarrett]

Kill switch?

 

[Westie]

Kill switch wouldn't effect the gauges.

 

[Westie]

The gauges are feed by the same source as the ignition module and coil. It's the purple wire as I said in my first post.

 

[Bob & Sue]

This might help it's a standard mercruiser carbed wiring diagram to answer your original question. There could be a couple different wires depending on what type ignition you have TB4 or TB5. PM me if you want a scan of the whole diagram.