Yamaha F150 won't start and trim

[Moskvich]

Hello everyone!

I am using my Yamaha almost every day this summer, without any problems. Until yesterday, when I came in port and tried to start my Yamaha. I get only clicking/buzzing sounds from engine, and my first thoughts were - low battery! On Yamaha speedometer voltage was between 10 and 11 V. I was unable to start and trim engine, like it's dead. Everything blinking on tachometer - engine lamp, oil lamp, temperature lamp, whole display blinking - that is my biggest fear.
I get batteries out, return home and checked them with voltmeter and I get 12.6 V on each. Charged them during the night to about 13.2 V and get back on the boat today. Cleaned contacts on battery and cables, connected everything and try to start engine. First time I got just strange noise (clicking) from engine, second time I managed to run engine. When I throttle a little bit it turned off. Turned it back on, idling few minutes, without any problems. Then turned it off, waited few seconds, tried to start it again - and nothing! Voltage on batteries 12.8 V, enough for start. Couldn't start, couldn't trim (try to trim - just clicking too). Again blinking of every lamp on tachometer. Where is the problem?

Last friday I hit in accidentally hit sand, I wasn't driving too fast, but engine turned off. I started it without any problems and continued, everything as usual. Could that be connected with my problem?

Sorry for my bad English, I hope that you will understand me.

[boscoe99]

Check the battery cables at the engine end for cleanliness and tightness.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Toast

If the terminals are clean and tight, your battery is likely toast.

Get it LOAD TESTED at any automotive store. It may show 12.8 volts, once its loaded(cranking), the voltage drops way down, thus the clicking/failure. Just wear and tear...

Check you manual too, I believe you need a group 27 (pretty large for a 150 HP) battery..

[Moskvich]

Check the battery cables at the engine end for cleanliness and tightness.

Checked and nothing, everything fine. Tried to put another batteries, again nothing. I'm taking boat out of water to see with my mechanic what's the problem. What should be next step, what should we search for?
Checked the fuses too - all good!

[Bilge Rat]

Battery, cables, or connections.
Put a voltmeter on the cables at the motor, hit the trim switch and see how much voltage drop you have.

Do not overlook the negative cable, you need good connections on both positive and negative to make a circuit.

How old is the battery?
If you have wingnuts on the battery connections replace them with SS lockwasher and nut.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Did you get the battery LOAD TESTED?

Its possible your second battery isn't large enough to crank it. That group 27 battery is considerably larger than most car batteries and won't cut it...

Also, when trying to crank it over, with either battery, look at the voltage gauge and see what it drops to WHEN CRANKING. It shouldn't drop much below 11 volts. PLEASE POST WHAT IT SHOWS

Its a poor mans way of putting a load on the battery and testing it.

The battery seems to be holding a good surface charge, but fails with any decent load on it..

If it passes a formal load test, +1 on the above re connections or a battery switch potentially failing. It really shouldn't hard to narrow down...

Good luck

[Bilge Rat]

If you have a battery switch they do go bad. The contacts corrode causing increased resistance. I have replaced a few, mostly Perkos. The Blue Seas seem to work better/longer.
I went to a group 31 battery for my F-150.
I also use #2ga. cable.

[Moskvich]

Did you get the battery LOAD TESTED?

Yes, I got batteries load tested. Standby voltage - 12.6V, when cranking voltage was 10.8V, maximum voltage was about 13.5V, as I remember.

Its possible your second battery isn't large enough to crank it. That group 27 battery is considerably larger than most car batteries and won't cut it...

I got two same batteries - Bosch S5 Silver Plus, both with 100 Ah. I think that those are enough large for my needs. I repeat, I never had this problem before, so I can't make conclusion that something is wrong with batteries. I've been using my boat everyday this summer until this happened.

If it passes a formal load test, +1 on the above re connections or a battery switch potentially failing. It really shouldn't hard to narrow down...

I tried even to connect another battery directly to the engine and nothing. Trim not working, engine too. Battery was from my friend's boat near mine, he has Yamaha F100. Put it back in his boat and working without any problems.

Maybe I should try something with battery switch, but if that is problem, nothing else on boat wouldn't work too (I think?), but everything else is working - lights, radio, sonar, winch, ventilation, pumps, etc.

Is it possible that something went wrong with engine starter?

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Yes, I got batteries load tested. Standby voltage - 12.6V, when cranking voltage was 10.8V, maximum voltage was about 13.5V, as I remember.



I got two same batteries - Bosch S5 Silver Plus, both with 100 Ah. I think that those are enough large for my needs. I repeat, I never had this problem before, so I can't make conclusion that something is wrong with batteries. I've been using my boat everyday this summer until this happened.



I tried even to connect another battery directly to the engine and nothing. Trim not working, engine too. Battery was from my friend's boat near mine, he has Yamaha F100. Put it back in his boat and working without any problems.

Maybe I should try something with battery switch, but if that is problem, nothing else on boat wouldn't work too (I think?), but everything else is working - lights, radio, sonar, winch, ventilation, pumps, etc.

Is it possible that something went wrong with engine starter?

Ok, sounds like you have a good part covered.

As stated above, the contacts, (especially in the popular Perko) do get corroded. Cranking and the trim and tilt pull a hard load on the battery. If the switch is borderline, the smaller electronic goodies will work, but the heavy draw stuff just isn't getting a good connection.

If you could just by pass that switch, simply bolt up the engines main battery cables directly to one of your known good batteries. That should give you some answers and either rule that switch bad or good.. Sometimes jiggling the switch will get a better connection, but with all you've checked, I'll put money on that switch being worn out.. If it does fail, REPLACE it, don't try to save it..

I doubt the starter is bad,don't replace it, I seriously doubt its the issue

BTW, I don't have one on my boat, just for that reason. Just another part to potentially fail.

Good luck, your getting close.

[Moskvich]

If you could just by pass that switch, simply bolt up the engines main battery cables directly to one of your known good batteries. That should give you some answers and either rule that switch bad or good.. Sometimes jiggling the switch will get a better connection, but with all you've checked, I'll put money on that switch being worn out.. If it does fail, REPLACE it, don't try to save it..

I really don't know am I able to by pass the battery switch, but I'll try to find answer on that with my electrician.
Something about my battery switch: it has four positions - OFF, BOTH, 1, 2. 1 is for battery which is used primarily for engine, 2 is for other devices, I don't need to explain another two positions, but everything is working - when I select 1 just engine battery is used, etc.

BTW, something that I forgot to say, but may be important: I said that standby voltage on both batteries measured with voltmeter is about 12.6V.
On Yamaha speedometer, where I can read voltage too, it's about 8-9V at the same moment. In this case I believe the voltmeter more, but there must be some reason for that what is displayed on speedometer.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Simply remove the switch from its location. They'll be a large cable that goes direct to the engine (the factory, main, Yamaha harness). Disconnect that cable from the switch.

Now run that cable (and engine ground) to your battery direct by-passing the switch.

If the switch was bad, its out of the loop now.


Replace the switch if the engines fires up and runs normally, the switch was bad

Also, when your getting 8-9 volts at the yamaha gauge, is that while cranking or just sitting?

Please post your findings..

[Moskvich]

Simply remove the switch from its location. They'll be a large cable that goes direct to the engine (the factory, main, Yamaha harness). Disconnect that cable from the switch.

Now run that cable (and engine ground) to your battery direct by-passing the switch.

If the switch was bad, its out of the loop now.


Replace the switch if the engines fires up and runs normally, the switch was bad

I will try to do that too, thank you for your advice.

Also, when your getting 8-9 volts at the yamaha gauge, is that while cranking or just sitting?

While just sitting.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Well, if the engine(which I'm sure it is) is wired thru the switch, your getting 12+ volts to the switch from the battery(which is good).

Then, after the switch, it drops down (shouldn't drop at all or very little) pretty much confirming the switch has a bad connection in it. There could, somewhere inbetween (could be a break in the cable) but mostly likely the failure point, the switch..

A quick fix, if you have a terminal on the switch that hasn't been used, move the engine wire to that other, non used terminal.

IMHO, if the switch is corroded, even on one terminal, I'd change it out, its not worth getting stuck..

[Moskvich]

Well, if the engine(which I'm sure it is) is wired thru the switch, your getting 12+ volts to the switch from the battery(which is good).

Then, after the switch, it drops down (shouldn't drop at all or very little) pretty much confirming the switch has a bad connection in it. There could, somewhere inbetween (could be a break in the cable) but mostly likely the failure point, the switch..

A quick fix, if you have a terminal on the switch that hasn't been used, move the engine wire to that other, non used terminal.

IMHO, if the switch is corroded, even on one terminal, I'd change it out, its not worth getting stuck..

In that case I must check that battery switch.

I made a mistake, I wrote is it possible that something went bad with engine starter. I didn't want to write engine starter, I was thinking about main engine relay, accidentally I wrote engine starter. So, is it possible that something went wrong with main relay?

When I hit trim button, there is just one click out of it, when I try to start engine too.

EDIT: when I hit trim button and try to crank engine click comes out of trim and tilt relay, not main relay (it is located in fuses box). But can main relay have something connected with it?

[TownsendsFJR1300]

IMHO, check the basic's first... Especially the fuses(easy enough)

Your kinda getting ahead of yourself looking for the worst case scenerio. In most cases, the problem is the weakest link, that aftermarket switch.

Rule it in or out and go from there. Likely its just worn out with use..


*Just like your car, if the battery has a bad connection/ground or has failed/failing, you'll hear a clicking. There's not enough juise to crank /trim but the system is trying to work (but won't with too low a voltage)



BTW, that relay, to my knowledge, is NOT CHEAP at all.