Engine quit today, worked fine after being towed.

[brielly1]

We were on the way home today when the engine (96 yamaha saltwater series 250 HP) bogged down and quit without any warning. When I tried to restart I would get a solid alarm as if the kill switch lanyard was not engaged. We were towed back to the dock and sure enough when we arrived it started right up and ran fine. I thought possibly we overheated but I was under the impression the alarm would have gone off while we were running????? Could the kill switch wiring be loose? Any ideas would be appreciated as I'd hate to go back out and have the same issue return. Thanks!

[rodbolt17]

somewhere the kill switch white wire is shorting to ground.
the only time you get an alarm while cranking,not with just the key on, is when the ECU sees a start and a stop signal at the same time.

[99yam40]

I had a 35 Johnson that the wiring harness laying in lower part of engine pan had decayed enough that when it rained and I got a little moisture in pan it would cause the motor to die usually when I backed off the throttle quickly.
Water moved to there the wire insulation was bad.
Took me awhile to find this problem as it did not happen very often.

Good luck finding your problem, and do not give up until you find it

[brielly1]

Thanks guys, I'll check it out. Could I just bypass the kill switch?

[99yam40]

If it is a wiring problem , that would not do any good.
How do you plan on by passing?

[brielly1]

Rodbolt, you nailed it! The insulation on the white wire was worn right near the switch. It must have grounded out while we were bouncing over the waves on the way back. Thanks!