1800 sr no crank

[surfbeetle]

Hello, I just picked up a 20011800 SR with the carbureted 4.3 v6 Mercruiser. I just replaced the battery because the boat wouldn’t crank and now with the new battery the boat still will not crank. I hear a clicking noise when I turn the key. I have checked all of the fuses underneath the front dashboard, I have made sure that the reset button was pushed in. I have cleaned the ends of the wires at the battery when I replaced the battery. I have made sure that the shifter is in neutral.

The other issue I’m having is the trim wasn’t working, only the Trailer button was causing the trim pump to make noise but the outdrive was already all the way up. After playing with the lever and the up/down toggle switch, the down started to work. Up still is not. I can only raise it with the trailer switch.

Any suggestions on either of these issues is greatly appreciated. Thank you
Craig

[surfbeetle]

I pulled the starter and from what I have found online, I need a part number 18-5913 starter. Does anyone have a recommendation? I found some cheap ones on Amazon and the reviews are not too good. Then there's the ones that are bit more and their reviews are not much better.

[jrsick]

I rec you replace your starter slave solenoid first and see if that fixes the problem. There are videos online that demonstrate a failed solenoid, you may want to see if that looks like the same issue you are having.

[mmwjr]

I agree with jrsick, most common issue is a bad slave solenoid $25. It may also be loos or corroded battery cables.

[surfbeetle]

Thank you. I pulled the starter out last night and found that it was completely corroded. It must have gotten wet at some point. I have a replacement on order. Hopefully that works. It did click when I would turn the key. I have also checked the 90 amp fuse attached to the starter, it checked out ok with an ohm meter. I have to clean all of the contacts before reassembly.

[golfwins]

I currently have one of those cheap Amazon starters on my boat. I installed it around June of 2016 and it has just recently started acting up again. Not bad for $45, but it was a pain to install. It still works, but I can tell it won't last much longer.

[Phillbo]

I really hope the "cheap Amazon starters" you are buying are marine rated...

[golfwins]

It's hard to say Phillbo. They are supposedly coated with rust inhibitor and sealed to prevent fires. The company I used was DB Electrical and part number was SDR0253. Part number is not for your application Craig..just fyi.

[surfbeetle]

I bought a $200 starter that is supposed to be the correct marine rated one. I’m going to be in saltwater and also out in the ocean so I did not want any issues. On Amazon the reviews weren’t favorable for the cheaper starters. I for sure don’t want to be stranded out to sea.

[surfbeetle]

I installed the starter, got the engine running, put a new drive belt on and we took the boat out on Sunday. It ran great. The only minor issue that we had was that a few times after shutting off the key, the engine would run on or diesel a bit then stop. That's the next issue on the boat to fix. As for the boat trailer, one of the tires had a spectacular blow out. It was aired up properly but was probably just old. I'll be replacing all of the tires and rebuilding the inner wooden side wall of the fender.

[Phillbo]

First thing I do when I buy a boat is replace the trailer tires. PO's have a tendency to lie about the age. Trailer tires do not wear out, they age out.

[jrsick]

Higher octane fuel should cure your dieseling issue. Just mix some 91 with what you have now and go with 89 or 91 in the future.
Trailer tires lose a lot of capacity after 5 years. The manufacture date is stamped on the tires in a four digit code, with the first two digits signifying the week of the year and the last two digits are the last digits of the year. 0406 would be the fourth week of 2006. These numbers will be in an oval circle on the outside wall of the tire.

[mmwjr]

What is the idle rpm set to? Do you let it idle for a few minutes before shutting it off?

[surfbeetle]

Originally Posted by Phillbo

First thing I do when I buy a boat is replace the trailer tires. PO's have a tendency to lie about the age. Trailer tires do not wear out, they age out.

Agreed, it was my own fault. I have a fifth wheel camper that I religiously change the tires on because they age out. We were excited to go out for the first time with the boat.

[surfbeetle]

Originally Posted by mmwjr

What is the idle rpm set to? Do you let it idle for a few minutes before shutting it off?

Don't remember the exact idle speed off the top of my head. I did not let it idle when shutting off because we had swimmers in the water and I wanted it off to let them get into the boat. I know it's overkill but as a former ocean lifeguard, I would rather be safe than sorry when it comes to boating safety.

Also, the tank was full of an unknown fuel type, probably 87 when I got the boat. I'm in California so 91 is the highest octane we get. All but one of my vehicles require 91 so that's what we get. The odd one typically gets 89 but will get 91 if that's what is available. The next trip out with the boat, we'll put in 91.

The recommendation for higher octane on the boat makes perfect sense to because engines tend to run hotter and develop less power with less octane. We don't realize it in our cars because modern computer controlled cars will automatically retard the timing if it senses a knock or ping due to lower octane. The boat doesn't have that ability.