Starter solenoid replacement

[rajman]

I have a 2015 sx190 which now won't turn over. It would turn over intermittently before I put it into storage. I got it out of storage and now won't turn over at all. I have played with the forward/reverse as well as the dead man's cord. Through research I have come to the conclusion that it's the starter solenoid. Mine is not the easily accessible one shown in the videos I've found so far. Mine is apparently located behind a large square piece of black plastic with lots of wires coming out. So I don't see any way to jump the starter with my type. Has anyone done this replacement? Should I just go ahead and replace it and where is the best place to get one? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[zipper]

What is the voltage of the battery?

 

[rajman]

Took it in to the auto parts store. Voltage and CCA were fine.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

when your starter will not turn over the engine it may not be the starter at all but the impeller locked up in the pump liner from dissimilar metal corrosion . This usually happens when the boat is not being used for a while. As for jumping it you can take a jumper cable and run it to the starter side of the solenoid . So my guess is the pump is locking the impeller

 

[rajman]

Would that cause the starter to run intermittently when engaged? I've had this issue for about the past year but it always starts so didn't think much of it.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

That is usually the first sign of the issue you should see marke in the liner and dark spots also from heat and rubbing the usual sign is it does it at the beginning of the day and then works fine until it sits for a while out of the water and it repeats the process I always replace my pump liners with plastic and no sound or rubbing at all after that plus the liner itself is replaceable rather than the entire section of the pump once you do it for the first time but I have yet to need to replace a plastic liner once I change over .

 

[rajman]

How do I access the solenoid?

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

When the boat is running on the trailer you will usually hear the ringing and rattleing of the impeller making contact with the high spots when it starts the process of dissimilar metal corrosion then over time as it swells the starter will drag and stop when you first try it after it sat unused ,the longer it sits the worse it gets. The solenoid is under the black cover behind the engine But I can tell you that if you hit the key to start you should hear it click if so it is working or put a volt meter on the wire to the starter and see if it jumps to the voltage with the key held on start. That indicates the power is on to the starter but the pump will not turn you casn also watch the vibration dampener on the end of the engine and see if it moves a tiny bit when you hit the key this says the engine is turning but the pump is not!

 

[rajman]

Thanks!

 

[rajman]

So is there a way for me to free up the jet myself or does this require professional help?

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

You will need to replace the pump liner section and it is a lot of work first you remove the pump then you try to start the engine if it starts you know you the found the issue then replace the old parts like I said I get pump liner sections from www.sbtontheweb.com they have both regular and nylon liner type . Then put it all back together. while the pump is out see if there is any water in the pump and if it looks ok add some gear lube to the grease in the pump also . The search feature has all that info

 

[rajman]

Thanks

 

[Beachbummer]

It's probably the solenoid.

In my humble experience your symptoms are better explained by slowly failing solenoid. I could be wrong, Jeff with Cobra steering has more hours or a jet ski than I do of time awake almost... but the fact it started fine many times before and was flaky for some time sounds more electrical than jet pump binding .
Have you ever taken off your jet pump? If you do and the problem remains, that will tell you for sure if the pump is bound up or not. I would suggest strongly you get a hold of your boat's service manual, it will show you where stuff is, and how to get to it. You pump is now 8 years old. No harm in re-greasing or even re-doing the bearings if it's rattling, but my $5 bet is on the issue being the solenoid and not the pump. Notice I am not willing to bet over $5.

That black box has a few components in it. I'm not familiar with your boat model, but on mine it's not a horrible job, the hardest part is removing the black box from the boat as it requires 2 people since the nuts and bolts are in separate compartments and you need a helping hand. (On my boat)

Once the black box is on hand, remove the 800 screws keeping it together (only a slight exaggeration - maybe 20?) and then find and replace the solenoid inside the box. put the wires in the same location they were on, and replace on the solenoid any additional wires to it. On mine there is a small eye/round connector that goes in the +12V solenoid stud from the battery, If you get this in the wrong stud the boat won't crank, (don't ask me how I found out, I'm familiar with the job I had to do it twice ) In essence, be mindful of how it looked before you touched it, label the 3 wires that go in the studs on the solenoid, and put it back as it was before, and you will be DONE. It's a 2 hour job if you go very slow, very doable at home. No need to pay someone else to do it.

 

[rajman]

Thanks for the info. Do you have a source for the solenoid?

 

[Beachbummer]

Yamaha Sport Boat OEM Parts, Babbitts Yamaha Parts House

Shop our large selection of Yamaha Sport Boat OEM parts, original equipment manufacturer parts and more online or call at (231)737-4542

www.yamahapartshouse.com

There are many yamaha discount part houses, I search for the better price generally.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I would take a cable or a screwdriver and jump the 2 big terminals on the solenoid and bypass it to see if the starter turns, I would also clean the main ground at the engine.
The 2 large wires on top of this is where you jump across to bypas the thing there will be bolts and wires in the 2 holes so you can just short them with a screwdriver easily

 

[Beachbummer]

Exactly. The solenoid is just an electromagnet driven switch and the power to the little wires powers the electromagnet that engages the switch, bridging the two top big nuts to complete the circuit so the starter spins.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

so if he jumps it and the engine is still stuck he needs to listen and try to hear the starter clicking when he jumps the wires if it clicks the pump is locked up he can also see the vibration dampener compress when he hits the starter meaning the nengine is not turning because the pump is locked up.

 

[Beachbummer]

The pump comes off in 5 bolts, the reverse gate clip and the steering cable nut. Might as well take it off to troubleshoot as you suggested. If he is in freshwater and it was me, I'd try the solenoid first, only because one of mine failed a few years ago and the other is starting to fail

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I agree that he needs to do the least problematic and the least costly things first he may need to pull his pump but it may not want to come out willingly mine nevet do.