While we are on batteries.......

[Uncle Joe]

I had a little issue last week as I was prepping my boat for winter storage. I have 2 batteries in my Offshore and a PERKO selector switch. I had no issues all season and I pulled the boat out and put it in the yard 11/26. I powerwashed the bottom....changed lower unit lube etc that day and turned batteries off as usual. I went back Sat 12/3 to winterize motor and pull the batteries to keep them on a trickle charger for the next few months. My ETec winterizes itself using a series of throttle positions while running. I turned the battery switch to ALL as I have done for 100 years and got absolutely nothing when I turned the key. Checked throttle position... Went back to selector switch jiggled...on/off...etc....back to all and nothing.
Turned selector to 1 and BOOM. All good. OK....maybe battery 2 is a problem? Took them home...tested both batteries....both are good.
My plan was to clean all connections/terminal ends and change out the selector switch in the spring I thought about changing the ignition switch but.....
Any other ideas? That had never happened before.

 

[DennisG01]

Batteries aren't the issue.

But it could be either the battery switch, the ignition switch or even the starter.

 

[JJF]

My vote is for a bad ground (loose connection) one the selector switch.

 

[Sauza45]

I have not seen it but have heard of the selector switch’s coming apart in the back. Worth a look

 

[JJF]

I had it happen on my boat. A nut on one of the posts came loose.

 

[DennisG01]

Small point of clarification... there's no ground on a battery selector switch But the premise of a loose stud/ or connector holds true. It's pretty rare for a battery switch to fail but, yes, it does happen.

 

[JJF]

^^ good to know regarding the ground..

 

[SkunkBoat]

Curious, why didn't you try position 2 ???

Certainly check connections but I have had a couple bad switches over the decades.

 

[seasick]

Sounds to me like a bad switch

 

[Uncle Joe]

Curious, why didn't you try position 2 ???

Certainly check connections but I have had a couple bad switches over the decades.

Well....I will tell you Skunk......it was raining....I was wet and miserable.....I was not happy that it looked like I was going to be delayed in winterizing/covering the boat as I always end up in a race with the weather here in the NE. I let the boat get snow and ice in it once....never again. Sooo....when the engine started in position 1 I didn't want to press my luck and took my opportunity to run through the winterizing procedure.

 

[HTHM]

Is it possible the boat wasn't in neutral on the first attempt?

 

[Dream Weaver]

Had a very similar issue happen earlier this year! Turned out to be the Perko switch itself. The switch was corroded on the inside, not the terminals. Replaced the switch and has been no problem ever since.

Cheers.

 

[Uncle Joe]

Is it possible the boat wasn't in neutral on the first attempt?

That was my first thought....double and triple checked throttle position.

 

[Uncle Joe]

Had a very similar issue happen earlier this year! Turned out to be the Perko switch itself. The switch was corroded on the inside, not the terminals. Replaced the switch and has been no problem ever since.

Cheers.

Thanks......I am going to replace that switch in the spring...for sure.

 

[mongrel]

It does sound like the switch. I have a customer that brings his boat up for a week every summer., and a couple years ago he couldn't get any action on battery 2. It turned out his mechanic, at the shop near home, left a ground cable off, that ties the 2 batteries together.

 

[Aquanut2]

Had a hot short in my 23 Gulfstream perko It was set to off and while winterizing the motor my wrench hit the starter power and blew up the ecm. Replace the selector with a Blueseas switch screw holes may not line up but they make a much better product.