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2 year old M26 from Blue Water Yachts now living in Mexico.

Complete failure of engine ignition and tilt control. Separate cranking battery is fully charged. Before I start to tear panels and wiring apart - are there any fuses between the battery, ignition & tilt control and the engine.

Help would really be appreciated - nearest marina facility is in Puerta Valllarta.

Thanks, Dave

Why Not!
Lake Chapala, Ajijic, Mexico

Did you check that all of the wires attached to the battery switch are clean and tight? I assume that when you switch to the other battery, you have power for lights, etc. Are the cables to the starting battery clean and tight?

Did you trace all wires from their source for any breaks, or loose connections at the engine?

Ray

The M26 from Bluewater has a single 12V located aft under the cockpit floor and it squeaky clean and fully charged. There is a dual 6V pair of batteries wired in series for the cabin accessories but it is supposed to be completely isolated from the other (no battery switch) - they are also clean and fully charged.

All the wiring is enclosed as a harness unit - right into the engine housing. I was really hoping it would be something simple as a blown inline fuse.

Dave

BWY boat so I assume a Suzuki DF motor and probably no battery switch.

Some more info would help. When did it last work and what has changed since then?
Does it tilt from the switch ON the side of the outboard (not the throttle level)?

I'm not aware of any fuses. I have the service manual, I'll have to look it up.
My guess is it's a cable issue. Check the outboard cables. Mine attach directly to the starting battery. Check for corrosion and tightness.

Thanks RussMT - you are correct on the engine size and configuration. I have had an intermittent problem with the tilt switch for months now but this time coasting (neutral and idle) into my trailer goal posts (I launch by tractor on the lake beach) the engine died and nothing worked (ignition, tilt button on gear shift lever and tilt button on the side of the engine housing).

BWY suggested my battery was dead, but I pulled it, charged on a remote charger and reinstalled. Still nothing. I was planning to drive into Guadalajara Monday to see if I could find a 12V system tester of some kind, thinking I could search for loose wires or a short of some kind. Don't know a heck of a lot about testers, but necessity yields brilliance!

No fuses? I was hoping.

On my X there are fuses behind a panel at the back of the king size berth across the transom
I found them by accident but i am not sure if the M has the same setup

Allan

BWY suggested my battery was dead, but I pulled it, charged on a remote charger and reinstalled. Still nothing.

Did you clean both the terminals and the clamps before attaching the cables?

If the battery has juice, and nothing is working, either there is no juice getting through or what the electricity is powering is broken.

Hmmm. Sounds like a multi-meter (digital) is exactly what You need I own tractors , trailers, bobcats and other machines that seem to like to break ,pinch and burn wires where they cannot be seen.... but can be located / isolated with a meter I do not have a wiring diagram as Russ does , but I have a feeling that just maybe the "hot wire" 12dc line may feed from the battery to the ignition , then on to the motor...possibly branching off to each component as needed. If the component is bad ..... the flow of the 12vdc power can be stopped there. Sounds like You might start at the tilt/trim switch...since You know It has given You trouble. As much a PITA it will be.... I would start from the battery , testing voltage to ground ( not through a load) until the voltage vanishes , then go back to the last connection,disconnect it and disconnect where voltage was lost and check with the ohmm selector to see if the wire is broken in its insulation. Trust me when I tell You...wires can break inside ,with the insulation looking brand new. Best of luck...Let Us know what it turns out to be BTW...How is living in Mexico Ron. Dauntless.

Since the resources and tools you have at your disposal are minimal, how practical is it for you to get a car battery (that you know is good) and booster cables connected to the motor? Be sure the booster cable clamps have a good "bite" into the terminal that runs to the motor.

You might have terminals available directly at the motor by removing the cowl (which would be ideal). That would eliminate some possibilities and narrow your search for the problem. You won't necessarily have to start the motor, you will know you have joy when your tilt motor comes back to life.

-B.

It does sound like a cable issue as NiceAft and RussMT suggest. In Kittiwake the cables from the battery to the motor run under the rear berth, lying on the bilge floor where they could be in a pool of water. Also the cables are mobile to allow for engine movement. You mention that they are enclosed in a harness unit; but as I recall this is not an entirely continuous single sheath from battery to motor. Also you mention that there have been intermittent failures of the tilt motor. All this would make me wonder if there is some defect in the protective covering such that water has penetrated the cable or a cable has been damaged in past. I suppose one could run a temporary cable straight to the motor to see if for instance suddenly the tilt works.

Kittiwake wrote:It does sound like a cable issue as NiceAft and RussMT suggest. In Kittiwake the cables from the battery to the motor run under the rear berth, lying on the bilge floor where they could be in a pool of water. Also the cables are mobile to allow for engine movement. You mention that they are enclosed in a harness unit; but as I recall this is not an entirely continuous single sheath from battery to motor. Also you mention that there have been intermittent failures of the tilt motor. All this would make me wonder if there is some defect in the protective covering such that water has penetrated the cable or a cable has been damaged in past. I suppose one could run a temporary cable straight to the motor to see if for instance suddenly the tilt works.

That was my guess or a loose/corroded connection somewhere.

Also..... When You get a tester/meter...get a good one Don't buy one of those $3.99 out of a jar at the auto parts store check out line , Go ahead and bite the bullet and buy one that is a higher quality and that can tell You what is going on....not just light that glows if any voltage is sensed. If You can get to a Home Depot or Lowes , They should have good ones. Again... Best of luck. Ron.

Are Lowe's or Home Depot in Mexico now?

seahouse wrote:Are Lowe's or Home Depot in Mexico now?

Yep.

~Rich

Yuh learn somethin' new every day...