New engine ready to fire but WONT! Expierenced techs Please Help!!!
 

Hey everybody, I'm about 2 minutes away from burning this god damn boat to the ground, so if anyone wants the charred remains of a Formula 242ls stay in touch! Lol, seriously though, I've spent all winter re-doing the boat, I removed the Silent thunder swim platform, filled the holes in the transom, re-painted transom, and built a custom tubular swim platform painted to match the boat. I also pulled the old ass bone stock 330hp 454, and did a complete rebuild. Stock displacement but with new flat tops, ARP rod bolts, Heavily worked over gen6 Vortec heads, 0.567 lift Comp Xtreme Marine cam, custom valve train, Team G intake, Holley 850, CMI sport tubes w/ dry tails and thru-hull tips, and the list goes on and on.... Well it's completely done and installed and ready to go. I've spent the last 5 days out in the pouring down rain in the dark rigging the damn thing up (always had to wait till I put the kid to bed, single dad here), and I got it all ready to go, except I'm not getting any power to the starter solenoid wire while cranking the key. I'm getting power behind the dash at the key when turned, but not at the starter. Removed the wire and re-tested and still nothing. If I power the solenoid with a power probe it will engage the starter no problem, so I know it's not a starter issue. I'm using the factory thunderbolt ignition set up that the boat came with, and it was running 100% perfect when I pulled it apart. It has 3 new batterys in it, and the only changes I made that are wiring harness related are the 2 wires that went to the factory carb (electric choke I'm assuming) that I'm no longer running. I was wondering if maybe there is something that is telling it that it isn't in neutral? I put the drive on with the shifter in neutral, and the drive in neutral, and that's where they both still are, but I noticed the shifter won't budge when you try to just nudge it forward, but it feels like it wants to easily fall into reverse? I have done neither since you aren't supposed to shift it not running obviously, just another thing I noticed worth mentioning?? If anyone out there has any hints, tips, tricks, or ideas PLEASE shoot them my way! Got a huge 4th of july planned at LOTO and I'm going into panic mode.... Thanks guys!

The neutral safety switch is part of the shifter assembly. Jiggle the shifter forward and back 1/2 inch while turning the key.

Double check to make sure the kill switch lanyard is secure.

Are you sure you don't have the wires on the starter wrong? That's where I would start.

there are 2 solinoids 1 on the starter 1 on the engine keyed power goes to the first 1 usually on left cyl head front of motor ..if that sol is bad it never reaches the one located on the starter .wire should be yellow w red tracer

This is where I would start too. Also, you can put a jumper on the leads going to the neutral safety switch to eliminate that as a problem. Does your boat have a lanyard? This usually just kills the ignition, but it's possible someone wired it to kill power to the starter circuit too.

Electrical problems can be maddening. You just have to be methodical and eliminate one cause at a time. A wire with alligator clips on each end makes a handy jumper, but a paper clip can work in a pinch. A DVM is valuable for this too. Good luck.

Check all the block grounds. Make sure they are all tight and free of paint and/or corrosion. I feel it's a ground issue, because you said you have power. Remember, grounds are everything in a 12 volt system!

Unfortunately I've already tried those things... I jiggled the hell out of the shifter, tried both posts of the starter solenoid, and tested power at the yellow and red input wire at the cylinder head mounted solenoid... which there is no power at key-crank position...

Then you have to start at the ign switch and work your way back to the engine with the test light or multimeter checking that yellow/red starter wire.......no way to get a simple answer on this one :(

Bypass the yellow wire to eliminate the possibility that it got pinched / broken somewhere. Then check the ignition switch to make sure it's not bad.

Does your boat have a dash accessory circuit breaker panel???

Yeah it does have a dash circuit breaker, and one under the rear seat, and they are all good. I don't think nothing was altered as far as the safety switch at the lanyard, it appears to be 100% factory. I never touched anything from the ignition switch to the engine compartment, so it's just hard to think that it's somewhere in there, and not me hooking up something wrong, but I was pretty anal about labeling everything...

1) Red and purple wire at ign switch should be live all the time. If not, it is powered by the red wire that goes from the starter to the circuit breaker on the starboard exhaust manifold/head area..
2) Yellow and red wire from dash energizes the starter slave solenoid, which in turn sends current to starter through that yellow and red wire..
3) The yellow and red wire starts at the "crank terminal" of the ign switch, continues to the neutral safety, and then terminal 7 of the main engine wiring harness..

I wasn't sure if there was a circuit breaker there for the starter...

Quickest way to eliminate or rule in the wire and switch is to get a length of wire an go straight from the switch to the solenoid. If that works then you know the switch is good, and it's either a broken wire or a bad neutral safety switch. Put a jumper in place of the neutral safety switch to eliminate that. It's as simple as that - process of elimination. You'll get it!

I'll try that add soon as I get a break here at my shop. Where is the neutral safety switch located usually? On the power wire or is it built into the shifter?

I'm going off memory here, but doesn't the neutral safety switch make the ground side of the remote solenoid. If the yellow - red stripe wire has no power at the solenoid its a different problem.

Check your connections through the 9 pin merc cannon plug.

The yellow/red wire is only energized during cranking. The starter slave solenoid is grounded by the black wire.
That would activate that solenoid... On the other side of that slave solenoid is a red/purple wire(always live) and a yellow/red wire that goes to starter. Live when slave solenoid is activated...

I just hopped up there on lunch and the some di-electric grease in the 9-pin connector and BAM! cranks away! Thank you so much guys, some times all it takes is stepping back and having someone say "hey dumbass check the plug!" Lmao I'm so pumped to start this thing tonight!

Now all I got to do is figure out why the trim won't go all the way down and only goes up with the trailor switch and I'll be ready! Lol

There might be a problem with the trim limit switch. Black double wire coming from the transom assembly.

Yes, limit switch

Look in transom area for your trim motor, there are usually 2 small wires that have connectors running to it. Those will come loose or disconnect and you'll lose trim function. Mine has done it in rough water at LOTO. Just an idea

Can't wait to try those ideas, too bad 10 minutes ago I had a trailor bearing go out on the highway and about melttheboat down! Oh and it's raining again. Gonna be a long night.... seriously, mint condition 89 Formula 24242ls w built 454.... $100 anyone? Lol

Just a quick update incase anyone was still following, I finally got the motor started today! That thing screamed to life, I broke the cam in, and got it idling real nice with no problems so far. Was getting kinda late and was EXTREMELY loud (in a good way thanks to the CMI's) so I had to call it a night... Gonna get up early and set the timing, get that trim problem handled, and hopefully take it out for the first run! Wish me luck guys :) Oh, and while I'm at it, what are you guys' suggestions for breaking in a new motor? It is a hydraulic flat tappet motor, but everything is new, bearing, rings, pistons, cam, lifters, you name it. Thanks again, hope to see some of you at LOTO!

I personally like Lucas Hotrod oil in cars, it has the zinc and phosphorous needed to protect that new cam.

I got some pretty heavy zinc oil in it, I mean like drive - cycles and how many rpms to put "X" amount of hours on before I can open it up!?

The engine is broke in after an hour as long it was assembled correctly.

If the cylinders were plateau honed with the proper grit stone the rings should seat in very quickly. I would just drive it fairly easy for a few hours, and then drive it like you stole it. Several builders have recommended putting a seaon of driving on the motor before switching from organic to synthetic oil, but I'm sure some will disagree with this as there seems to be dozens of theories on breaking oil, etc.

What did you find was the problem....