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thought it might be a fuse or breaker - but they all looked OK - I have 13volts to the starter when I flip the starter switch - SO dead starter motor?

2nd Q - it's the starboard engine - is this the engine that's conventional rotation and the port is counter rotating?

Thanks in advance.

neutral safety switch ??

That would be my first check. Jumping the starter solenoid would be my second.

pull a few plugs (if its a gas engine) and try with no compression. if water comes out the plug holes its a new set of problems.

Ditto what every one said here. I've had a neutral switch go out on me. And, on my 300 Merc Horizon engines, they both rotate conventional. The counter rotation is in the transmission linkage hookup.

When you go to crank are you hearing anything, a click?
Does the voltage meter dip down? Power is going to starter then.

If nothing I'm with the others and would look at the neutral safety switch, then the ignition switch, solenoid.

To verify its not the starter you can jump the soleniod.


Yeah basically what was already said...

Thanks I'll try those first - 12v to the Alternator - BUT it did not draw down when the switch was held to start (I have ON - and START) no keys, nothing else.

I'll check that the neutral switch first, then try to jump start straight to the alternator - to make sure it's not sticking - no sound (other than the BUZZ of alarms)

I thought it would be odd that it would just go like that.

After doing a little reading late last night I guess the mercruisers are famous for hanging up the starter ring gear too - and sometimes for having flat spots on the armature - so I'll follow trouble shooting first.

Thanks for the responses.

If there is a possibility that the gear is hanging up you can alway give the starter a couple of good wraps with a hammer.

But if she's not drawing down, I'd look elsewhere.

Or put a breaker bar on the crank pulley nut and rock it back and forth to relieve the pressure on it. If the voltage was drawing down I would say stuck starter/ring gear. If not, it is solenoid or neutral cutout. Put a multitester on the solenoid leads to test it. Also you can hook a jump box directly to the starter terminals to test the starter. Make sure no fumes are present first though!!

Turned out to be a sticky neutral safety switch. Thanks for the suggestions

Thanks for the update.
Al