engine will not crank

[ess3489]

at the end of last season my 1989 supra comp wouldnt crank over, noticed the big power wire going to the starter relay or solenoid ( located behing the carb has a big red button on it) had broken off. i replaced that starter relay part and thought i had all the wires hooked up right but the starter was always engaging still, switched a couple wires and thought it was fixed but never had time to take the boat to the water.

this year pulled the boat out of storage and put brand new battery in, and now all i hear it=s the starter barely buzzing, it not turning just making a buzzing noise. also heard people talking about a breaker on the relay or something, i think i remembered i couldnt ever push that red button in, however now i can push it in, not sure if that means anything or how to tell if that breaker has been tripped.

[duckseatfree]

Go through all your grounds and make sure they are all snug. Also, make sure you're getting power to the starter.

I had problem recently with what I thought was the starter. Replaced all my gounds and the starter relay.

You can take the starter out (very easy) and take it to advanced auto parts and have it tested to make sure it's still good. Best thing about it...they do it for free!

[ess3489]

just had my friend turn the key while i was looking at the engine, its not the starter buzzing its the starter relay, its the cylinder part that has four posts, two big posts where a big red and big black wire connect and then two smaller posts. this is where the buzzing/clicking/grinding noise is coming from

[duckseatfree]

Make sure you have them wired correctly.

Ground on the right...
then the red (small) wire on the small post - comes from the breaker (I think)
White on the next one - comes from the tranny
then the remain reds on the left post.

if you have it wired correctly, then you'll have to get a new one.
you can go to skidim.com and order one....or I went to advanced auto and they had the same one that was on there before...about $19

[ess3489]

ok so here are some pics, it seems like my power and ground are oppisite from yours............ is that my problem?


as you can see from the last picture i have a purple and red wire coming from the top of that white rectangular thing, other than that its looks like i have my wires correct except for maybe my big ground and big power.

[ess3489]

duckseatfree, this is a pic you posted of your starter relay, ors look different, however both four posts, my big black wire and big red wires are on oppisite posts from yours, not sure if mine are right, also i noticed in your picture you have a red wire coming from the top of the white box down to the small post labeled with an "I", i dont have anything on the small post labeled with an "I", infact where you have a red wire on your white box i have a purple wire on the right post and a red wire n the left post of that white box, both of these wires run into a big tapped up bundle that lead elsewhere

[ess3489]

duckseatfree, here is your pic that im referring too

[duckseatfree]

They should be labeled...
Positive terminal on the battery to the "A".

You also should probably clean out the connections...the (+) one looks bad

I can't really tell you exactly how your solenoid works. I would go ahead and just get a new one if you can't figure it out...

[ess3489]

does anyone know a part number? 1989 supra comp. i hate going to the marine store and paying double for it but i guess i can always do that

[duckseatfree]

You can call Skidim (803-345-0996)...they will know...they also have one that works on their website (skidim.com)

LIke I said...I just went to advance auto parts picked one up and had my boat running 10 mins later...instant gratification! They should be able to look the part up themselves...I'm guessing its a 351? Just tell them its a ford engine on a boat. Also, doesn't hurt to take a picture to show them

[pwildbil]

Looks like the same one that was in my 88' Mustang GT......Local auto store should have it

[DAFF]

Ask for a 4 prong starter relay from a mid 80's Ford. Should be 8-15 dollars. Keep one as a spare on the shelf at home.

By looking at yours the backside of the relay needs to be cleaned for it has to have a good ground. Also keep your ends on the main leads clean and shiny, rust is equal to a bad or poor connections and problems on the lake. A smear of dielectric grease on all connections is a great to preserve all electricial connections for good contiunity.

[jayschock]

Just replaced the relay on my 88 comp. $12 bucks at O'Reilly. Just told them it was a late 80's 351 Ford. Wiring on mine looks identical to the 3 pictures posted. I had a picture on my cell and put it up next to my computer monitor and they are exactly the same.

Still having intermittent issues with mine. Going to check all grounds and connections one more time.

[ess3489]

took the starter to get tested and it was fine, replaced the relay and still the same noise!!! the relay just buzzes. my starter should atleast click if its getting power but it doesnt. i cleaned all rust off everywhere and still nothing, im stuck here

[ess3489]

Make sure you have them wired correctly.

Ground on the right...
then the red (small) wire on the small post - comes from the breaker (I think)
White on the next one - comes from the tranny
then the remain reds on the left post.

there is no ground or am i wrong? the starter is grounded to the motor but has a power cable running off of it that goes to the relay, and then the big red cable is power from the battery, so what ground are your referring to?

also my small red one from the breaker is attached to my big red cable from my battery, notice in my picture i have nothing on the post on the relay labeled with an "I"

[DAFF]

Have you jumped the power at the starter relay using a screw driver??? I think it is time to invest in a 12volt test light and start checking. You should have 12volts on one side of the relay comming from the battery and 12volts on the little wire running to the relay from the key switch when the key is in the start position. and the large wire from the relay to the starter should be 12 volts when the key is turned to start.

Just to make sure you are getting a good ground run a jumper cable from the battery to the engine block .....

[pwildbil]

Yeah DAFF is right......time to check voltage and all your connections....sounds like not getting enough voltage/amperage or hooked up wrong.....start at the battery and work your way to the starter.....good luck

[duckseatfree]

Yes...your missing the connection for the I post. If I'm right it should be coming from the block from the breaker.

[duckseatfree]

ok so here are some pics, it seems like my power and ground are oppisite from yours............ is that my problem?


as you can see from the last picture i have a purple and red wire coming from the top of that white rectangular thing, other than that its looks like i have my wires correct except for maybe my big ground and big power.

Okay, I think I figured it out for you.you are missing a wire.
From the breaker, there is a purple on the right and red on the left.the write you are missing is the red wire that connects to the I post to the post with the purple wire.

if I'm correct, the purple wire goes all the way to the ignition to get the starter going. If you don't have it going from the breaker to the stater relay, you'll have the problem your experiencing.

I sent you a pm...give me a call and I'll walk you through it.

[ess3489]

update, i ended up getting power to the starter and the starter clicks so i know its getting power, however the motor will still not turn over.

put a new battery in before i even started working on getting the boat started this season, but im beginning to think i bought a bad battery......... here is why, when i was hearing the starter relay clicking it wasent because it was bad, it was because it wasent getting enough juice, i used my old starter relay tonight and when i jumped the battery from another truck i had power to the starter and the starter clicked.
I looked at my battery and the negative side was on fire! a small flame was on the negative jumper cable and the small post where i have two ground connections attached the lead was pretty melted. and there was some liquid bubbling up im guessing was acid. could this be because its a bad battery or because of the jumper cables? the two wires attached to the negative post are black, is there a chance one of these is a positive wire that just happened to be black? would that melt the negative post?

next question........ why did my starter only click and not turn the motor was there still not enough power since the battery was messed up and being jumped? i took the spark plugs out and i cannot turn the motor by hand it was in dry storage but could it be hydrolocked due to condensation?