It Won't Start

As mentioned previously a few weeks a go i purchased an onboard battery charger from Bass Pro Shops. It is an XPS 5/5 model to recharge dual batteries. Because of the possibility of adding a trolling motor in the future I may have made a mistake by not buying a charger capable of working three batteries but I feel that decision may be months away.
The advantage of having a unit like this is that all you have to do is connect an extension cord to it and both batteries will be charged and maintained with little effort and time. Great to see the "Go Fish" green light that indicates the batteries are ready to go.
I decided to mount the charger to the thin fiberglass wall of the battery compartment in front of the console.
I was concerned with the unit's operating temperature which in a number of product reviews was described as "running hot" so I mounted the unit to a piece of 1/4" starboard. I cut out a recesses where I placed the screws so that once I would mount on the compartment it would lay flush. I used stainless steel 1 1/2" screws with washers.
Once done i proceeded to mount the unit onto the fiberglass wall.
Like many, I hate to drill any new holes into the the boat so I used a pair of holes that had been drilled to install some fasteners to hold down a boat cushion that I don't use. Once again I used the same #10 1 1/2" screws and installed washers both on the head and nut ends. I used a washer on the head so it would hold the weight of the unit better and avoid tearing through the fiberglass wall with use. Remember the boat will bounce while underway and the unit's weight can easily tear it off the wall leaving a large hole. The washer helps distribute the weight at the attachment point.

Note the piece of starboard the battery is mounted on. 

This works as a :"heat sink" in case the unit gets hot. 

Also seen are the new battery cables.

The circle seen on the bottom left of the EXP is where

I will run the electrical extension used to 

charge the batteries

I tripled checked that all connections were proper. All my grounds including the starter battery's were connected to the deep cycle battery's negative post. Except for the bilge pump and trim motor which were connected directly to the battery switch, i connected the rest of the accessories to a bus and those i connected to the deep cycle battery.

Everything was in place and I proceeded to lower my engine, installed the rabbit ears, pumped gas into the engine, turned on the water hose, jumped unto the boat, put the throttle in neutral, turned on the battery switch to #2 (cranking battery), held my breath and turned the ignition key.....nothing! Not even a click!
After turning the key a few more times, looking at the wires, expecting to see a short. Everything in it's place. I touched all the cables, nothing seemed warm (short circuit?). I took off the engine cowling and heard a clicking sound coming from the solenoid. I tested the solenoid and that was OK here is a link for testing a solenoid on a Mercury Outboard Engine...

Testing a Mercury Outboard Solenoid 

After that I was a bit baffled and worried that it may have been the starter motor, stator, trigger or switch box, all expensive engine components.

I had replaced the starter less than a year ago but it was the first thing that I was going to test. I hit it a couple of times with a rubber hammer, and jumped the battery cable directly to the input cable. Nothing. But I did realize there was no spark either. This happens when the ground wire is not connected.
I ran a automotive jumper wire from the negative terminal on the cranking battery to the ground terminal on the starter and I tried it again. The starter roared to life! The ground wire was the culprit. I reassembled the wires and tried it again using the ignition but still using the jumper wire to connect the ground...the starter turned and the engine roared to life flawlessly. I let it run a few minutes then disconnected the fuel hose so it would burn the fuel/oil in the carburetor and turn off.

From there I went on line and ordered new 12 ft 2AWG Red and Black battery-engine wires with 3/8 lug posts from Gregg's Marine Wire Supply. This is a very well priced source from which I had already ordered cables for the cranking battery and was very impressed by the quality and workmanship of the cables.   I ordered the wires on Monday night and they arrived on Friday in time for my planned Saturday night outing.

I also ordered a replacement cable for switch to positive terminal t6 the deep cycle battery. I had been using an automotive wire and could see rust already building up on it.

Installation was relatively simple. Just carefully match the wires to the proper terminals on the battery and you are done. In order to run the wires from the motor to the console I used electrical cable ties to connect the new wire to the old through the battery lugs. Then I wrapped them with electrical tape so that the wire would not snag as I pulled and pushed them through. It worked like a charm.

New and Old Cables

First connected them using wire ties, then wrapped it in 

electrical tape to avoid getting the wire snagged as I pulled/pushed it through

Pulling the ground wire from the console

Everything was ready and sure enough when I tested the engine it roared to life.

I went out fishing that Saturday night as well as on Sunday morning. I wish fishing would have been as easy as fixing the wires.

Smooth Seas and Tight Lines.