Desert Whaler
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2020
- Messages
- 5,119
- Reaction score
- 19,063
So my little Yamaha 70 4-stroke has been flawless w/ a little over 600 hrs. on it.
A couple weeks ago I was fishing and ready to come in, and it didn't turn over, not even a click.
Checked the killswitch, moved the shifter fwd / reverse . . . nada . . . checked battery terminals all tight. Hmmmm
Hit the trim switch, it worked, then it fired. Weird.
Next time out a few days later , I got REALLY lucky . . . went fishing on the LB breakwater early one morning, but I never shut the motor down as the south wind was CRANKING that morning, making it really rough out there.
I normally drop the electric trolling motor and fish off that till it's time to split . . . but it was way to sketchy to attempt standing on the bow casting in all that slop.
So I fished from the console with the motor running.
Came back in the harbor and fished around for spotted bay bass using the trolling motor.
Went to fire up the Yamaha at the end of my session . . . nada . . . no trim, nothing. I would've been F'ed had I shut down the motor outside.
i said f-it and fished my way back to the ramp using the trolling motor.
I get there and realize I'm gonna have to use that bleeder / relief screw on the trim to raise the outboard so I can get the boat back on the trailer.
No biggie, I got tools, it's sunny, no one's around, I'm in shorts.
Back my trailer in, hop in the boat, try the trim again one more time and it works . . . . YES !!!!
Get it home and everything is dead . . . but with the cowling off I hear a constant 'clicking' noise.
I have the service manual . . . but it wasn't really helpful for trouble shooting.
Battery is brand new, and fully charged . . . all connections are clean & solid . . . hmmmmm.
Just for shits, I rope start it and it fires right up . . . ok.
Call 2 Yamaha shops near me . . . soonest they can see me is early June . . . f-that.
I have a stethascope and started listening around for the 'clicking sound' . . . . found it.
Pull out the service manual to ID the part . . . 'main relay'.
Local Yamaha shop wants $250 +tax . . . . still not 100% that's the prob.
Reach out to SIM Yamaha in Wisconsin . . . they stock it . . . $180 no tax, free FedEx shipping.
Still not sure I've correctly diagnosed . . . . the lady refers me to their 'Online Tachnician', who I email with a thorough explanation.
Within an hour he replies , "Those do go out, and that's what it sounds like the problem is" . . . but he also made it clear that it could be something else like battery, connections, or even an intermittent short in a wire where the insulation may have rubbed through.
So I Iike that he didn't commit 100% to the relay being bad, but gave me a, 'Most likely that's the problem' . . . I wouldn't expect anything more over just an email.
Ordered the part . . . 2 days later it came . . . literally 2 bolts and 1 electrical plug . . . fired right up 1st turn of the key.
Took it out and put several cycles on it . . . . problem solved.
That $75 service manual allowed me to ID the part, and a little phone call & internet time got me back on the water.
In my research, I saw on other forums some Yamaha owners replacing that part in as little as 200 hrs . . . so yeah, I felt much better.
Nice to be able to trouble shoot something so minor that would've kept me off the water for 5-6 weeks otherwise . . . plus the part & labor $$$, I'm sure they'd have gottem me for $600.
I know that's chicken shit money to most folks on here . . . but it's all relative.
Cool to know I can rope start that thing in a pinch as well.
Back to regualr scheduled boating . . . heading out in the morning !
A couple weeks ago I was fishing and ready to come in, and it didn't turn over, not even a click.
Checked the killswitch, moved the shifter fwd / reverse . . . nada . . . checked battery terminals all tight. Hmmmm
Hit the trim switch, it worked, then it fired. Weird.
Next time out a few days later , I got REALLY lucky . . . went fishing on the LB breakwater early one morning, but I never shut the motor down as the south wind was CRANKING that morning, making it really rough out there.
I normally drop the electric trolling motor and fish off that till it's time to split . . . but it was way to sketchy to attempt standing on the bow casting in all that slop.
So I fished from the console with the motor running.
Came back in the harbor and fished around for spotted bay bass using the trolling motor.
Went to fire up the Yamaha at the end of my session . . . nada . . . no trim, nothing. I would've been F'ed had I shut down the motor outside.
i said f-it and fished my way back to the ramp using the trolling motor.
I get there and realize I'm gonna have to use that bleeder / relief screw on the trim to raise the outboard so I can get the boat back on the trailer.
No biggie, I got tools, it's sunny, no one's around, I'm in shorts.
Back my trailer in, hop in the boat, try the trim again one more time and it works . . . . YES !!!!
Get it home and everything is dead . . . but with the cowling off I hear a constant 'clicking' noise.
I have the service manual . . . but it wasn't really helpful for trouble shooting.
Battery is brand new, and fully charged . . . all connections are clean & solid . . . hmmmmm.
Just for shits, I rope start it and it fires right up . . . ok.
Call 2 Yamaha shops near me . . . soonest they can see me is early June . . . f-that.
I have a stethascope and started listening around for the 'clicking sound' . . . . found it.
Pull out the service manual to ID the part . . . 'main relay'.
Local Yamaha shop wants $250 +tax . . . . still not 100% that's the prob.
Reach out to SIM Yamaha in Wisconsin . . . they stock it . . . $180 no tax, free FedEx shipping.
Still not sure I've correctly diagnosed . . . . the lady refers me to their 'Online Tachnician', who I email with a thorough explanation.
Within an hour he replies , "Those do go out, and that's what it sounds like the problem is" . . . but he also made it clear that it could be something else like battery, connections, or even an intermittent short in a wire where the insulation may have rubbed through.
So I Iike that he didn't commit 100% to the relay being bad, but gave me a, 'Most likely that's the problem' . . . I wouldn't expect anything more over just an email.
Ordered the part . . . 2 days later it came . . . literally 2 bolts and 1 electrical plug . . . fired right up 1st turn of the key.
Took it out and put several cycles on it . . . . problem solved.
That $75 service manual allowed me to ID the part, and a little phone call & internet time got me back on the water.
In my research, I saw on other forums some Yamaha owners replacing that part in as little as 200 hrs . . . so yeah, I felt much better.
Nice to be able to trouble shoot something so minor that would've kept me off the water for 5-6 weeks otherwise . . . plus the part & labor $$$, I'm sure they'd have gottem me for $600.
I know that's chicken shit money to most folks on here . . . but it's all relative.
Cool to know I can rope start that thing in a pinch as well.
Back to regualr scheduled boating . . . heading out in the morning !
