Corrosion and your Starting System

The saltwater environment is a difficult one, and a few boat owners have reported having problems with their starter (push button) switch staying engaged after ignition, most probably due to some sort of internal corrosion. When the starter switch fails to release, it will keep the starter motor engaged during engine operation, and with the engine running it's easy to not notice this is happening. This can burn out the solenoid and starter motor, leaving you without a way to start the engine the next time, not to mention substantial, unnecessary repair bills. Checking electrical systems and connections should be part of any boater's regular maintenance regimen. A quick test of your starter (push button) switch sticking would be to leave the engine kill switch pulled out (where the engine wouldn't start) and pressing the starter button for a second or two. After you release the button the engine should immediately stop turning over. Any delay or continuing of the engine turning over means that the contacts of the starter push button switch are starting to stick and should be replaced immediately. If you're concerned about your starter button sticking, a simple way to avoid the problem is to squirt some corrosion inhibitor (e.g. Corrosion Block or CRC Quick Drying (QD) Electronic Cleaner) into the switch to prevent a buildup of corrosion. We recommend you do this annually. If you've had your starter fail due to a sticking switch, please let us know for our records. Tom Senator tsenator@cisco.com, Tom Sokoloski tjsoko@aol.com.