Boat › Outboard › Powerhead › Engine doesn't crank › Solenoid clicks

If you can hear the starter solenoid click when you turn the key or press the start button it means that the key switch is working and has power to it. You can also be reasonably certain the solenoid itself is working, although making a clicking sound is not a 100% guarantee of that.

Clicking and humming, but not turning

If the solenoid clicks and the starter motor hums but nothing turns, the worst case is a seized engine. If it clicks and there's no hum, the next suspects are the starter motor's brushes, after checking the battery and its connections.

PHOTO Dangar Marine

The starter motor spins but doesn't turn the flywheel

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The starter spins or catches only briefly without turning the engine, which can look like a flat battery. I show how the Bendix gear works and how to clean and lubricate a gummed-up shaft.

The starter motor doesn't spin but the solenoid clicks

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This topic covers the situation where you turn the key on your boat and the starter motor doesn't spin but you can hear the solenoid clicking.