# Tohatsu 50HP Not Cranking



## FatFishSkinnyWater (Mar 8, 2021)

Hey all, got a bit of an issue with my motor I hope yall can help me out with. Motor is a Tohatsu 50hp 4-stroke with about 30 hours on it.

So what had happened was.... I went to take the skiff out on Saturday and saw that some idiot left the main battery switch on the last time he used it. That idiot was me. The motor gave a feeble attempt to turn over but wouldn't start. Tried a portable battery charger but again, no luck. Tested with a voltmeter and saw ~8V across it. Ok, quick trip to Walmart and picked up a new battery. Old battery was a Bass Pro XPS24M5 (550 CCA, 650 MCA), new battery is EverStart Marine 24MS (1000 MCA). 

New battery tested 12.7V so I hooked it up and... nothing. I took the cowling off and when I try to turn it over I hear something click (starter solenoid?) but the motor doesn't even try to turn over. Battery is well connected (electronics power up), safety cable is in, and the motor (seems to be) in neutral. Checked all the fuses and all appear good. My muti-function tachometer is too hazy to read any warnings if there are any- I plan to come back at night when its back-lit later this week. 

Any suggestions on what my next trouble shooting step should be? Specifically....

Is the new battery correct? The manual calls for a 850 CCA but it worked fine with the previous 650 CCA battery. The new battery is ~800 CCA so it should work?
I know the motor wont crank in gear and the neutral zone on the control lever is pretty narrow. I'm pretty sure I'm in neutral... is there a way to tell?
Possibly damaged the starter while trying to turn it over on a dead battery?

Any help is much appreciated.

Sincerely,
A new boat owner who feels like an idiot


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## Rich11111 (Jun 6, 2018)

Here is a recent post to give you some ideas on trouble shooting. I'm sure other thoughts will follow. I hate electrical problems. Good luck!








Starter Problem?


My 40 hp Yamaha 15' skiff won't start. We have by passed all of the wires from the battery, even by passed the battery cutoff. All I get is a click from the switch. When we hooked up the starter directly to a battery it turned over. But I am wondering if it was because the battery was right next...




www.microskiff.com


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## FatFishSkinnyWater (Mar 8, 2021)

Guess I should post an update to this- the starter was bad. I guess this is a known problem. Northeast Marine in St. Pete replaced it under warranty, did a service, and had it ready for pick up on the same day.


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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

FatFishSkinnyWater said:


> Guess I should post an update to this- the starter was bad. I guess this is a known problem. Northeast Marine in St. Pete replaced it under warranty, did a service, and had it ready for pick up on the same day.


Thank you for the update. So often a resolution never gets posted on these types of threads.


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## RotorslapX71 (Jan 28, 2019)

FatFishSkinnyWater said:


> Guess I should post an update to this- the starter was bad. I guess this is a known problem. Northeast Marine in St. Pete replaced it under warranty, did a service, and had it ready for pick up on the same day.


Northeast Marine… Is that the place by Mazzaro’s Italian Market? If that’s the place, that business is awesome!


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

I'm having a similar issue...had a couple of sluggish cranks and then it attempts to crank but won't turn over. I put a new battery in there and still not wanting to turn over.


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## Matts (Sep 2, 2015)

My 50hp Tohatsu starter went out at 110 hrs. Know problem and warranty coverage.


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## Marshbound88 (Feb 24, 2016)

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I’m having the exact same issue that crboggs reported with a Tohatsu mfs50a 4 stroke. Bad starter motor, and the outboard is JUST out of warranty! Has anyone found an aftermarket starter motor that might be of better quality? The oem Tohatsu starter motor part # 3ky760101 is about $500 brand new. I would hate to waste the time and money to replace it to quickly fail again (hopefully not a long way from the ramp with weather on my heels). Any possible insight would be much appreciated. Thanks!


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## Rich11111 (Jun 6, 2018)

When the starter went out on an Evinrude ETEC i went to a shop that is known on rebuilding starters (and sell batteries). Because of the pandemic there was a supply problem and they could not get the needed parts. You might want to try this route. Another possibility is eBay with a seller that has a good return policy. Sometimes a motor is parted out if cost to repair is not practical. An eBay site search did bring up options. Probably cheaper Chinese product. I would do my homework.


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## Marshbound88 (Feb 24, 2016)

Rich11111 said:


> When the starter went out on an Evinrude ETEC i went to a shop that is known on rebuilding starters (and sell batteries). Because of the pandemic there was a supply problem and they could not get the needed parts. You might want to try this route. Another possibility is eBay with a seller that has a good return policy. Sometimes a motor is parted out if cost to repair is not practical. An eBay site search did bring up options. Probably cheaper Chinese product. I would do my homework.


I appreciate the response. Looks like all the starter motors on eBay are for 2 stroke Tohatsu outboards or of sketchy origins.. Boats.net has a few oem in stock, although I would really like something better than oem since they seem fairly temperamental.


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## Marshbound88 (Feb 24, 2016)

So just an update for anyone that reads this thread in the future.. I’m not sure exactly what years the Tohatsu starter motors were defective, but my 2018 50 falls under that time frame. After a few hours and countless calls I talked to a rep at Tohatsu and he explained how the brushes on the starter motor would swell, leading to an early and rather quick death. (Pretty much by the time I noticed mine acting a hair sluggish it was too late).. anyways, Tohatsu was super helpful and covered mine under warranty claiming that the replacement was an improvement on the original. Makes me feel a lot better about taking long runs from the ramp. Also the guys at cooper river marine near Charleston SC have been a pleasure to work with for the warranty process and I would 100 percent recommend them. Hope this helps someone in the future


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## Rich11111 (Jun 6, 2018)

Thx for the updated feedback. Glad it is positive update.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Can these not be pull started in case of a starter failure? I thought I saw notches on the flywheel…


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## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Can these not be pull started in case of a starter failure? I thought I saw notches on the flywheel…


I'll look at mine but I recall notches also.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Jason M said:


> I'll look at mine but I recall notches also.


Having a pull rope is always a good idea!


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## dalemcm1966 (3 mo ago)

Marshbound88 said:


> So just an update for anyone that reads this thread in the future.. I’m not sure exactly what years the Tohatsu starter motors were defective, but my 2018 50 falls under that time frame. After a few hours and countless calls I talked to a rep at Tohatsu and he explained how the brushes on the starter motor would swell, leading to an early and rather quick death. (Pretty much by the time I noticed mine acting a hair sluggish it was too late).. anyways, Tohatsu was super helpful and covered mine under warranty claiming that the replacement was an improvement on the original. Makes me feel a lot better about taking long runs from the ramp. Also the guys at cooper river marine near Charleston SC have been a pleasure to work with for the warranty process and I would 100 percent recommend them. Hope this helps someone in the future


 By any chance do you have the contact info for tohatsu, phone number, ext or point of contact? [email protected] is my email if you would be so kind. Thanks in advance Dale McMillan [email protected]


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## Marshbound88 (Feb 24, 2016)

dalemcm1966 said:


> By any chance do you have the contact info for tohatsu, phone number, ext or point of contact? [email protected] is my email if you would be so kind. Thanks in advance Dale McMillan [email protected]


I just called The main Tohatsu number (4697713740), and the operator transferred me to their technical support guy. I left a message, and he called back within the hour! Super easy people to work with. Are you having the same starter issue?


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## dalemcm1966 (3 mo ago)

Marshbound88 said:


> I just called The main Tohatsu number (4697713740), and the operator transferred me to their technical support guy. I left a message, and he called back within the hour! Super easy people to work with. Are you having the same starter issue?


Same problem. It started dragging when trying to crank just a few times before it finally quit. It all happened yesterday when I was deep into SPARKLEBERRY Swamp on Lake Marion. I’m thankful I had a friend to pull me out. I appreciate the response on my question.
Thanks
Dale


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## Marshbound88 (Feb 24, 2016)

Small world. We have a lake house on marion. Know the area well. Sorry you had that problem, but call Tohatsu and then cooper river marine. They are some straight shootin guys.. I didn’t even unhook my trailer and they had me on my way in 10 minutes.


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## dalemcm1966 (3 mo ago)

Thank you neighbor!! Lol. The info is greatly appreciated. I purchased my hydro turf from Cooper River Marine a couple of years ago. They seem to be straight up guys. I purchased my boat, motor and trailer in July 2018 hopefully Tohatsu will warranty it.


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