Replacing kill switch

[malibanker]

After HOURS of frustration, buying new batteries, trouble shooting and complete hopelessness because my boat would not start, I finally pushed on the fuse cluster hard enough to get the thing to come to life.

Turn out that little orange button that is always depressed with a safety clip is no longer pushed in enough, not sure why, havent changed the clip or anything. Maybe it's a loose wire behind it or the safety button itself is internally corroded or damaged.

Has any one ever replaced this item? Shouldn't be hard I don't think.

Edited February 23, 2011 by malibanker

[tvano]

easy item to replace.

not uncommon to have a problem here.

good luck with it.

[Lance B. Johnson]

After HOURS of frustration, buying new batteries, trouble shooting and complete hopelessness because my boat would not start, I finally pushed on the fuse cluster hard enough to get the thing to come to life.

Turn out that little orange button that is always depressed with a safety clip is no longer pushed in enough, not sure why, havent changed the clip or anything. Maybe it's a loose wire behind it or the safety button itself is internally corroded or damaged.

Has any one ever replaced this item? Shouldn't be hard I don't think.

I know a guy that reversed the leads on the switch and removed the clip. This eliminated the problem since he didn't use the dead man switch anyway. Like I said, I know a guy that did this.

[Bake's Marine]

After HOURS of frustration, buying new batteries, trouble shooting and complete hopelessness because my boat would not start, I finally pushed on the fuse cluster hard enough to get the thing to come to life.

Turn out that little orange button that is always depressed with a safety clip is no longer pushed in enough, not sure why, havent changed the clip or anything. Maybe it's a loose wire behind it or the safety button itself is internally corroded or damaged.

Has any one ever replaced this item? Shouldn't be hard I don't think.

Very Simple to replace! Just a rule of thumb, the lanyard switch cuts ground to you gauges and fuel pump. So if you don't see the gauges turn on and don't hear your fuel pump prime when you first turn the key. Thats the telltale sign that your lanyard is loose/off/dead.

They've changed the lanyard because they found the clip fatigued over time since people didn't remove them. Here are the options you have: http://www.bakesonline.com/SearchResult.aspx?KeyWords=lanyard

C-Clip style - Direct replacement, instead of holding the button in, it holds the button out so you don't have to worry about anything fatiguing over time

Malibu New Style - Requires modifying the mounting hole larger but is a very simple switch system

Replacement lanyard- if the lanyard is the problem itself and not the switch you can just replace that so it holds the button tight again.

Hope this helps you out getting the boat fixed up.

-Paul

[RTS]

Wow...thanks for the informative post, Paul. I think that post qualifies for the FAQ area...all of us will be exploring our kill switch replacement options at some point.

[Bake's Marine]

Wow...thanks for the informative post, Paul. I think that post qualifies for the FAQ area...all of us will be exploring our kill switch replacement options at some point.

Your very welcome! To be honest, if you have the old style i'm sure you will. Mine went out on me when I was vacationing with the boat and it was a really hot day. The heat just let the plastic move that 1/16 of a inch that it needed to not work anymore. As soon I didn't hear my fuel pump prime i knew it what it was and stuff a dime in between the two to get me home.

If you have one of the old style lanyards, personally i would just replace it with the updated style to avoid the hassle /head ache.

-Paul

[malibanker]

Wow...thanks for the informative post, Paul. I think that post qualifies for the FAQ area...all of us will be exploring our kill switch replacement options at some point.

Paul!! That's what was driving me crazy, gauges wouldn't come on and I just couldn't understand why the stereo would work and not the gauges. My batteries were 3-4 years old so I thought they may just be low on juice. Wanted peice of mind bc they were old so I was buying new ones anyways.

Thanks Paul. I was on Bakes website today looking at kill switches.

Will order one tomorrow.

[Pistol Pete]

I know a guy that reversed the leads on the switch and removed the clip. This eliminated the problem since he didn't use the dead man switch anyway. Like I said, I know a guy that did this.

I know that guy too.

[Ndawg12]

I know that guy too.

I think I know 2 of those guys So if you had to completely bypass the switch out on the water, is it as simple as connecting 2 wires together?

[Levi900RR]

My boat doesnt even have one of these switches...

Maybe the guy you guys know took it out before I bought it???

[Lance B. Johnson]

I think I know 2 of those guys So if you had to completely bypass the switch out on the water, is it as simple as connecting 2 wires together?

I bet you eventually will have that problem. Yes you can do that. Or you can connect the switch so that it is normally closed instead of normally open.

Edited February 24, 2011 by Ruffdog

[tvano]

i know it's "too little" "too late" but i'm going to throw this into the topic, anyway, so maybe the next person searching might benefit.

there is a "no start trouble-shooting procedure" that just may have saved you those "HOURS of frustration, buying new batteries, trouble shooting and complete hopelessness because my boat would not start".

i think i will edit edited that proc. to include paul's input, too.

Edited February 24, 2011 by tvano

[Huelsmma]

Not sure what he did...but our dealer bypassed the kill switch option for us before we picked it up.

[DUKENO1]

Your very welcome! To be honest, if you have the old style i'm sure you will. Mine went out on me when I was vacationing with the boat and it was a really hot day. The heat just let the plastic move that 1/16 of a inch that it needed to not work anymore. As soon I didn't hear my fuel pump prime i knew it what it was and stuff a dime in between the two to get me home.If you have one of the old style lanyards, personally i would just replace it with the updated style to avoid the hassle /head ache.

-Paul

Mine has had a dime sandwiched in there ever since the middle of '06. I know it's not the best way but it has

worked and only cost me 10 cents! Actually I can always recoup my cost at any time!

[Bake's Marine]

Not sure what he did...but our dealer bypassed the kill switch option for us before we picked it up.

Sounds like a lawyers field day if something ever happened to somebody operating the boat. Customers have asked me to do but thats one of those services we need to pass on.

Mine has had a dime sandwiched in there ever since the middle of '06. I know it's not the best way but it has

worked and only cost me 10 cents! Actually I can always recoup my cost at any time!

LOL... I never thought of it that way... I've seen everything from change, bottle tops, can tabs, business cards, to a pair of panties! The last one got the award for best lanyard switch mod so far, when i told him most people use change he got a good chuckle.

-Paul

[hybridpower]

I also know a guy who has the flipped the wires; it now acts as a "kill button."

[hybridpower]

Downside of this, is that at least once a summer someone mistakes it for the horn button!

[theaslip]

I also know a guy who has the flipped the wires; it now acts as a "kill button."

+1

[Pistol Pete]

I also know a guy who has the flipped the wires; it now acts as a "kill button."

That same guy is constantly driving my boat.

[BoatBoyOz]

On 2/24/2011 at 9:49 AM, malibanker said:

After HOURS of frustration, buying new batteries, trouble shooting and complete hopelessness because my boat would not start, I finally pushed on the fuse cluster hard enough to get the thing to come to life.

Turn out that little orange button that is always depressed with a safety clip is no longer pushed in enough, not sure why, havent changed the clip or anything. Maybe it's a loose wire behind it or the safety button itself is internally corroded or damaged.

Has any one ever replaced this item? Shouldn't be hard I don't think.

@malibanker I have changed one and it was very easy.  What I discovered is that the kill switch (with red lanyard) kills power to the fuel pump an not all the other 12 volt circuits. At the time and before understanding this the symptoms created confusion.