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Throttle sensor, periodic no start RLXi


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About 5 yrs ago I put the boat (03 RLXi) in the water and tried to start . . .nothing.  No power, no blower, wont turn over or give any sign of life.  Take it to local mechanic who is not even boat mechanic but the only local person I can even get to look at it ( I live in rural area) .  Anyhow, long story short he ruled out starter and some other major issues but couldn't find anything wrong since the boat decided to function perfectly once it got to him.  But he did suggest I look closer at a throttle relay switch found where the throttle body attaches to the carburator.  Seems like it had something to do with a safety mechanism on the throttle that prevents boat from starting if throttle is not in neutral.  If my description seems vague its because I don't really remember exactly what I did to fix it.   I remember getting some direction from this board, finding some minor problem that was an easy fix and never gave it a second thought. 

Until this past august.  Same lake, same scenario, all ready to get out there and hit the flat water and . . . no  power.  After yelling at the kids for failing to charge the battery I realized that it wasn't low battery but no power at all and probably this same issue.  Played with the throttle, kill switch, throttle, cursed a bit, and repeated this process for about 10 minutes with no success.  Then I went back and layed over the engine and started blindly wiggling stuff all around the back side  under that little cover that sites over the throttle housing.  It was a desperate attempt and I was just about to give up, load boat up and go home but she started up like nothing was wrong and off we went. 

I remembered that you can't really do any work in there without taking the dog house completely off and maybe even that square metal cover that sits over the throttle housing/carb.  THere is a red button down there on  right side that I always want to think is a fuse of some sort that needs to be pushed and reset but it felt solid.   I just don't remember what I did to fix this problem so many years ago!  Any help would be appreciated.  We ski many miles away from the ramp and spending the whole day terrified that the boat wont restart is a no good

Edited by bbelt
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Sounds like neutral safety switch was/is mis-rigged or failing.  When I had some a major remodel of my boat, I had to go back and adjust the gear shift cable since the rigging became a bit off.  What I would do is take the key and turn to START while moving the throttle forward and backward until it started.  In my case, it had to be a little bit forward of the neutral detent to trip the switch.  A small adjustment on the gear shift cable on the backside of the throttle/shifter assembly and it was good as new.

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Yes you are right, "neutral safety switch" is what I am looking for!  I gather your safety switch is in a different location on LSV than my RLXi but I will have a look and see if that refreshes my memory.

Boise eh?  I just pulled a bunch of rainbows out of the canyon section of SF Boise river there above mnt home.   I do love idaho!

Edited by bbelt
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44 minutes ago, bbelt said:

So your holding the key in the start position with nothing happening and then when you move the throttle back and forth it will fire when it finds that sweet spot?  

Yes, if the neutral safety switch is the problem, then doing this will allow you to start the engine.  The switch is on top of the transmission on my boat, but the adjustment for when it locks out the start circuit is at the throttle assembly.  When we disassembled I must have counted threads wrong, be below is where we adjusted it.  Also note the brass cable connector can look just fine from the outside, but is well worn.  Might be a good idea to inspect them.

https://www.skidim.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R024024

2zf1qpu.jpg

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When the switch is out of range (in a no start position), simply jiggling the throttle or moving it slightly forward or back then trying again can also work.  The fitting in the above picture is also used at the throttle itself so check both as they do wear over time.

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2 hours ago, bbelt said:

So the fitting at carburator and throttle housing may need adjusting?

The carb end (throttle) won't matter if you are chasing a neutral switch problem, but the transmission end and the shift lever end both will.  It would be prudent to check all four nuts (one at each end of the two cables) and adjust everything for full throw with minimum play.

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Yes, thats what Im trying to say is the transmission end.  So a review of the throttle cable replacement is in order.  I did swap that out a few years agoa and of course remember nothing about it except the squeezing my arm in a hole that was too small for hours. 

Maybe too many barefoot crashes over the years to blame for my lack of memory!

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You probably don't need any cables replaced.  Might not even need to adjust anything behind the throttle assembly if the shift and throttle cables were redone in recent years.  On your boat, the transmission cable should connect via a quick release connector.  Yank that off.  Put throttle in neutral.  Put the shift lever on the transmission into what feels like neutral.  Does the boat start?  If yes, now look at your quick release connector.  Spin that further down or up the cable shaft until it lines up with the ball portion of the quick release and tighten the jam nut.  Reattach.  Test on water and report back.  :)

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On 10/20/2020 at 8:02 AM, bbelt said:

Yes, thats what Im trying to say is the transmission end.  So a review of the throttle cable replacement is in order.  I did swap that out a few years agoa and of course remember nothing about it except the squeezing my arm in a hole that was too small for hours. 

Maybe too many barefoot crashes over the years to blame for my lack of memory!

Check your PMs.

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