- 1). Turn the lights on and off on the boat if your starter is acting up. If the lights appear dimmer than normal or won't activate at all, the problem is the battery.
- 2). Find the negative battery cable. If you have black and red cables, the negative one will be black; it could also be the one leading to the terminal with the "-" sign, depending on the battery's manufacturer. Detach the negative cable from the battery.
- 3). Check the battery terminals and the plates under the lid for signs of sulfation, which causes crystalline growths on the plates, clogging them up. If there are no signs of sulfation, the problem is likely in the solenoid rather than the battery.
- 4). Set an ohmmeter to "Rx1." Find the solenoid and remove all four of the wires that go into it, making sure to note which wire attached to each bolt. You'll find the bolts underneath where the wires were.
- 5). Attach your ohmmeter to the larger bolts on the solenoid. Because your negative cable has been unhooked, you should not see any activity on the ohmmeter. If there is, an error exists in the system, and your solenoid needs replacing. If your starter has been having problems, this will fix the issue.
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