Electrical/Starter Help

[ucop]

Ok, heres the run down, i have an 88 460 omc king cobra, i tried to start it today and i got nothing, no clicking or anything, all my electrical accesories worked, an dboth my batteries were good, so i checked the starter solenoid and found out i was not getting any power to the "start" side of the starter solenoid, so i ran a jumper wire from the ignition switch to the solenoid, i got a couple clicks from the solenoid then nothing, so i checked the jumper wire, i was getting power to the solenoid, but the longer the ignition switch was held the start, the less the the test light lit up, then i got no power, so i turned the key to "off", about 10 seconds later, the motor turned over twice, on its own, and the positive battery cable to my second battery caught on fire and started to melt, i am rcking my brians trying to figure this out, so any help would be appreciated. I am thinking maybe bad starter, i just replaced the starter solenoid, i am also thinking maybe a bad shift interupter switch, is there any way to bypass the switch to test it? I am also thinking maybe my perko battery switch is bad, cos in the 1 position i had to wiggle the power cable to get power to my accessories. Thanks

[Moneypitt]

Boy, talk about a rats nest!!! First, the delayed start and cable fire is a mystery. with a dual battery switch you double the possible results of a bad connection some where. When you use a jumper to the solonoid you have bypassed any shift switches that are in the system. The fact that the key won't work in the start position could be a bad ignition sw. in the start pos. only, OR a bad connection ANYWHERE in the dual battery set up. I would connect ONE battery directly (without the dual sw.)and see if the problem changes, if it now works, try the other battery directly, and test it again, as you continue, add the cables to the main sw.(one at a time) Test it as you go, and you've got a CHANCE to find the problem. Remember, the wiring has to go a long way in a boat, there is no frame to ground to, and ANY bad connection can create untold nightmares... Moneypitt

[1FastHallett]

sounds to me like you have a starter thats shorting internaly. the cables melted because you have a short circuit, more then likley in the starter motor itself. this would cause such and amperage draw that the power would be drained away from the ignition switch. check the starter out, sounds like you need a new one

[ucop]

Thanks for the info, turned out to be a bad starter.