85 hp suzuki

[spanishmak]

What's up guys,long time no talk.I've got a 1987 88 hp oil injected 2 stroke suzuki,my question is the battery cables on this motor are alot thinner than all the other cables I have ever seen used for battery cables,is this right for this motor ordid someone rig this?What happens is when I dont start this motor for a day or 2 the battery will not turn the motor long enough for it to start,it will only turn the motor over for about 4 or 5 seconds then it will slowly turn slower and slower until it sounds like the battery is dead but then if I wait 5 seconds and hit the key again the battery will sound VERY strong again for 4-5 seconds and do it again,and the positive cable WILL get HOT.so what I do is squirt some premix into the carbs (so the motor will not have to turn over so many times before it starts)and then I will have no problems the rest of the day!Can anyone help??Thanks guys!The black cable is a regular size battery cable the red is about half the diameter.the black cable is just a piece of cable that I am holding in my hand loose,both + and- on the motor are the same size,about half the diameter of a regular battery cable

[reelapeelin]

The heat thing tells me the story....heck yeah, change it out before it causes you a REAL problem!!...

[THEFERMANATOR]

The stock cables on that engine are not very big, but the getting hot tells me that it has begun to corrode inside the shielding and is a fire hazard waiting to happen. I woulddo like reel said and replace them ASAP. As for spraying pre-mix into the carbs, is your choke working? I've got one of those engines, and it isn't that hard to start up. It doesn't idle worth a crap, but starts pretty quick.

[spanishmak]

do u think someone rigged this it looks like a pretty clean job.what I mean is,if the wires are factory why would they start overheating nowBut I am changing it!

[spanishmak]

ok that was posted while I was writing this and yes it is that is another mystery to me but if the motor did turn a little longer it will start without premix squirt

[gw204f]

I've never seen an engine manufacturer use red cable. Usually it's black with red heat shrink at the terminals. So, I would say it's been rerigged.

[spanishmak]

ok but should I replace it with the same gauge wire or regular size batterry cables,will there be an advantage

[THEFERMANATOR]

6 guage cable is fine for that engine. It doesn't need alot of juice to turn over I have found.

[macojoe]

i used 4 gauge when i redid mine also 4 g all the way to fuse panel in cabin

[THEFERMANATOR]

i used 4 gauge when i redid mine also 4 g all the way to fuse panel in cabin

If it was a V-4 or cross-flow engine then yes it would need 4 guage or larger, but for a 3 cylinder 85HP looper 6 guage is plenty. I believe starter current draw on it is around 110-120 amps whereas a V-6 would be upwards of 160 amps.

[spanishmak]

ok then thanks everyone,gonna change out wires this weekend I will post what happens after I go scalloping on Saturday

[spanishmak]

:head::head:Welp took the boat out yesterday and everything went well until I decided to do home from my last spot and again it sounded like the battery was dead,so I gave it a bout 5 seconds and it started right up.I did change the battery cables and now they dont get hot anymore.Can anyone please give me some ideas!I had the battery and starter checked at auto zone and they said they were both good.Could it be that when they tested the starter it spun but there is something else wrong with it?Could it be the relay?if so how do you test it,I have no clue where to go from here!!:head::head:

[macojoe]

what is the temp of the motor?? i had a motor that would do that when it got to hot, the vaules swell up and no want to start till they cool down?
also ui know you changed cables but it us grounded good?? wire brush area good and add some grease and bolt on thiht

[THEFERMANATOR]

Most of the people at AZ don't know there head from there A$$, and ifor one have had alot of starters test great on there machine that were shot. Sounds to me like you have a bad battery or bad battery selector switch. Have you tried another battery yet?