Starter Engage warning light on engine panel

[pablosgirl]

Hi All,

I have and older 34 (1988, hull 551) with the silvery engine instrument panel with the two yellow warning lights.  The oil pressure one is near the bottom center of the panel and the other between the key switch and the right/forward edge of the panel.  I had no idea the the other was a starter engage light.  Mine stays on as long as the key switch is on.  When the engine starts the oil pressure warning light and the buzzer go off.  How does the starter engage light work (theory of operation)??  Any trouble shooting ideas?
Paul

[Ron Hill]

Paul : I can't really help you out on your question as I changed out my engine instrument panel within a year of buying my boat (1989 or 90 ?) . 
I talked with Jim Gardner at Bristol Marine who later moved to Seaward. Those conversations were mainly  over the Hi Temp indications and as I remember when he/we mentioned the starter disengage lite I countered with wasn't that a silly lite to have.  We agreed it was because you can surely tell from the engine sound if the starter stayed engaged after the engine was running.  We both agreed.

That conversation was over 20+ years ago !!  Infact he was the one who gave me the wiring "blue prints" (literally) of the old engine instrument panel - which I still have on the boat.  Give me your Email address and the next time I'm back on the boat I'll look at those diagrams and try to see if I can give you any in site!   

Keep the oil pressure light working and you might wire in a buzzer (like I did) so you also have an audio NO OIL pressure warning.
A few thoughts