where is starter relay

I have a 01 mc xstar my starter is not kicking on who has any ideas on how to check the starter relay? before i replace the starter. Also where is the starter and the relay if it has one located? any help would be appreciated.

If you are talking about the solenoid, it is mounted on the starter. I'm assuming you have checked the battery and all the connections.

Often they use two starter relays. Follow the wires...

yeah both batteries are full i checked them. Where is the starter on the engine?

before you buy anything, make sure your shifter interlock is working.

what the hell is a shifter interlock? and where is it? Im new to this messing with the engine thing. any help is good thanks. what does it look like also

Two things to check are the "neutral safety switch" on your transmission, and the kill-switch that has a lanyard cable attached to it, somewhere near your throttle arm.

The neutral safety switch is screwed into your transmission housing and looks like this:
http://www.skidim.com/images/COL9224.JPG

This switch is only supposed to be closed when the transmission is in neutral, preventing you from accidentally starting it in gear. But if the switch goes bad, it will never close and you will never be able to start the boat. It has two wires attached to it at two screws. To troubleshoot the switch, make sure your throttle arm really is in neutral, then remove one of the wires and screw it onto the other screw so the two wires are screwed together. If your boat cranks, replace this switch. They are really cheap and just screw into and out of the transmission. Also, make sure the wires are screwed onto the switch TIGHTLY.

Troubleshoot the kill switch the same way. Take off the lanyard cable and put it back on a few times, making sure the button is pushed in all the way. If it still doesn't crank, you can jump those wires together and see if that does it.

It might not be either of these issues, but these are two easy things to check that would keep your starter from kicking over. Also, even though your battery shows a charge, make sure ALL of the wires attached to the batteries are on there VERY tight.

Good luck, and let us know what it turns out to be.

Since you have two batteries, check the wiring, switch, isolator, combiner, or whatever it uses to connect, disconnect, and switch between the batteries.

I'm not familiar with XStars, but could it also be a fuse or breaker somewhere?

it would start the last few times but then sometimes it would not start now its just dead and will not turn over at all. All the electric stuff comes on and the volt meter is reading 12v almost 13. thanks for the info that will help for shure im going to work on it today.

There's a lot of things that could be, so just try the easy ones first. From your last description though, you COULD have a bad battery. Batteries can put out a 12V+ reading but be unable to put out the necessary current or amps to start a boat. Another easy troubleshoot is to make sure the 2nd battery is disconnected and swap out your main starting battery with a known good one to see if that is the problem. Or take your main battery to the parts store and have it load tested.

both batteries are brand new i bought them about three weeks ago optima blue tops so i dont think its them.

so your new battery set-up has started the engine already?

any clicking from the back of the engine when you turn the key? have you noticed battery cables getting hot to the touch...check them at the battery terminals and the other end that connects to the starter.

if you have a switch, run the cables around it...take it out of the loop to trouble shoot. switch the batteries like flsurf said.

there's no reason for your starter to be bad, i'd be looking at the connections.

do you have a multimeter? probably a good time to get one and learn how to use it. they are cheap and very helpful.

As I said above take a look at the starter solenoids. The main one is going to be mounted on the starter, but there is usually a second solenoid to kick up voltage going to the main starter solenoid from the key that may be located on the back of the engine block. It will look like a Ford style solenoid but only use a marine solenoid. Most any auto parts store should stock one, or at least be able to order one.

Test light should work for these rounds of tests.

it works now! I charged up the batteries last night tightend up the connections real tight and it fired up. i guess i had a low battery? They are literally 3 weeks old though Blue tops also! Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Now i know what a starter looks like and a selonoid etc...

im going to start turning my selector switch to the off position while not in use. (on the trailer). will this help?

You don't think it has anything to do with you listening to the radio in it all the time while it's on the traler do you?

blue tops wont go that dead in 3 weeks (especially new ones/they were charged originally though werent they?)unless youve got something draining current or you realy had some corrosion on the terminals and when you tightened them up it bit through the corrosion enough to pass the needed current to crank over the engine

I am with Bob on this one. You said "All the electric stuff comes on and the volt meter is reading 12v almost 13". That indicates that the battery was at full charge. Something else was causing the no start unless the volt meter is reading way wrong.

i dont know sometimes when i would start it it would start. then others when i go to start i would have to hold the key in the on (turned position) for a couple of seconds then it would start. It would take a few to turn over. Then it just went ka put, and would not turn over at all. So i took the batteries out charged them up put them back in tightend all the connections and now it starts up fine. ???????????? I dont know what is going on with it..//