Yanmar Starter

[dave6330]

Thanks Rick - I'm going to use your post to trouble shoot the wiring harness REAL soon! Question though: Does this sort of thing get worse with time or am I in kind of a steady state holding pattern? The answer will drive the priority I give this particular maintenance task....

[Vasco]

It gets worse as the wiring deteriorates. Many folks, such as I, tolerated it for years but in the backs of our minds we're always worried about the time we really need a start and nothing happens. Eventually we fix it, not a difficult task.

[welshwind]

I just posted my recent experience and what appears to have solved the problem in another thread. Check the switch posts and make sure they are secure.

[PalmettoPirate]

Guys, My engine just sputtered and stopped. I kept pressing the starter button but only to hear the engine whine like it was trying to start....no avail. The engine was not out of fuel, and now I can not even get the engine to turn over. Any advice out there?

[PalmettoPirate]

Oh sorry, 1 cylinder Yanmar 7.5 hp

[mitiempo]

Just because there is fuel in the tank it doesn't mean it's getting to the cylinder. Could be a fuel feed problem, filters possibly. If you have an electric fuel pump like I do on my Yanmar YSE8 it could be a wire off it or a bad connection. Check to see that the fuel pump is running with the ignition turned on. All I can think of besides this is high pressure pump but try the other ideas (the less expensive ones ) first. Hope this helps.
Brian

[mitiempo]

Also, you're best to start a new thread when you have another question as I only stumbled onto this by mistake. Most I think would see it's an old thread and give it a pass.
Brian
And welcome to Sailnet

[flechtsp]

From the many posts it is clear that this is a common problem with Yanmar engines as they begin to age. My problem was the same as that reported by so many others. Frequently, at the most inopportune time, the engine would fail to start with no response from the starter button. Eventually, after 30 to 120 seconds, the engine would finally kick over.

I can attest to the fix that others have suggested. Installation of a relay between the starter button and the starter solenoid solved the problem. Now the engine starts without fail even after several hours of sailing with electronics and refrigerator drawing on the batteries. It takes a couple of hours to install a 30 amp relay as close to the starter solenoid as possible, using 10 gauge wiring to minimize any voltage drop between the relay and the starter.

I don't know if corrosion or just undersized wiring caused the problem, but a couple of hours of labor and $35 worth of parts and a few feet of heavier gauge wire did the trick for me on my Beneteau 311.

The folks at Inlet Marine Services were kind enough to provide a wiring diagram and suggest which Carquest relay and pigtail will work. Contact them at inletmarineservices at comcast.net