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We've had a pretty crappy season. Life has gotten in the way, and we haven't been able to get to the boat most of the season. Plus, when we've been there, the winds were too nasty (blowing us sideways in the slip and tough to get out) or the shoaling was bad enough that we really couldn't get out to enjoy the summer. However, by August I was ready to push on and really TRY to use the boat more.
I asked my dad to come for a ride with me in early August, and when we got there, the boat wouldn't start. The solenoid would tick on the starter, but the engine just wouldn't turn over. We pulled the starter thinking it was probably shot (it had been rebuilt last year). Hooked it up to the batteries with jumper cables, and it worked just fine. So we reinstalled it, and did more testing. We kept seeing weird voltage readings all over the engine, so we knew something was wrong. Plus, when I switched the glow plugs on, the fuel gauge would slowly show more fuel. I opened up the control/gauge panel and looked around, but didn't see anything too major. I did notice that the ignition switch was pretty loose, so we tightened that. We looked at a few more things, then gave the engine one last try, and low and behold, it worked. We came to the conclusion that it was the ignition switch (it was original to the boat).
I ordered a new switch, and in mid-August I replaced the old with the new. Tightened everything up, and the boat started on the first try. I was alone, and couldn't stay, so I let the engine run for a while, then left.
In late August we visited the boat, and again she started up almost immediately. It was too windy that day (need cheater lines and a bunch of other changes before I'd feel comfortable going out), but we left the engine running for about 30 minutes, then shut everything down.
We finally were able to get back out there yesterday. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. My dad and his wife arrived, and we (including my wife and kids) all piled onto the boat. We got settled, and I went to start it, and all I heard was the tick-tick-tick of the solenoid. We opened the engine compartment, and you could see the engine trying to kick over, but it wouldn't actually spin. We checked the battery voltages at the fuse panel, and both read at least 12.5 volts, even during our attempts to start the batteries. We double-checked the connections to the ignition switch, and everything was nice and tight.
So, now I'm left with two options, as far as I can guess. Either there is a problem with the starter (likely in the solenoid) or I have an electrical glitch, probably in the ground plane.
How would you go about debugging this? My thought was:
1) double-check the ground connection between the engine and the battery. It's possible that the wire has worked loose since the engine work that was done on the boat last year.
2) replace the ground wire between the engine and the batteries. If I do this, what gauge wire should be used?
3) use jumper cables to bypass the ignition switch and see if the engine will start, first using both the positive and negative terminals, and then using only the positive terminal. If it works with the first but not the second, then I know I still have a problem with the ground plane back to the engine block.
4) replace the remaining wiring in the wire harness for the engine. If I do this (and I know I need to get rid of the trailer plugs, which may be the source of the problem anyway), should I actually replace all of the wire, or just clean the existing wire and put new connectors on before hooking it to the busbar (I know that's not the right term, but I can't think of the right one now). If I replace the wire, what gauge wire should be used?
I know that for the wire gauge problems, I could just use the same gauge as what's there, but given that they also used the trailer connectors, and all of the problems that has caused people over the years, I thought I should ask just to play it safe.
Thanks in advance for any assistance. Hope everyone is well!
Oh, by the way, I'm also perfectly willing to just accept that my dad is the reason for all of the electrical issues. They only seem to happen when he comes.
I asked my dad to come for a ride with me in early August, and when we got there, the boat wouldn't start. The solenoid would tick on the starter, but the engine just wouldn't turn over. We pulled the starter thinking it was probably shot (it had been rebuilt last year). Hooked it up to the batteries with jumper cables, and it worked just fine. So we reinstalled it, and did more testing. We kept seeing weird voltage readings all over the engine, so we knew something was wrong. Plus, when I switched the glow plugs on, the fuel gauge would slowly show more fuel. I opened up the control/gauge panel and looked around, but didn't see anything too major. I did notice that the ignition switch was pretty loose, so we tightened that. We looked at a few more things, then gave the engine one last try, and low and behold, it worked. We came to the conclusion that it was the ignition switch (it was original to the boat).
I ordered a new switch, and in mid-August I replaced the old with the new. Tightened everything up, and the boat started on the first try. I was alone, and couldn't stay, so I let the engine run for a while, then left.
In late August we visited the boat, and again she started up almost immediately. It was too windy that day (need cheater lines and a bunch of other changes before I'd feel comfortable going out), but we left the engine running for about 30 minutes, then shut everything down.
We finally were able to get back out there yesterday. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. My dad and his wife arrived, and we (including my wife and kids) all piled onto the boat. We got settled, and I went to start it, and all I heard was the tick-tick-tick of the solenoid. We opened the engine compartment, and you could see the engine trying to kick over, but it wouldn't actually spin. We checked the battery voltages at the fuse panel, and both read at least 12.5 volts, even during our attempts to start the batteries. We double-checked the connections to the ignition switch, and everything was nice and tight.
So, now I'm left with two options, as far as I can guess. Either there is a problem with the starter (likely in the solenoid) or I have an electrical glitch, probably in the ground plane.
How would you go about debugging this? My thought was:
1) double-check the ground connection between the engine and the battery. It's possible that the wire has worked loose since the engine work that was done on the boat last year.
2) replace the ground wire between the engine and the batteries. If I do this, what gauge wire should be used?
3) use jumper cables to bypass the ignition switch and see if the engine will start, first using both the positive and negative terminals, and then using only the positive terminal. If it works with the first but not the second, then I know I still have a problem with the ground plane back to the engine block.
4) replace the remaining wiring in the wire harness for the engine. If I do this (and I know I need to get rid of the trailer plugs, which may be the source of the problem anyway), should I actually replace all of the wire, or just clean the existing wire and put new connectors on before hooking it to the busbar (I know that's not the right term, but I can't think of the right one now). If I replace the wire, what gauge wire should be used?
I know that for the wire gauge problems, I could just use the same gauge as what's there, but given that they also used the trailer connectors, and all of the problems that has caused people over the years, I thought I should ask just to play it safe.
Thanks in advance for any assistance. Hope everyone is well!
Oh, by the way, I'm also perfectly willing to just accept that my dad is the reason for all of the electrical issues. They only seem to happen when he comes.
