Electrical Issues with starting-gctid381184

[Alaskanmutt]

My issue is..... the gentleman I got the boat from said he has never been able to start it on 1 battery. It is a little 305 chevy, 1 battery should spin it fine. He had it 3 or 4 years.

When I tried 1 battery it started fine. (all this is on the muffs) When I went to restart it it went CLICK, and everything lost power, everything as in the depth finder, gps, guages, lights, etc. Couple seconds everything came back up, tried it 3 or 4 more times same thing with different lag times for the power to come back up. Then it decided it was ok but was acting like a dead battery, didn't lose power but the solnoid was clicking. Switched to 2 batteries and CLICK, no power. when it reset, VAROOOOOOM started fine.

There is the big 50 amp fuse on the starter but it isn't blowing. From what I can feel the main batt lead to the starter isn't loose, It didn't feel like the power wires were loose (but then again I can just feel, ain't no way I can "see" them except by using my remote fiber optic camera) The ground is nice and tight, no corrosion anywhere.

Went back the next day, 1 battery and it is cranking just fine. And my hairline lost a few centimeters.

Sounds like loose connections, or corroded wires somewhere. Although all the corrections look fine. This is the second Mercruiser I have had (first was a 165 that never saw water but was a learning experience, but it was a 1976 and the stuff is just different now)

Anyone have an idea? Any magic, "Oh just check this part"? Or do I need to fall back on my Puddle Pirate Days and break out my Fluke? (was a Electricians Mate on a Diesel Electric Boat.)

[Alaskanmutt]

Jebus Christ.

Did I just say I had ISSIES???????????????

Honest, I am secure in my manhood, I can wear Salmon colored shirts

[Guest]

No silver bullet from me, but it does sound like a loose or corroded connection. I would start with the connections and clean and check every one. Could be on the ground or hot side.

[Alaskanmutt]

Thats what I was thinking. Looks like my 13 year old boy gets to be a bilge rat again, Or I drop it off at Odies Marine. Sure ain't no way I am reaching them.

[Guest]

Alaskanmutt wrote:
Thats what I was thinking. Looks like my 13 year old boy gets to be a bilge rat again, Or I drop it off at Odies Marine. Sure ain't no way I am reaching them.

With the hatch open connect a jumper cable from the ground side of the battery to a good location on the engine and see if that fixes the problem.

The ground wire is likely be connected to a bolt on the back of the engine and is corroded.

[Chief_Alen]

In all due respects just looking at a connection and saying it looks clean is not the way to go. Disconnect the battery. Clean with a steel brush the terminals on the battery... inspect the cable ends see green at all maybe under the rubber. Follow the pos cable clean as you go.

The slav may be grounded on the base remove clean the base and the plate it mounts to and re-install. All connections should be cleaned shiny with sandpaper. The main ground also and the cable looked at also.

The main harness plug should be pulled apart and inspected.

Your neutral safety switch in the throttle can cause havoc. As well as the kill switch if you have one. The ignition key connections need attention also.

I have to say every single wire end on my boat has been cleaned 3-4 times on my little 140 hp engine. Everyone and i have fuse holders i discovered bad connections.

[TerryW]

I had a shed load of these faults on my 1998 2452. As soon as one issue was corrected I got another one, right up to the point where I took off the manifolds and made-good absolutely all the ground connections and starter circuit connections.

On my 1998 2452 the connections had just about all got corroded where metal meets metal. The wires themselves were unaffected (hadn't turned black or charred). All connections got remade and covered in marine grease for protection.

It was only when I took off the starboard mani that I saw what a complete and utter mess there was where the starter circuit connects to the starter motor. It is virtually impossible to get a good 'visual' on the connectors under there. That area is subject to heat, wet and salt and it is just about invisible. Also, not all 2452s have that 50A fuse or circuit breaker. Mine did but it had decomposed to the extent that it was unsafe to leave it there. I just took it out of the circuit. I am advised that later 2452 do not have the fuse.

Hope that is useful . . .

[Guest]

If you do all the connections, there is a chance ti's the starter solenoid. They can be intermittent which is very difficult to troubleshoot. Do all the cheap stuff first though.

Chay

[Guest]

cfoss wrote:
If you do all the connections, there is a chance ti's the starter solenoid. They can be intermittent which is very difficult to troubleshoot. Do all the cheap stuff first though.

Chay

I thought about the starter too, but that would not take into account everything else losing power, chartplotter, and other electronics.

[TerryW]

If the coil in the starter solenoid has a path to ground, when it is energised the batteries current will flow to ground and rob everything else. The path may be just a lump of salty old corrosion. Without pulling it apart you can never really tell. If you get all the way in there you would be advised to change the starter anyway.

[Guest]

Man, I need to read more carefully!

For sure, the starter will not explain the loss of the rest of the electronics. There is a connection issue somewhere.

Chay

[Guest]

I had the exact same intermittent issue with my 2452. After cleaning every connection that was easy to get at, I started looking at the ones that were not so easy to get at. The connection at the starter was the one that solved it. I was able to lay down next to the open engine cover on the starboard side deck with my feet pointed toward the bow and feel for the connection as it is impossible to see. I got the nut loose that holds the battery connections at the starter with a 9/16 wrench. There were two thick approx. 4 gauge battery cables and a smaller wire. There was some green fuzz and corrosion on all three wires so I cleaned them with sandpaper along with the wire to the solenoid and problem solved. Don't forget to disconnect both batteries before you put a wrench on the connection as it is powered up constantly and be extra gentle with the nut at the starter. You don't want to snap off the stud. The hardest part of the whole thing was holding the wire with one hand while cleaning with the other. It was very tough for me to get two hands in there at once.

good

luck

Matt

[Alaskanmutt]

LOL Ding Dang,

I have a year old titanium shoulder, plus I am not as skinny as I used to be. If it is the starter wiring I am pulling the exhaust manifold, and if I do that I am putting in a gear reduction lightweight new starter.

[TerryW]

Pull the exhaust. . . . It isn't hard. It can be done in the water, if that is a worry.

Madness lies in trying to do it on your back, in the dark with all those sharp edges. Not to mention the grease, filth and water. . . . .

Plus, it won't do any harm to inspect the manifolds and the flappers. The bolts need regular pulling else they seize up. You will make a much better job of it when you can see what you are doing.

Don't forget to slobber protective grease over everything when done.

Good luck.