Mark, not that I suggest that this might be the case, but these taught me not to assume anything...
I had two experiences of “nothing happening” with the engine on this boat. The first one was my first try after I bought it and winterised it. The first start in the spring, I press the start button and nothing happens. My sequence was: battery switch to 1, ignition switch to glow plugs (spring loaded), hold it for 10 s, let it go (the key in the “on” position), press starter switch. Nothing happens. Our local diesel mechanic (after troubleshooting for a while) pointed that my sequence was wrong – I need to hold the key in the “glow plugs” position, when the engine is starting (or the starter motor is not energised). Hard learned lesson 1. Lesson 2. This spring commissioning. I leave the batteries on the boat, but I disconnect the cables (both plus and minus). So in the spring, I connected all cables that I could see correctly, checked that all lights and instruments are working properly. When it was time to check the engine (I usually run it on the hard before launching), nothing. No power to the blower, the panel is not energised (e.g. the fuel gauge is not showing anything). When I turn the key and press the starter motor, the fuel gauge hand flies to the right (more than full). Turns out that the negative cable to the motor (and starter) was disconnected and it fell behind the batteries, so there was no visible clue. Interestingly a friend with the exact same boat had the same problem about 2 h before. It was the only part that made me feel a bit better. At least, this lesson did not cost me much. Simply tying to say that if it worked before, it must be some simple problem. The worst case scenario, trace the wiring. Marek Ottawa, ON From: Dr. Mark Bodnar via CnC-List Sent: Sunday, June 5, 2016 23:13 To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Cc: Dr. Mark Bodnar Subject: Stus-List Starting Problem Stopped by the boat today planning to get prep'd for some work that need to get done. Figured I should kick the engine over just to make sure everything was running smoothly. Unfortunately I got nothing (absolutely nothing) from turning the key. Batteries seem fine. Able to run radio - and no visible dip in power to the radio when trying to turn over the engine. I had a similar experience a year ago after running the diesel for a few hours - wind came up and we sailed for a bit, but then couldn't re-start. That day I easily found a loose wire (clearly it had shaken loose with the engine running for a long period) off a clip on the starter solenoid (?). That was my first check today - but it was attached. Pulled it off to clean contact but no effect. I figure there are 3 possibilities 1- ignition key failure - no signal to the starter to kick over 2- starter/solenoid failure - I doubt this as I'd expect some type of noise or power dip indicating that something was seized 3- electrical connection failure - I can see a large wire leading to what I presume is the solenoid, plus a couple of smaller wires connected as well. Nothing obviously disconnected I need to head back down to the boat with a voltage meter - try to figure out what is going on and hopefully find an easy fix! Any advice is appreciated. I presume is the key is working them I'd get a voltage spike at the solenoid when the key is turned. If nothing then it suggests either 1 or 3. Where should I see that? I expect I'll pull the panel and check the contacts behind the ignition key - maybe try hot-wiring it if I can figure out which wires are needed Should I use automotive jumper cables to bypass the starter and try to spin the starter/solenoid directly? The engine is a Volvo 2002 18HP Thanks in advance for the advice, Mark There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. - George Santayana _______________________________________________ This list is supported by the generous donations of our members. If you like what we do, please help us pay for our costs by donating. All Contributions are greatly appreciated!
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