Port engine won't start

cigars01

cigars01

Member
Sep 1, 2016
124
Lake Lanier,Cumming Ga
Boat Info
1981 Searay 310 Vanguard Express Cruiser.
Engines
Twin 454 Crusaders Direct Drive
I have a 1981 310 Vanguard with 1999 Crusader 454's. Saturday the engines started and ran no problem. Came back Sunday and turn the port ignition on and I notice the gas gauge and volt meter jump and then dead. If I leave the ignition on they will register after about 15 seconds so i try to start. I hear a click which I found to be a solenoid that is near the starter but not on the starter. When that clicks, the gauges die again. I replaced the solenoid and the problem did not change. I have checked all the connections in the engine bilge and they seem ok. I am at a loss as to what it could be. Any ideas?
 
Based on the gauges going haywire....I would bet on the ignition switch or the engine harness connector having an issue.

Which solenoid did you replace?
 
+1 on checking the ground based on the gauges. Also look at the neutral switch from preventing the starter doing its job.

-Kevin
 
PlayDate said:
Based on the gauges going haywire....I would bet on the ignition switch or the engine harness connector having an issue.

Which solenoid did you replace?
Click to expand...
I don't know what its called to be honest. It is near the starter but not on the starter. I know that I did hook it up properly as the condition is exactly the same as it was before. My plan tomorrow is to check the ignition switch by trying to hotwire / bypass the ignition switch.

Thanks
 
Tried to hotwire the ignition switch Nd got nothing. To make sure I did it right I did the starboard engine and it worked. I also tried switching batteries and still no change. I tried to check engine grounds and seems tight. I am in fresh water so corrosion is not a big issue
 
2014 Sundancer 310...Something similar happened to me today The Portside is completely dead, even the electronic part of the gauges are not reading. The batteries are good, The ignition switches are good, any ideas?
 
Toledo said:
2014 Sundancer 310...Something similar happened to me today The Portside is completely dead, even the electronic part of the gauges are not reading. The batteries are good, The ignition switches are good, any ideas?
Click to expand...
Toledo said:
2014 Sundancer 310...Something similar happened to me today The Portside is completely dead, even the electronic part of the gauges are not reading. The batteries are good, The ignition switches are good, any ideas?
Click to expand...
Not yet. I checked everything that i know how to check. I will call the mechanic tomorrow and hopefully he can get me running by the weekend. IfI find out what it is Iwill let you know.
 
The other item is the neutral safety switch but that does not affect the gauges. It does stop the engine from cranking.

It is tough to diagnose electrical problems online. I'm sure your mechanic will check a couple of things and find the issue.
 
We had one boat with twin OMC 3.8 liter engines. One went dead. Absolutely no power to it. Boat had upper and lower helm both with key ignition. Looked for hours and finally called a mechanic. Took him 10 minutes to fix. Engines had a 50 AMP inline fuse you would not find unless you know where to look and then it did not look like a fuse holder it was part of a component in the wiring harness.
 
I tried to jump the starter from the solenoid that I replaced. When I did that the starter solenoid clicked but the starter didnt spin. The mechanic believes based on that, that its the starter. My only question is how or would that affect the gas and voltmeter?
 
Well, I agree with your mechanic that the starter is the first thing to replace.

As to the why the gauges didn't work.....I would speculate that the amp draw on the non-working starter pulled the voltage down to the point that gauges wouldn't work. Pure speculation but putting in a new starter will prove it one way or another.
 
A few years ago I had the Bendix fail on one starter when we were cruising far away from home. A new one was going to take one to two week to get. There was a repair shop in the area that rebuilt the starter for $175. It turned the engine over at about twice the speed of the other starter so I had the other one rebuilt. It was 5 years ago and they are both still working well. Rebuilding is one option compared to new. I would have liked new but a good rebuild seems to be good also.
 
northern said:
A few years ago I had the Bendix fail on one starter when we were cruising far away from home. A new one was going to take one to two week to get. There was a repair shop in the area that rebuilt the starter for $175. It turned the engine over at about twice the speed of the other starter so I had the other one rebuilt. It was 5 years ago and they are both still working well. Rebuilding is one option compared to new. I would have liked new but a good rebuild seems to be good also.
Click to expand...
PlayDate said:
Well, I agree with your mechanic that the starter is the first thing to replace.

As to the why the gauges didn't work.....I would speculate that the amp draw on the non-working starter pulled the voltage down to the point that gauges wouldn't work. Pure speculation but putting in a new starter will prove it one way or another.
Click to expand...
I dont mind replacing the starter if that is the problem. I am just not a fan of throwing parts at a problem. That said it does seem to be the starter being that the starter solenoid clicks so I know power is getting to it but the starter doesnt spin.
 
With the separate solenoid set up that you describe, you may have only 1 wire actually attached to the starter. A heavy gauge wire that comes from the solenoid.

You should see 12v on that terminal when actually trying to start the engine.

How about a few whacks on the starter with a hammer.
 
If the solenoid is working, then there is a chance you have a bad spot on the starter's armature. Sure you can hit it with a hammer while someone turns the key but if you aren't convinced, swap the starter off the other engine. It's just two bolts and the starter wire that connects to the solenoid.
 
PlayDate said:
If the solenoid is working, then there is a chance you have a bad spot on the starter's armature. Sure you can hit it with a hammer while someone turns the key but if you aren't convinced, swap the starter off the other engine. It's just two bolts and the starter wire that connects to the solenoid.
Click to expand...
The mechanic checked it all out and said it was the battery. I am not sure how that could be as I even took the cables off of the battery and used jumper cables to another battery and I had the same problem. Going today to install a new Interstate 27 mxhd. Its the most powerful marine cranking battery they make.
 
Save the good battery you removed and add it to the house.
It`s funny how you would need the "most powerfull battery" when back in the day a Group 22 or 24 would start all those 396`s, 454, 427`s, well over 500 Hp and 11.0-1 compression

If you hooked another battery to it and the starter still did not make a sound, did you inspect the ground connection at the engine block?
Did you short the solenoid lug to the battery lug and what happened? spark or no spark, sound or no sound?
 
All system power starts at the main battery cable connection at the starter.
At the starter is a Red wire , this is system power for the whole boat.From there it goes thru a circuit breaker or large fuse or fusible link, then thru the engine harness plug, thru the boat to the dash.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,157
Messages
1,427,422
Members
61,063
Latest member
Donny1983
Back
Top