Engine starting problem

[Glenn W]

This is a 1984 Catalina with a universal diesel engine. Enginestart up does not always occuron the first attempt. It sometimesrequires 3 or 4 pulls on the enginestart button but then will start.

 

[Greg]

Turning Over?

Is the engine turning over when attempting to sart? If you are getting a "clicking" noise check the battery cables from battery to starter and engine ground. The engine ground may not sound important, however, it was the culprit on my boat with this problem. It appeared to be grounded well, but when I put a new ground cable on it the problem went away.If your engine is turning over then it may be a glow plug problem. Also check your engine kill cable as sometimes it may get stuck in a halfway position.Do these checks prior to spending money...... I learned the hard way.Let me know what you find.Greg

 

[gary]

loss of fuel

my catalina 400 will not keep ita prime . I put a fuel pump on the take that is wired so it only comes on with the glow plugs.

 

[Chuck]

Too Long

I had a lot of trouble starting my 88 Catalina 30. It would seemingly drain the batteries and just catch at the last minute. I had to replace my batteries twice. I would get 23 months out of 2 year batteries. The manual recomended glow plug heat time is too long. I find that 10 to 15 seconds max on the glow plug will start the engine quickly and smoothly. I have not replaced batteries in three years and even after recently leaving the battery switch on (ALL) for over a week unattended the engine started without hesitation after only 10 seconds of glow plug heat time. Good Luck!