When launching the boat this year the diesel refused to start. At first I thought the batteries were to low but the volt meter at the operator station showed enough voltage. It took awhile but I eventually realized the voltage wasn't dropping when I held the glow plugs on.
As I started tracing the glow plug circuit at the operator station and the diesel I found three different problems.
1. The glow plug solenoid, located on the motor by the fuel pump was dead. It can be checked by putting voltage to the small contacts on the front. If it doesn't activate it is bad. The new one was purchased from Kaufman Diesel for $17.13 ( Universal $37.29) and replaced the circuit breaker on the solenoid at the same time for $2.50 (Universal $22.33).
2. The starter button was beginning to stick and the rivets the hold the contacts on the rear were loose. It turned out to be corroded and was very difficult to remove. Kaufman's price for push button and boot was $6.05 (Catalina Direct $28.70). I was very happy to have discovered this while it was still working.
3. The 12 position connector strip inside the motor operator station was rusting. I replaced it also with one rated for 20 amps but would like to find a better one then I used.
I like to hear about these things myself and thought maybe some of would also. I think of my boat as fairly new but my 310 is a 2001 and even though it lives an easy life now on an inland lake it spent seven years on the east coast and was exposed to the salt life.
As I started tracing the glow plug circuit at the operator station and the diesel I found three different problems.
1. The glow plug solenoid, located on the motor by the fuel pump was dead. It can be checked by putting voltage to the small contacts on the front. If it doesn't activate it is bad. The new one was purchased from Kaufman Diesel for $17.13 ( Universal $37.29) and replaced the circuit breaker on the solenoid at the same time for $2.50 (Universal $22.33).
2. The starter button was beginning to stick and the rivets the hold the contacts on the rear were loose. It turned out to be corroded and was very difficult to remove. Kaufman's price for push button and boot was $6.05 (Catalina Direct $28.70). I was very happy to have discovered this while it was still working.
3. The 12 position connector strip inside the motor operator station was rusting. I replaced it also with one rated for 20 amps but would like to find a better one then I used.
I like to hear about these things myself and thought maybe some of would also. I think of my boat as fairly new but my 310 is a 2001 and even though it lives an easy life now on an inland lake it spent seven years on the east coast and was exposed to the salt life.
