ignition breaker issue
- Thread starter gettinthere
- Start date
Sitting here, several thousand miles away from you, and still no invite to come and be fed and boarded on your boat, is not helping matters any
.I can only wildly speculate that it's this mysterious 25 to 26A load that's causing your problem. From all discussions by others so far, there isn't anything that accounts for the 25A load. I agree it only appears at start up when you're looking for it using your clamp on, HOWEVER, it may also appear randomly at other times causing the CB to trip and engine to stop. You mentioned CB failures when shifting at low RPM.
In your original opening post you stated that you have increased the CB rating from 20 to 25A. Given that the new 25A breaker may be a little weak in the knees due to the repeated trips , it may be breaking quickly at the 26A. Big question .............. can you find the one single wire after the breaker which carries the 25-26A ? This could only be located using your clamp on and starting the engine each time you're testing a new wire. This may pinpoint the problem.
One completely different question from the previous bafflegab:
- I presume you don't have a manual engine shut off to crank the engine without starting it ?
- can you remove the starter motor wire (not the solenoid wire) which will prevent the starter from cranking over ? This way you can see if the 26A load remains plus you can go through your wiring looking for the 26A wire without continuously starting the engine. Monitor the solenoid for overheating while doing this.
- I presume you don't have a manual engine shut off to crank the engine without starting it ?
- can you remove the starter motor wire (not the solenoid wire) which will prevent the starter from cranking over ? This way you can see if the 26A load remains plus you can go through your wiring looking for the 26A wire without continuously starting the engine. Monitor the solenoid for overheating while doing this.
The older Perkins 4.154 motors don't use typical glow plugs but instead use what they often refer to as a "cold start aid". It is located in the center of the intake manifold just below the air cleaner / intake. Some motors have them and some don't because it was an option depending upon where the motor was sold. IIRC the 4.154-200 was the later Japanese version (probably built by Shibaura) and they usually did have glow plugs...?
It is possible you have a cold start element, that has been mis-wired, and your "toggle switch" lacks the "heat" detent....
Can you get me a pic of the intake manifold?
Just below the injectors there is a blue metal busbar connecting 4 glow plugs. It appears the glow wire comes in at the very right end.....? Something has been miswired...
If that is a "glow plug bus", wouldn't it be a perfect candidate for a short to ground (engine block) should something happen to lay across it as the engine is being started. Almost defeats the idea of any insulation on most positive wiring
.
i am thinking that the wire that powers the glow plug daisy chain is loose or not connected and dangling around shorting out from time to time if i understood the op said this problem was intermittent...just speculation on my part but worth a look see
Someone, who shall remain nameless, removed the starter 2 years ago for a rebuild. This un-named 'mechanic' did not replace all the wires during re-install.
I found a pair of wires, one about 14 ga and the other 10 to 12 ga, crimped together on a large ring terminal, tucked behind the starter solenoid with a label in some vaguely familiar writing marked 'solenoid'.
I added this wire to the solenoid main stud and the momentary 26 amp surge is gone.
I plan on borrowing a wire tracer to verify if this is the same exact wire. But doubt it is a coincidence.
I should fire that @$%EUR¥&*/ 'mechanic'.
I found a pair of wires, one about 14 ga and the other 10 to 12 ga, crimped together on a large ring terminal, tucked behind the starter solenoid with a label in some vaguely familiar writing marked 'solenoid'.
I added this wire to the solenoid main stud and the momentary 26 amp surge is gone.
I plan on borrowing a wire tracer to verify if this is the same exact wire. But doubt it is a coincidence.
I should fire that @$%EUR¥&*/ 'mechanic'.
I think that guy worked on my boat too. He is all the time cutting corners and trying to save $$$ at my expense!!!!!!