Starting a B331

[Bluenose]

Hi folks, 2 years ago when I pressed the starter switch it would not work right off the bat. If you pushed straight in it would do nothing. You had to push around the edges and eventually it would start immediately.

I had my electrician check it. His conclusion was the starter battery was shot. I replaced the battery and all was well last summer.

This year the problem is back. When you do press the button, you can hear the engine exhaust fan slow, so maybe this is the same problem. You have to push around the edges of the button, and then it starts right up. I have a 20W solar panel on the back that keeps the batteries topped up and the volt meter on the boat down below shows the batteries are OK.

Could it be the switch??

Thanks,

Mike Casey
Halifax, Nova Scotia

 

[arf145]

Well, I'd say it could definitely be the switch, especially if things change when you press it differently. Is this a Yanmar?

 

[Bluenose]

Yes, Yanmar 3GM30F

 

[Ron20324]

Could it be the switch??

Sounds like the typical switch-to- battery or starter distance problem we see every week on these forums. Perhaps it is more to do with the number of times the switch is pushed, not where?

 

[AdamCermak]

Also, depending on the age of you B331, the original starter wire from the switch to the solenoid was untinned - so it, like the one on my 321, corrodes a little over time and that added resistance is worse at higher temps in the summer; in turn, it takes a little more time for the voltage to come up at the starter. You can test by hotwiring your boat: put a temporary jumper wire across the terminals on the back of your ignition switch to see if it acts the same or different. Replacing the starter switch itself, which I've done, is a short job as long as you have access to the back of the starter panel.

ALSO, having had a lot of these issues with our 321, I realized that the original alternator was burned out (or probably its transistors) and it was draining the batteries, which complicated matters. It was only putting out a fraction of its rating at speed to boot. Sigh.

Good luck!

 

[BarryBershad]

Sounds like an iffy starter that might be compensated by a real good battery. I'd change the starter and also look at your battery and charging system.

Don't trust a single voltage reading as you may be looking at it all topped off with little to no spare capacity. This is a simple test to check out your battery. Easy Test of Battery Amp-Hours Capacity

One of my favorite sayings is "every solution creates a new problem". Your 20W solar charger might be overcharging your batteries as some of them are not adept at shutting off current to your batteries when they do need it. It's one thing trickle charging a full battery at 13.2 V and quite the other if you are trying to push a full battery at 14.2. If you continue to push amps into a battery that doesn't need it you'll end up with reduced battery life and capacity.

 

[Weasel]

Hi Mike,

My mechanic added a solenoid to correct an over amp condition that the starting wire could not handle.
Don’t know if that is part of your problem but thought I would throw it out there. Mine would fail to start, (nothing when button was pushed).
Hope this helps. I can send photo if needed.

 

[DougM]

Simple fix:
abandon the white wire in the factory wire bundle and “home run” a heavier gauge wire from the starter button to the starter. The shorter the direct route from the instrument panel to the starter the better. ( keep the color coding the same). The additional solenoid recommended by others is also a good solution, but adds another potentially failure prone part to the mix.

 

[cymeyer]

Simple fix:
abandon the white wire in the factory wire bundle and “home run” a heavier gauge wire from the starter button to the starter. The shorter the direct route from the instrument panel to the starter the better. ( keep the color coding the same). The additional solenoid recommended by others is also a good
solution, but adds another potentially failure prone part to the mix.

Doug is right. We had this problem with our 2000 Model 321 15 years ago. Replaced the starter and it was still there. We ran a wire from the starter button to the solenoid and never had the issue again. It is a poor design of the wiring harness where the connectors fail.