My hunter starts on the first turn of the key every time. After I leave the inlet and put my sails up I shut off the engine. After about l hr I try to start the engine again it is totally dead.(No cranking noise, nothing). I turn the key several times and it starts the engine after a few tries. I replaced the starter battery thinking it was that. It is still doing the same. Any advise? Has anyone had the same trouble?
starting engine after dropping sails
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Sometimes
I noticed same problem, always gives me a hart attack. Have Hun 31 1984, have a house and a starter battery. It drives me nuts, after trying 1-2 and all switch positions, it will suddenly crank up. I think it's more likly to be a start button problem or corroded wire issue. Let me know if you find out. Siggi
I noticed same problem, always gives me a hart attack. Have Hun 31 1984, have a house and a starter battery. It drives me nuts, after trying 1-2 and all switch positions, it will suddenly crank up. I think it's more likly to be a start button problem or corroded wire issue. Let me know if you find out. Siggi
connections
I had this when I bought my H34. Turned out to be loose connections. I suggest you follow the starting circuit from the solenoid thru the key switch, starter button and back to the solenoid. Make sure everything's tight and clean. Good luck.
I had this when I bought my H34. Turned out to be loose connections. I suggest you follow the starting circuit from the solenoid thru the key switch, starter button and back to the solenoid. Make sure everything's tight and clean. Good luck.
Install a solenoid relay
We had a similar problem with our 460. After you have cleaned all of the connections on the instrument panel, engine, rotary battery switch and battery and you still have not solved the problem, have a solenoid relay installed. The voltage drop due to wire length resistance to and from the starter switch on the panel may reduce voltage to a point that the solenoid does not kick in when you turn the key (especially whn warm). The relay is attached beteen the 12Volt input to the starter and the solenoid inpt. The key switch is attached to the relay, so all the key does is close the relay. It will close with much less voltage than the solenoid and there will be almost no voltage drop to the solenoid. This may solve your problem and it is now a production fix on many Hunters including the 460. There are threads and wiring diagrams in the archives.
We had a similar problem with our 460. After you have cleaned all of the connections on the instrument panel, engine, rotary battery switch and battery and you still have not solved the problem, have a solenoid relay installed. The voltage drop due to wire length resistance to and from the starter switch on the panel may reduce voltage to a point that the solenoid does not kick in when you turn the key (especially whn warm). The relay is attached beteen the 12Volt input to the starter and the solenoid inpt. The key switch is attached to the relay, so all the key does is close the relay. It will close with much less voltage than the solenoid and there will be almost no voltage drop to the solenoid. This may solve your problem and it is now a production fix on many Hunters including the 460. There are threads and wiring diagrams in the archives.
yanmar roulette
Think of it as a game we all play called "Yanmar Roulette." You get back to the yacht club after a Beer Can race, and compare notes as to the number of times you had to turn the key after the race to get the engine to turn over. The Hunter Owner with the most false clicks wins, and the other Hunter Owners have to buy him a beer. The one drawback is that it only tends to work with boats more than four years old. But don't worry, if you own a Yanmar-equipped Hunter, sooner or later you'll join the hundreds of Hunter owners qualified to play Yanmar Roulette.
Think of it as a game we all play called "Yanmar Roulette." You get back to the yacht club after a Beer Can race, and compare notes as to the number of times you had to turn the key after the race to get the engine to turn over. The Hunter Owner with the most false clicks wins, and the other Hunter Owners have to buy him a beer. The one drawback is that it only tends to work with boats more than four years old. But don't worry, if you own a Yanmar-equipped Hunter, sooner or later you'll join the hundreds of Hunter owners qualified to play Yanmar Roulette.
Johns right, not a good wiring system
I've even soldered jumper wires across the plugs so as to not play that game. It helps. I don't know about the relay trick but lotsa guys say it works. Has anyone tried to replace the wiring harness of these engines? Not with a new harness like I did, but with custom, continuous wire to eliminate the plugs. Seems cheap too.
I've even soldered jumper wires across the plugs so as to not play that game. It helps. I don't know about the relay trick but lotsa guys say it works. Has anyone tried to replace the wiring harness of these engines? Not with a new harness like I did, but with custom, continuous wire to eliminate the plugs. Seems cheap too.
probable culprit
Okay, now I'm feeling guilty about my previous post. Pictured below is the probable culprit, a quick connect fitting THAT DOESN'T BELONG ON A BOAT. It has three wires on each end: red, white and blue. You'll find it in the wiring harnass behind the ignition switch. Cut it out, and then butt-splice the wires together, red to red, white to white, blue to blue. If this doesn't solve the problem, trace that harnass until you find a similar connector on the other end. Then ask yourself why Hunter and Yanmar have done nothing to help owners solve this problem.
Okay, now I'm feeling guilty about my previous post. Pictured below is the probable culprit, a quick connect fitting THAT DOESN'T BELONG ON A BOAT. It has three wires on each end: red, white and blue. You'll find it in the wiring harnass behind the ignition switch. Cut it out, and then butt-splice the wires together, red to red, white to white, blue to blue. If this doesn't solve the problem, trace that harnass until you find a similar connector on the other end. Then ask yourself why Hunter and Yanmar have done nothing to help owners solve this problem.
starting engine AFTER you drop the sails?
Shouldn't you be starting the engine BEFORE you drop the sails? It seems that you would have a littel more control if you had power available for boat positioning with the engine started.
Shouldn't you be starting the engine BEFORE you drop the sails? It seems that you would have a littel more control if you had power available for boat positioning with the engine started.
Wow, this subject keeps cropping up!
I think putting ANOTHER relay in the starting circuit (even though it appears to solve the problem for everyone that tries it) is absurd. The starter solenoid is indeed a relay whose power contacts put power to the starter motor and whose movement also throws the starter's drive pinion gear to mesh with the engine flywheel. Having to install a SECOND relay, because the connections, ignition switch and wiring to the coil of the starter solonoid are inadequate or unreliable simply masks a problem that may get bad enough to re-occur someday, or cause another highly unsafee incident of non-starting if the (previously non-existent) newly installed component fails of it's own accord at some point. I rewired the circuit on my Hunter 30 with the appropriate 12 gage wire, a new key switch from WM and eliminated all slip type connections except the one right at the solenoid coil (which I doused with acid flux, covered with a nice small blob of electronic solder and covered with shrink tube). Just half the summer so far but the thing hasn't yet acted up. PS 4 years ago, before I did this work and had to deal with the possibility of a noiseless ignition attempt, I made up a little "if all else fails" tool. A big sccrew driver with a 3" long bent piece of copper bar brazed on the end of it that I could gingerly reach in and jump 12V right to the starter motor while my wife was turning the key. That NEVER failed. I've had to use it only twice, and I had to contend with some arc damage on the threads of the power wire lug bolts, and the general anxiety of this unsafe method, but it sure was better then always starting my engine way before I really had to and that sick feeling of the "what if" very unsafe scenarios that kept replaying though my head when I knew my engine's ability to start was questionable.
I think putting ANOTHER relay in the starting circuit (even though it appears to solve the problem for everyone that tries it) is absurd. The starter solenoid is indeed a relay whose power contacts put power to the starter motor and whose movement also throws the starter's drive pinion gear to mesh with the engine flywheel. Having to install a SECOND relay, because the connections, ignition switch and wiring to the coil of the starter solonoid are inadequate or unreliable simply masks a problem that may get bad enough to re-occur someday, or cause another highly unsafee incident of non-starting if the (previously non-existent) newly installed component fails of it's own accord at some point. I rewired the circuit on my Hunter 30 with the appropriate 12 gage wire, a new key switch from WM and eliminated all slip type connections except the one right at the solenoid coil (which I doused with acid flux, covered with a nice small blob of electronic solder and covered with shrink tube). Just half the summer so far but the thing hasn't yet acted up. PS 4 years ago, before I did this work and had to deal with the possibility of a noiseless ignition attempt, I made up a little "if all else fails" tool. A big sccrew driver with a 3" long bent piece of copper bar brazed on the end of it that I could gingerly reach in and jump 12V right to the starter motor while my wife was turning the key. That NEVER failed. I've had to use it only twice, and I had to contend with some arc damage on the threads of the power wire lug bolts, and the general anxiety of this unsafe method, but it sure was better then always starting my engine way before I really had to and that sick feeling of the "what if" very unsafe scenarios that kept replaying though my head when I knew my engine's ability to start was questionable.
Missing the point.
The second solenoid is not a band-aid. It is the way many manufacturers, now including Hunter, manage the starting current. The second solenoid uses #4(big) wire from the battery and #6(I use #8) from there to the starter solenoid. The starting circuitry is simply too long with too small wire to handle a starter solenoid's current requirement. Before I added the "relay" I had replaced every component including a new 900CCA starter battery. And I had "fixed" every connection. On my boat there were eight lightweight connections between the 12V source and the starter solenoid. Now there are four heavyduty connections.
The second solenoid is not a band-aid. It is the way many manufacturers, now including Hunter, manage the starting current. The second solenoid uses #4(big) wire from the battery and #6(I use #8) from there to the starter solenoid. The starting circuitry is simply too long with too small wire to handle a starter solenoid's current requirement. Before I added the "relay" I had replaced every component including a new 900CCA starter battery. And I had "fixed" every connection. On my boat there were eight lightweight connections between the 12V source and the starter solenoid. Now there are four heavyduty connections.
ten minute job
I agree with Jim. It took me ten minutes to take the two slip connectors out of the circuit, at a total cost of six yellow butt-splice connectors, which are worth 30 cents apiece. So far I haven't had a start failure since making the change.
I agree with Jim. It took me ten minutes to take the two slip connectors out of the circuit, at a total cost of six yellow butt-splice connectors, which are worth 30 cents apiece. So far I haven't had a start failure since making the change.
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