I am having an occassional problem starting the Yanmar on my 376. Once in a while when I hit the starter I just get a clicking sound at the solonoid. Normall I would think this is a battery problem but the battery is fine and fully charged. I've heard that it may be too small a wire guage for the length of the run from the battery? I've also heard there is some sort of relay fix for this problem. Does anyone have any additional info on this fix? Does it work? Thanks for any feedback. Rich
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Starting Fix
I have had the same problem with my 376. the factory will acknowledge it and provide you with the solution, which is a relay that joins your house and starting batteries when you turn the key to start the engine. The cause of the problem is the length of the run from the starter switch to the starter. A short pair of jumper cables will also solve the problem.
I have had the same problem with my 376. the factory will acknowledge it and provide you with the solution, which is a relay that joins your house and starting batteries when you turn the key to start the engine. The cause of the problem is the length of the run from the starter switch to the starter. A short pair of jumper cables will also solve the problem.
Question about jumber cables?
J, I assume you're referring to just using jumper cables from the house bank to the starting circuit to boost the amps? That may be the simplest solution for me since this only seems to occur maybe once every 15-20 starts or so. Thanks for the feedback.
J, I assume you're referring to just using jumper cables from the house bank to the starting circuit to boost the amps? That may be the simplest solution for me since this only seems to occur maybe once every 15-20 starts or so. Thanks for the feedback.
Conductor Culprit
While it appears the solonoid might be a problem the suggestion that wire size is too small raises a red flag. We bought our H-35 new in '88 and had somewhat of a starting problem since new. Part of the problem was the group 24 batteries which had been run absolutely dead on several occassions, both by the dealer and then a couple times my myself - a potential problem in itself. When the batteries were upgraded to golf carts the conductors were upgraded to double 0 with #2 to the starter and engine ground. Even with all the new batteries and larger conductors the engine starting improvement was only marginal. The engine ground was the last conductor to be upgraded and it made a major improvement in starting. Never did find the reason why: larger conductor, bad connector on original cable, bad contact, ?, but my suspicions are that it was either a connector or the contact. The original wiring installed by Hunter was not tin plated, i.e., not marine grade, which could lead to corrosion or oxidation of the copper. It was about five years later that it was removed. Low voltage on the starter motor will wear it out prematurely so upgrading the conductors wouldn't hurt even if it is a solenoid problem, and who knows, the problem might resolve itself.
While it appears the solonoid might be a problem the suggestion that wire size is too small raises a red flag. We bought our H-35 new in '88 and had somewhat of a starting problem since new. Part of the problem was the group 24 batteries which had been run absolutely dead on several occassions, both by the dealer and then a couple times my myself - a potential problem in itself. When the batteries were upgraded to golf carts the conductors were upgraded to double 0 with #2 to the starter and engine ground. Even with all the new batteries and larger conductors the engine starting improvement was only marginal. The engine ground was the last conductor to be upgraded and it made a major improvement in starting. Never did find the reason why: larger conductor, bad connector on original cable, bad contact, ?, but my suspicions are that it was either a connector or the contact. The original wiring installed by Hunter was not tin plated, i.e., not marine grade, which could lead to corrosion or oxidation of the copper. It was about five years later that it was removed. Low voltage on the starter motor will wear it out prematurely so upgrading the conductors wouldn't hurt even if it is a solenoid problem, and who knows, the problem might resolve itself.
Relay worked for us
We had a relay put in after we experienced intermittent starting. Since then, the engine has started every time.
We had a relay put in after we experienced intermittent starting. Since then, the engine has started every time.
Double Check Your Battery
Before you start modifications, you might want to double check your starting battery. I experienced the same type of problems over a six month period and couldn't find the cause. Everything seemed to check out OK -- until I isolated the starting battery from the system by removing the cables. It registered 8.5 volts and wouldn't take a higher charge. My experience has been that 30-month batteries are designed to last 30.0 months!
Before you start modifications, you might want to double check your starting battery. I experienced the same type of problems over a six month period and couldn't find the cause. Everything seemed to check out OK -- until I isolated the starting battery from the system by removing the cables. It registered 8.5 volts and wouldn't take a higher charge. My experience has been that 30-month batteries are designed to last 30.0 months!
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