Universal diesel - starter intermittent

[Skipper]

I think I know the answer to this question, using cob-webbed memories of my high school auto shop days. But I could easily be wrong.

Anyway, the starter on my Universal M-18 is intermittent. If I jog the button, it will finally catch and turn over. Half the time it starts without the jogging.

I'm hoping to resolve the issue with one go-around, so any ideas would be fabulous.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Please see reply #8 here: http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=142278

 

[Richard19068]

Old small wires. Check the attached service bulletin. Item 3 re increasing the wire size will probably fix the problem. Also check Maine Sails post on redoing the wiring harness.

http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=135558&#post865500

 

[Sam Salter]

Often, it's a bad ground connection on the engine block.
Take it off and clean it up.
sam

 

[Skipper]

Thanks. I'm glad I asked.

I thought it would be a dead spot on the starter motor armature. Maybe corrosion. Figured that jogging the solenoid moved the armature enough to find a good spot.

 

[Rob2435]

UD - starter...

I tried all of the above suggestions, still had problems, changed/cleaned everything, still had problems! I went from a 12ga wire to a 10ga from the push button to the solenoid and haven't had a problem since.

I disconnected all the engine compartment fans and it would start every time..which to me meant I need more juice to the solenoid.

Now as I wrote this, I will probably have a problem!

 

[BarryL]

Hey,

I had those same symptoms: Turn power on, hold glow plug, press starter - nothing. Repeat a few times and eventually the starter works and turns the engine over. I finally got around to running a 10ga wire from the start switch to the starter and I haven't had the problem since.

While I had the instrument panel off I also ran power directly from the key switch to the start switch so I don't HAVE to hold the glow plug switch down while starting. I still use the glow plug for 30 seconds (or longer if it's real cold out) but now i don't have the large drain of the glow plug sucking power when i'm trying to crank the engine over.

My engine starts much better now.

Barry

 

[Stu Jackson]

Barry, that's the right way to do it. We have separate glow plug and starter buttons. You can reduce glow plug time by adding in a solenoid on that circuit. See:

http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Faster,_More_Efficient_Glow_Plug_Heating_with_a_Solenoid

Hope you put a fuse in that wire to the starter.

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,1637.0.html

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4556.0.html

 

[AXEL]

I'm having a similar but slightly different problem but it's intermittent as well. I turn the key, hold down the glow lugs, push start and either I'll hear a click, or the battery pulls down (voltage). In other words I go from 12 volts to zero. Then I set the battery selector to all and that will start her up. It doesn't happen all the time. I'm thinking the starter is going.

 

[Stu Jackson]

No, Axel, find some way to hit start after you turn the glow plugs off. Since the plugs simply warm the chambers up, you can release them, wait a tad and then start. Keeping them on when starting the engine is like keeping BOTH heavy drawing things on at once. No need to. Also check your engine ground and battery connections.

You might also be interested in this: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5078.0.html and http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Diesel_Engine

 

[AXEL]

Thx Stu I'll look into that. But as long as I've owned this boat, close to 18 yrs now, this is the way I've always started the engine and never had a problem before. Both batterys are brand new this year. I just cleaned the ground, starter and battery connections a few days ago. Since the problem is intermitent I will eval when I go out this weekend. I spoke to a place that rebuilds starters, they think I have a couple of bad spots on the brushes. Because of the gear reduction I'm putting a huge load on the battery. Then by using both batterys it's just enough to move over them. I'm going off shore for 2 weeks next month. I do not what to have a breakdown.