Hi, Had a beautiful sail this evening on Raritan bay but nn the way back in, my Yanmar 1 GM would not start. No problem with battery. On turning the key, no buzzer or warning lights. On depressing starter button-nada- no solenoid click. It started without a problem 3 hours earlier. I checked the engine panel, no loose or corroded wires. I tried to start it using a screw driver across the terminals on the starter and got nothing. Sailed onto the mooring with a 3 knot current. My 14 yr old son (best crew pound for pound out there!) grabbed the stick and made fast the mooring pennant. Suggestions? My gut tells me that it is related to the key circuit. I'd appreciate the input.
Yanmar Starting Problem
- Thread starter Gary16340
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Hey Gary
I have had a 2Gm and currently own a 3GM. Both have a fuse in that circuit. Would be the first place I would look.
I have had a 2Gm and currently own a 3GM. Both have a fuse in that circuit. Would be the first place I would look.
Same-Same
Gary, I also have a 1GM and had the same problem. With a 83 boat, and an unknown number of POs, I couldn't be sure what maintenance was done. After making sure all wiring and fuses were ok, I ended up replacing the starter button, key switch and the battery. It has worked fine since then.
Gary, I also have a 1GM and had the same problem. With a 83 boat, and an unknown number of POs, I couldn't be sure what maintenance was done. After making sure all wiring and fuses were ok, I ended up replacing the starter button, key switch and the battery. It has worked fine since then.
It should have turned over if you jumped the starter solenoid.
Did you get a spark when you tried it? You should have. If you didn't, you probably have a poor connection between the battery and the starter solenoid, possibly in the ground lead. If you try again and you have a poor connection, that connection will get hot to the touch, so you may be able to find it by grabbing the different connections after you try it. The connections may appear to be tight but may be insulated by corrosion or oxidation. Loosen them, clean them and retighten them again. The key switch and starter button were out of the circuit when you jumped the solenoid so should not be the problem.
Did you get a spark when you tried it? You should have. If you didn't, you probably have a poor connection between the battery and the starter solenoid, possibly in the ground lead. If you try again and you have a poor connection, that connection will get hot to the touch, so you may be able to find it by grabbing the different connections after you try it. The connections may appear to be tight but may be insulated by corrosion or oxidation. Loosen them, clean them and retighten them again. The key switch and starter button were out of the circuit when you jumped the solenoid so should not be the problem.
If you were not getting any
power at the starter solenoid, it seems to me the problem may be upstream of the solenoid. Check any obvious, and not so obvious, inline fuses that many Yanmars have. I would then check all the connections from the batteries to the solenoid to make sure they clean and bright and that all the crimps are solid. Then check the positive wires on the back of your main switch, assuming you have one. Typically, you have 3 red/hot wires going to the main switch. I happened to check them on my 1986 boat a few years ago and was shocked to find that one wire could be pulled out of its crimp with little effort -- and that was a factory crimp. I would also check the integrity of the negative ground to your engine. I would then move to the back of your main electrical panel (not engine panel, which you already checked). Check the breakers and or fuses, whatever you have. See if you can find power to the panel using a VOM. It appears that no power is getting to your engine so the problem seems to be somewhere between the batteries and engine. Good luck with this.
power at the starter solenoid, it seems to me the problem may be upstream of the solenoid. Check any obvious, and not so obvious, inline fuses that many Yanmars have. I would then check all the connections from the batteries to the solenoid to make sure they clean and bright and that all the crimps are solid. Then check the positive wires on the back of your main switch, assuming you have one. Typically, you have 3 red/hot wires going to the main switch. I happened to check them on my 1986 boat a few years ago and was shocked to find that one wire could be pulled out of its crimp with little effort -- and that was a factory crimp. I would also check the integrity of the negative ground to your engine. I would then move to the back of your main electrical panel (not engine panel, which you already checked). Check the breakers and or fuses, whatever you have. See if you can find power to the panel using a VOM. It appears that no power is getting to your engine so the problem seems to be somewhere between the batteries and engine. Good luck with this.
Thanks
Thanks for the advice. She is an 81 Mirage that I have restored. The confusing thing was that I got no sparking when using the screw driver to bypass the solenoid. I will have to trouble shoot the power to the solenoid.
Thanks for the advice. She is an 81 Mirage that I have restored. The confusing thing was that I got no sparking when using the screw driver to bypass the solenoid. I will have to trouble shoot the power to the solenoid.
same problem with my YSM 12
Ended up being a frazzed lenght of wire between battery and panel. 1 lenght of wire later....all good. Could explain why the solenoid jump didn't take if your power supply is compromised. Pray for Wind, Lugeman
Ended up being a frazzed lenght of wire between battery and panel. 1 lenght of wire later....all good. Could explain why the solenoid jump didn't take if your power supply is compromised. Pray for Wind, Lugeman
No power.
Check your cabin lights and all other 12V circuits as it seems you have no power. If you crossed the solenoid terminals and nothing happened (not even sparking) you have no power in the high amp primary circuit. Check battery state of charge, ground connection at engine block, connections and operation of battery switch and ultimately the thick gauge wires themselves.
Check your cabin lights and all other 12V circuits as it seems you have no power. If you crossed the solenoid terminals and nothing happened (not even sparking) you have no power in the high amp primary circuit. Check battery state of charge, ground connection at engine block, connections and operation of battery switch and ultimately the thick gauge wires themselves.
That would be one dead battery!!!
If you get no spark from the + high amp terminal to the solenoid control terminal then either the battery is 0 volts (unlikely) or you have a bad solenoid or you have lost the engine ground or engine + supply. Take a hammer (gently) to the solenoid and see if that fixes things. Also check the grounding wires at the engine/transmission and of course the battery terminals. If none of that works then it is time to pull out the volt meter and start checking things. Work from + battery terminal around the circuit.
If you get no spark from the + high amp terminal to the solenoid control terminal then either the battery is 0 volts (unlikely) or you have a bad solenoid or you have lost the engine ground or engine + supply. Take a hammer (gently) to the solenoid and see if that fixes things. Also check the grounding wires at the engine/transmission and of course the battery terminals. If none of that works then it is time to pull out the volt meter and start checking things. Work from + battery terminal around the circuit.
Problem Solved
Sometimes, life is simple! I first checked the voltage on hot side of the solenoid. It was 12.5. I then realized when I tried to jump it last night, I must have not made contact on both terminals. The fuse in the starting circuit was fine. There is a white plug in the middle of the wire harness from the solenoid to the panel that to the eye seemed fine, but found that it was slightly disconnected when I pushed it together. There was a small amount of corrosion on the contacts. It cleaned up and problem solved. I'm going to have to tape it so it can't loosen. Thanks to all for the advice.
Sometimes, life is simple! I first checked the voltage on hot side of the solenoid. It was 12.5. I then realized when I tried to jump it last night, I must have not made contact on both terminals. The fuse in the starting circuit was fine. There is a white plug in the middle of the wire harness from the solenoid to the panel that to the eye seemed fine, but found that it was slightly disconnected when I pushed it together. There was a small amount of corrosion on the contacts. It cleaned up and problem solved. I'm going to have to tape it so it can't loosen. Thanks to all for the advice.
I did the exact same thing
Doing something else, and bumped that plug. Looked like it was fully plugged in but wasn't. Drove me nuts for a couple of hours, and, like you, I spent some time looking at other more complicated things. Matter of fact, think I posted up on here trying to figure out what the hell was wrong. Glad you found it. I had totally forgotten.
Doing something else, and bumped that plug. Looked like it was fully plugged in but wasn't. Drove me nuts for a couple of hours, and, like you, I spent some time looking at other more complicated things. Matter of fact, think I posted up on here trying to figure out what the hell was wrong. Glad you found it. I had totally forgotten.
Great
I love it when some one can find a problem before they start changing every thing that really was not the problem to begin with. Glad you found it easy with out pulling all your hair out. My boat is new but love looking and check and taking things apart and my wife thinks I am crazy. Nick
I love it when some one can find a problem before they start changing every thing that really was not the problem to begin with. Glad you found it easy with out pulling all your hair out. My boat is new but love looking and check and taking things apart and my wife thinks I am crazy. Nick
Troublesome connections
Those connections in the white wire between the starter button and the starter solenoid are notoriously bad on a Yanmar. I ran a new 12 gauge wire between these two components (mine is about 15 feet long) and have never had another problem. I have done this on two consecutive boats to solve intermittent starting problems. Otherwise the Yanmars are great. Agaliha
Those connections in the white wire between the starter button and the starter solenoid are notoriously bad on a Yanmar. I ran a new 12 gauge wire between these two components (mine is about 15 feet long) and have never had another problem. I have done this on two consecutive boats to solve intermittent starting problems. Otherwise the Yanmars are great. Agaliha
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