Engine start - wha happened!

[Sunset]

Albin 25 with the MD17C motor: admittedly I upgraded the battery room cabling myslef - including the addition of an ACR - and have currently left the house wiring an unconnected mess, but still ---> last Saturday was first chance this summer to use the Manatee - turned the key and instant start! Engine instruments not working but I have to figure out how to fix that.

Today I went down to the Marina - the marina and slip owned by the marine op that hauled the boat and was to address some of the more serious electrical shortcoming like nave and anchor lights. He had done nothing all week, so I was determined to move the boat to my own marina up river.


Switch the battery on/off switch to On, make sure the Stop Engine thing is firmly down, Turn the key - absolutely nothing! No clicking, no needle movement. Those cabin circuits which are connected - work just fine - cabin lights etc.

Start battery reads 12.48V and a jump does not help. What am I missing? Ideas? It's the end of July and I am getting kind of depressed about delays in getting underway.

 

[Right rudder]

"admittedly I upgraded the battery room cabling myself"

That might be a good place to start the autopsy.

Go back and check all your routing and all your connections. check each connection for cleanliness and torque. Do this first, because it needs to be done......then check your batteries for condition and charge.

When this happens on an engine, first steps would be to check for a dead battery and/or a bad ground, but in your case you need to check recent work first.

Keep a very good maintenance log to include actual work done, parts used, part Numbers and costs. Part numbers and suppliers can be kept in the spare parts log.

Or better yet, keep logs any way it makes sense to you.... but do record loads of information that will be usable on down the road.

Hope you will be able to sell your oars shortly.

Frank

 

[Capt.Bill11]

Sounds like the neutral lock out my be engaged. Hold the start button down while wiggling the gear level back and forth a bit.

 

[rochepoint]

Sounds like the neutral lock out my be engaged. Hold the start button down while wiggling the gear level back and forth a bit.

+1

 

[FlyWright]

What Bill said.

Then look for a bad ground. It's almost always a bad ground.

 

[Sunset]

I'll try that!

 

[Sunset]

Started right up today. I hope this isn't a pattern - I will check the solenoid connections next time.

 

[Gulf Comanche]

That neutral lockout has made my blood pressure jump more than once; just a little jiggle of the gear lever w/ the starter button down fixes it.

 

[Rogerh]

Concur on the neutral switch. It always the first thing I check when this happens....if I remember.... Seems that everytime it does happen I forget to check it first and after checking tons of other stuff, getting out the meter and chasing things down... I go duhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

[Gulf Comanche]

Back to this issue. My neutral lockout seems to be getting worse, lots of jiggling of the gear lever needed, so I bought a new lockout switch ($65 shipped) and will install on the gear soon. Will let y'all know if it helps.