fryedaze
Guru
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2011
- Messages
- 1,722
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Fryedaze
- Vessel Make
- MC 42 (Overseas Co) Monk 42
Sooooo, here is my tail of the trials of boating. I get up at six excited for the first day of the Great Loop. Port engine starts, Starboard doesn’t. It turns one quarter of a turn and the starter chatters. First thing I suspect is the batteries, even though they are at 12.8 vdc. I pull all connections to the Stb engine to ensure clean and good connections. Test start ‘NO JOY’. I put jumpers to the other engine NO JOY. I pull all cables and swap batteries for each engine. Port starts right up, Stb didn’t. Took hydrometer readings. All cells >1.825. IT’S NOT THE BATTERIES.
Phase two: I start snooping around the starter (its outboard and a bear to see). I find the lead from the starter positive to the alternator positive output melted. The cause will come later. I replace the positive lead from the alt to the starter and…NO JOY and its get hot quick. Looks like a starter problem.
Well we are starting the loop today and have no car. In come Robby, Joann and Donny to help out. Robbie and Donny provide all kinds of great advice from their previous experience with farm equipment and previous jobs. They talk me into pulling the starter so I did. Robbie suggest we taking it over to the Wenger Amish motor shop and check it out, best idea of the day (you why see later). Mean while I want my truck because I figure we are going to be here for a few days. Joann takes me home and on the way back I order a new starter from Drum Point Marine and it will be here tomorrow between 1000-1300. I get back and Robbie calls Wenger to see if they could fit us in. They can so we hit the road for Saint Mary’s Amish country. The fella at Wenger tests the motor and its fine. We start asking questions and he gave us a wealth of ideas. Sooooo, back to the boat.
Phase three: I wire brush all the contact point for the starter to the block and all the terminals, even though they were pretty good. As I was putting the last positive lead though some piping I bumped the block, IT DIDN’T SPARK! It should have been a direct short. Robbie suggests taking some readings. They all come up empty, almost zero. As I am scratching my head I look forward and shazam!! the Main Engine battery cutoff switch is in off. 
It’s a big plastic key switch that looks like and oversized clock key. I must have bumped it while loading stores.
It’s a big plastic key switch that looks like and oversized clock key. I must have bumped it while loading stores.NOW IT ALL MAKES SENSE. The wire that fried to the alternator did so because that little 10 ga. wire was trying to back feed and start the engine. Put the key in on and the engine fires right up. NOTHIN BUT JOY!!!.
I am not sure what the moral of the story is. The ordeal took solid none stop work from 0800-1600. Oh well I know how to pull the starter now. Looks like the LOOP starts tomorrow.
