Westerbeke not starting

alambrix · May 1, 2023

I have a 1984 Westerbeke 21A that isn't starting after winter storage. I depress the preheat switch to heat up the glow plug but when I hit start it just clicks and that's it. I attached a video. Voltage is fine. I checked battery connections and they seem fine and starter seems fine.

Started up without any problems at the end of last season. Any thoughts on what it might be?

Link to video of issue: https://youtu.be/-OcQuGjYj7M

High Wire · May 1, 2023

Turn the crankshaft with a socket wrench in the right direction. You should feel the pistons reach top dead center then continue on. If it gets too tight, remove the glow plugs and try again. Could have cylinders full of water.

DrissZougari · May 1, 2023

If it is not water locked, clean your battery connections one battery side and the Genny side.
I hear a solenoid clicking in your video means low voltage at the Generator.

tiltrider1 · May 2, 2023

High Wire’s advice will remove all the big anxiety from the equation quickly. Driss is probably correct, start cleaning and replacing electrical connections. Just because you can read 12v does not mean the starter is getting enough amperage.

One trick is to put a volt meter on the battery and then hit the start button. If the battery drops to 10v then your connections are probably ok and you have a bigger issue. If you have little to no voltage drop then you have an electrical connection issue.

TowLou · May 2, 2023

Clicks like that is a bad connection or weak/shorted battery low voltage. 1 solid click I worry about the motor being siezed. Its more a low voltage/weak battery/ bad connection check your grounds.

mvweebles · May 2, 2023

How did you winterize the generator at the end of last season? If voltage is okay, as stated in OP, my guess is hydrolocked. If water has been sitting there for many months, the fix is more involved than if water intrusion is recent (assuming hydrolock).

If hydrolock is likely, pull glow plugs or injectors and rotate engine by wrench, not starter. If water has been there for a while, one or more of the piston rings may be rusted into the cylinder walls. The starter will be indiscriminate in what it breaks free.

Hopefully, it's something else, so definitely check connections and battery. But the video definitely shows the symptoms of hydrolock.

Good luck.

Peter

Pete Meisinger · May 2, 2023

Everyone else has hit the nail on the head. It is either hydrolocked or an electrical problem. Usually if it electrical the "click" is not as substantial as yours sounds. Weak batteries and poor connections usually produce an anemic click.

I think you need to pull injectors, sometimes it is easier to pull glow plugs.

pete

Bmarler · May 3, 2023

A stuck starter can also produce that same hard sounding click. We’ll hope it’s something easy.

SteveK · May 3, 2023

OK, I will say it. An old school mechanic would use a ballpein hammer and tap various parts that could stick after lack of use.

In fact my current boat Westerbeke did exactly what OP describes during the mechanical survey. The seller already had a mechanic coming to investigate.
I asked the mechanic there doing the survey can he start the engine please. It was started and continues to start, the miracle taps. They should be started and ran several times a year whether needed or not. IMO

chiropaul · May 3, 2023

Check the fuel solenoid as well to make sure it's pulling in completely

sockeye · May 14, 2023

westerbeeke not starting

Your gen st has three sensors
Exhaust temerature sensor ,oil pressure sensor and water temperature sensor
To test if one of these is the problem
Remove the two wires attached to sensor

Take a pice of wore say 6 inches long and strip 1/2 inch from each end

attach wire to both sides of sensor and try to start engine
Do this ione by one

If it starts thats your problem .In a pinch use that wire until you get a new sensor !
Hope this helps
sockeye
north vancouver BC

SteveK · May 14, 2023

sockeye said:
Your gen st has three sensors
Exhaust temerature sensor ,oil pressure sensor and water temperature sensor
To test if one of these is the problem
Remove the two wires attached to sensor

Take a pice of wore say 6 inches long and strip 1/2 inch from each end

attach wire to both sides of sensor and try to start engine
Do this ione by one

If it starts thats your problem . In a pinch use that wire until you get a new sensor !
Hope this helps
sockeye
north vancouver BC

Can you explain what is the problem you found? You have removed the two wires going to sensor left loose I am guessing. and then a 6 inch is looped onto sensor, but nothing is reading the sensor.
Did you mean loop onto the wires coming to sensor to bypass and find which sensor is bad?

sockeye · May 15, 2023

Each sensor is connected by two male and female Marrs clips .Remove two wires with female clips attached .Take a piece of wire say 6 inches long and attach alligator clip to
each male Marrs clip that is on either end of the sensor
Do this on each sensor .If the sensor is bad .this will by pass sensor .If engine starts ,that is your problem.I can't explain this in technical language but any trouble shooting section of westerbeeke manual will. The most likely culprit is the sensor closest to the fan belt. Ours started promptlly when doing this and we kept wire on
(ie by passed sensor) until we got a new one from Dealer in Nanaimo
Hope this helps
ron
North Vancouver BC
PS liked your (SteveK) post re Starlink map .We are installing one now

twistedtree · May 15, 2023

sockeye said:
Each sensor is connected by two male and female Marrs clips .Remove two wires with female clips attached .Take a piece of wire say 6 inches long and attach alligator clip to
each male Marrs clip that is on either end of the sensor
Do this on each sensor .If the sensor is bad .this will by pass sensor .If engine starts ,that is your problem.I can't explain this in technical language but any trouble shooting section of westerbeeke manual will. The most likely culprit is the sensor closest to the fan belt. Ours started promptlly when doing this and we kept wire on
(ie by passed sensor) until we got a new one from Dealer in Nanaimo
Hope this helps
ron
North Vancouver BC
PS liked your (SteveK) post re Starlink map .We are installing one now

I think you mean that you are shorting the two wires that connect to the sensor, not shorting across the sensor terminals with the wires removed. The later would do nothing.

sockeye · May 15, 2023

Tanglewood

twistedtree said:
I think you mean that you are shorting the two wires that connect to the sensor, not shorting across the sensor terminals with the wires removed. The later would do nothing.

You may well be correct.All i am saying is when we had the same problem this is what we did to troubleshoot problem and our genny satrted so we knew it was the sensor.Kept the wire with Alligator clips on terminals until we got another sensor.

Not sure of technical language as i said. Just letting him know how we solved the problem

SteveK · May 15, 2023

twistedtree said:
I think you mean that you are shorting the two wires that connect to the sensor, not shorting across the sensor terminals with the wires removed. The later would do nothing.

I wish I would have worded it like that. "Bypass the sensor" and if it starts the sensor is the problem.

High Wire · May 16, 2023

Any update on this?

Westerbeke not starting

alambrix

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High Wire

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DrissZougari

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tiltrider1

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TowLou

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mvweebles

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Pete Meisinger

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Bmarler

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SteveK

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chiropaul

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sockeye

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SteveK

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sockeye

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twistedtree

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sockeye

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SteveK

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High Wire

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