Need help once again! 96 Four Winns Horizon 4.3L Volvo Penta. I docked my boat on Wednesday after work and after getting my lines setup and everything, I took it out for a 30-60 minute ride, got gas and went home. Today I went down to take the boat out with a couple friends and when i went to start it, nothing happened. I checked that the emergency shut off was attached correctly and that the shift lever was in neutral. We still had no luck so we ran home, grabbed a battery jumper and a multi-meter. When we got back down, we tried to jump start it but still no luck. We used the multi-meter and made sure the battery does have a full charge. My friend who was with me looked on his phone and someone with a similar boat was having a problem with their boat not starting. We tried bypassing the emergency shut off but didn't have the tools to do anything else. Whenever I turn the key, we can hear the engine priming but the starter is not cranking. Does anyone have any suggestion on what to look at? I don't know a whole lot about engines or this type of thing but my friend was an automotive mechanic for a few years and knows his way around a car. Thanks.
So it wasn't cranking at all??? If that is the case, I would check the wire that runs from the battery to the starter. It can corrode on the inside. That is where I would start.
Friends Volvo did the same thing. It turned out the starter needed replaced. You could try tapping it with a hammer while trying to turn it over. Maybe some corrosion locked it up. If it works, it would need replaced as it would like be on its way out. But first, I would check the wiring like stated above.
My mechanically inclined friend and I should be heading down tomorrow (Thursday) after work to hopefully figure this thing out. He has a pack of tools ready to go and I'm going to grab what I can fit in my trunk along with a full cooler if anyone is around and wants to stop by and take a look.
I had a chance to mess with it this past weekend but no luck. After disconnecting and removing the battery, I tried connecting a jumper box to the motor mount and the starter and it did absolutley nothing. It didn't even make the buzzing sound that it made before. I also removed the starter, took it home and tested it. It worked fine connected to the jumper box so I put it back in. I'm back to where I was last week with the buzz but no crank.
I should also mention that on Thursday, we took the solenoid (or relay, not sure) off the fuel pump and tried to start it. We did not hear it priming but there is still something else buzzing whenever I turn the key.
Start with Basics, Take the spark plug wire off and with a spare plug ground it. Crank the key.
If there is spark you have a gas problem, if you DONT have spark you check your landard if you have one.
Since his engine doesn't CRANK over you will never have spark.
Get a test light and see if you have voltage at the BIG heavy cable at starter. The do the same while you hold the key in the start mode for the lighter wires on the starter and it should light.
Going down hopefully tomorrow or maybe Wednesday. I remembered last year when i bought the boat, the dealer was having trouble with what I think was the starter relay (not the one attached to the starter, the one hidden behind the cover with the two breakers). I was able to track one down online for $20 so I'm going to put that in. My manual has a step by step for testing the one I had but it didn't make any sense to me. I have tried pushing on the breakers about as hard as I can and they didn't move, so I don't think they were tripped. I've also taken a mutli meter to the starter to read the voltage that it is getting. It's getting about 12.23. I haven't been able to check it while the key was being turned but my neighbor had a remote cable I connected from the battery to the signal terminal on the starter and it still didn't do anything.
Call it a miracle or call it a good starter relay gone bad but after installing the new relay, realizing I killed the battery last time I was down and grabbing my jumper box, she started right up! I took her out for about an hour to let the battery charge and see how it ran, making sure to stay upstream and not to shut the engine down. When I got back to the dock, I shut it off for a minute then started it back up no problem. I took the battery home and threw it on the charger just to be sure it's good to go. I will probably head back down tomorrow after work to put the battery back in and see if it starts ok.
Thanks to everyone for all their advice. Here is a link to the website where I bought the relay, a lot of people it my google search results had trouble finding them so if anyone comes across this, here you go. http://www.rallylights.com/
Not starting
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Originally Posted by Steelerguy
