Started fine, turned off, then won't start again. circuit breaker clicks.

[jimh1626]

Hello All,

This is a 1988 Wellcraft 21' with a chevy 5.7 or 350 motor with 260 hp. This is a re-manufactured engine from a manufacturer that was installed by me last summer. It has maybe 10 hours on it.

I was going to take the boat out in the bay to watch fireworks with the family last night. I was cleaning it out and the distributor got wet and it wouldn't fire. I dried it out and went to restart and the battery seemed low and not turning the motor as fast as it should. I hooked up a charger and let it charge a while. I tried to start and it started right up. I turned it off immediately because I had turned off the water to the muffs while I dried out the distributor.

I turned on the water and went to restart now all I get is a clicking noise in the circuit breaker, but the breaker is not tripped. I checked all the connection I could, battery terminals, I have 2 batteries. Wires to the starter as best I could and all the wires to the circuit breaker. I also checked the fuses behind the gauges in the cuddy cabin. This is so weird as it was running perfect before I turned it off. We take it out maybe once a month and I start it once a week on muffs for 15 minutes to keep things flowing. Better it happened on land and not on the water at night I guess, but disappointing none the less. We watched fireworks from land last night with the other land lubbers.
Anyone have any suggestion I can try? My brother is an aircraft mechanic and is coming over Saturday to help, but I would like to fix it before then if I can.

Thanks in advance,

Jim

 

[Don S]

Re: Started fine, turned off, then won't start again. circuit breaker clicks.

Are you sure it's the circuit breaker clicking and not the slave solenoid?
Troubleshoot it like this. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=167035

 

[jimh1626]

Re: Started fine, turned off, then won't start again. circuit breaker clicks.

Thanks Don,

No I am not 100 percent sure, but I can feel it clicking there when someone tries to start it. I lost my test light in the move last year, but will go get another and run through the steps you provided.

Thanks for your time,

Jim

 

[jimh1626]

Re: Started fine, turned off, then won't start again. circuit breaker clicks.

Hey Don,

OK I got a continuity tester. I got a good ground and hooked it to terminal C of the slave solenoid and it blows the test light as soon as the key is turned to the start position. Bad solenoid or short somewhere?

Thanks,

Jim

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Started fine, turned off, then won't start again. circuit breaker clicks.

and hooked it to terminal C of the slave solenoid and it blows the test light as soon as the key is turned to the start position. Bad solenoid or short somewhere?

power to the small yellow/red wire is normal when key it turned to start.
12V test lights do not blow connected to 12V
shorting A and B should activate the starter,

 

[jimh1626]

Re: Started fine, turned off, then won't start again. circuit breaker clicks.

Thanks Bt,

I shorted those together and it still clicks. I also shorted B to C and that clicked also. When I short A and B without the key on it sparks if that makes a difference. Bad solenoid? or Short?

Thanks,

Jim

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Started fine, turned off, then won't start again. circuit breaker clicks.

it will spark because your trying to activate the main starting solenoid. A and B should operate the solenoid on the starter itself. If it dosent
then check the starter and/or solenoid .Be sure to follow Don`s advise in his link for testing.

 

[Don S]

Re: Started fine, turned off, then won't start again. circuit breaker clicks.

OK I got a continuity tester.

You do not want a continuity tester, you want a 12V test light. Not the same type tester.

 

[jimh1626]

Re: Started fine, turned off, then won't start again. circuit breaker clicks.

Thanks,

I'll check the starter saturday when I can get under the thing and have more time.

Jim