1991 Bayliner Capri Starting issues in the water

bnh610

Recruit
Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
2
Hey everyone new boat owner here. I am having a weird problem. 1st off the boat runs amazing and have no issues at idle or running. The boat was purchased from a family member and always maintained by the marina. Motor has under 250hrs on it since new 1 owner. The issue I am having is before I head out I always start the boat at home with flush cups. The boat always fires up within 2-3 secs but the motor seems like its having a hard time turning over. When I put it in the water starting it is even harder. I seems like the motor barley wants to turn! I get like 3 slow cranks and a pause then 3 more. I purchased a brand new Everstart 24MS Battery. I metered it at 12.9VDC. 625 CC amps. I am not sure why it is so much easier to start out of the water then in. I'm not sure the battery is enough or if there is another issue. I checked the manual and it say minimum CC amps is 325. For a small 3.1 Merc I would think it should crank Pretty fast and not so slow. To me it seems like it is having a hard time starting cause it is not turning over fast enough, Any help would be great. Alpha outdrive FYI
 

tpenfield

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 18, 2011
Messages
17,621
:welcome: . . . to iBoats.

​Is the outdrive in the full up position when you are trying to start the engine? IF so, try bring it down a bit . . . keeping enough ground clearance, but somewhat straight rather that tilted up. The u-joint and gimbal bearing may not like the full-up position for starting/running.
 

bnh610

Recruit
Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
2
Outdrive is all the way down both times. Only thing I can find on the internet is Starter Lag. Where the starter brushes get dirty causing a bad ground.
 

QBhoy

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 10, 2016
Messages
8,286
Presumably there isn't water ingestion to the cylinders causing a hydraulic lock ?
Pulling the plugs and having a look or cranking would confirm. Water in oil might also.
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
Take off all your battery cables(including the connection at the block) and clean them until they are shiny. Make sure all the crimp connectors at the ends of the cables are good and the cable going into the connector is not corroded. This will eliminate any voltage drops you may be having. If that doesn't solve your issue, measure the voltage drop between the battery and the terminal after the starter solenoid while cranking. This will show if the solenoid has bad contacts.

If all that shows good or fails to correct, a new starter may be in order.
 
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