4th of July Boating Issue (Volvo Penta)

LarsonKid

Cadet
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
7
So I was on my boat this weekend for the first time (1998 Larson Flyer Jet with Volvo Penta 4.3GS) and I encountered some weird issues. First off I just got this boat a week and a half ago, so I don't know much history about it, other then it has a new/rebuild motor with only 5 hours on it. Anyway.. the previous owners didn't used it for the last two seasons. Now, we were out on the pond and it was running pretty well.. We stopped for about 10-15 minutes and were just listening to the radio and then the radio shut off and we couldn't start the engine. So I figured the battery died, even though it was a newer battery and was fully charged. So whatever, a buddy of mine was out on the water so he tried to jump us and nothing. Gauges weren't moving, no blower, no crank.. nothing. So he started to tow us back to the dock and I start looking around and checking for a loose connection or something and didn't find anything. Tried again to start and nothing. A few minutes later just for the heck of it I tried to start it and it turned right over?!! So I tell him to untie and I will drive it back to the dock, about another minute later it dies again. Same thing no power at all. After another couple of minutes it started up and I could only put it in drive to drive it back to the dock, any throttle and it would die out. My question is what the heck happened? To just completely die while just sitting in the bay and to start again 15 minutes later? I did order a new fuel/water separator and plugs/wires that come in tomorrow which might explain the cutting out when giving throttle (mixed with the old fuel/oil in the engine.) Any suggestions to what happened would be great. All grounds seem to be good also
 

PatinIdaho

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 7, 2014
Messages
405
Well it certainly sounds like a electrical problem.
Do you have a Main battery switch, Main electrical breaker, Bad battery connection, Ignition switch?. It something like that, that is not letting the battery power anything. Re check all your grounds also!
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
Check all your connections. At the battery, starter both negative and positive leads. Take them all off and clean to bare metal and replace.
 

Augoose

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
1,220
X2.....sounds very much like a loose connection
 

LarsonKid

Cadet
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
7
Thanks everyone, I am going to look at all my connections this week and will see if I come up with anything. I just put the starter in and all those wires were in good shape and battery terminal is clean, as well as the wires. Thinking maybe something with ignition or ground! Thanks and I'll post back when I get a chance to look at it.
 

dypcdiver

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Nov 1, 2005
Messages
1,016
I had a battery isolator switch which would not allow me to start the engine unless I gave it a flick although it was showing full voltage. Any load made the internal contacts arch. I Replaced it.
 
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