1996 Faststrike 175 wont start after x hours of use

ddakota

Seaman Apprentice
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Jul 11, 2009
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96 model J175GLEDB - motor runs great, cold start is simple and fast, fires right up. Complete tune up, plugs, Carbs were rebuilt, new thermostats, water pump, new power pack, new coils, rectifier, full check up done in May and it has been running great

fast forward to July-August, Last 4 times on the bay, leave at daylight and fish for hours in different spots with no issues, motor fires up and starts everytime with simple key turn.. Fast forward to middle of the day, Run 15 - 30 minutes to a new location, fish for 30 - 60 minutes, get ready to move, motor will not start. Turn the key, it spins fine, will not fire up. go through the normal start procedure again - Check fuel bulb made sure its tight, hit the choke button quickly, nothing works. Try advancing throttle in neutral so it opens the carbs up to allow more air flow if its flooded...nothing. Crank on it for 10-15 minutes, nothing. Wait an hour and half, turn the key and it fires right up.

I have had it in the shop 2x this month for this, mechanic put new starter in, checked timing, still did it, they are scratching their heads. They even swapped out the power pack free thinking maybe the new one had a glitch.

Now with the Texas heat, it is acting up in the middle of the day. Im gun shy to go out. Ive been towed back to landing 2x, get it home and it fires right up. They have not been able to duplicate this in the shop. I'm at a loss. I dont know if its an electrical issue (which seems doubtful as its all new) or a fuel issue - is it flooding - or is it not getting fuel.

Curios to see if anyone else has seen this. I searched the archives and found some similar threads, but each solution offered has been tried.
 

Joe Reeves

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Feb 24, 2002
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Re: 1996 Faststrike 175 wont start after x hours of use

Your third paragraph...."I have had it in the shop 2x this month for this, mechanic put new starter in, checked timing, still did it, they are scratching their heads. They even swapped out the power pack free thinking maybe the new one had a glitch."

The part about the mechanic replacing the starter... are you speaking of the actual electric starter that engages and cranks the engine, or the "Stator" that is located under the flywheel which is the beginning of the charging and ignition system?

The reason I ask..... The stator under the flywheel can be checked visually for a meltdown. Look closely at it. If there is any cracks and/or a sticky substance dripping down on the timer base and powerhead area, that would result in a AC voltage drop to the powerpack. Should this condition exist, replace the stator. Check the resistance of the stator with an ohm meter between the Brown wire and the Brown/Yellow wire. Check for whatever the proper readings should be in your service manual. If you have no manual, your local library may have one.

This beginning of a stator failure, when the stator is cooled down somewhat, will function normally (charging, ignition, spark = ok), however when hot, a voltage drop to the powerpack capacitor results leading to intermittent spark and eventually no ignition/spark.
 

ddakota

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Re: 1996 Faststrike 175 wont start after x hours of use

Yes, the starter motor that spins. We visually checked the stator when we replaced the power pack, rectifier, coils and optical sensor this spring. It appeared fine, no dripping, coils good, etc. my mechanic and i were thinking the same thing, stator going bad. But if it is the stator, why not do it when its running?
 

Joe Reeves

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Re: 1996 Faststrike 175 wont start after x hours of use

But if it is the stator, why not do it when its running?

Eventually that is what would take place if it is the stator.

But for the present time, if it is the stator, it does not get hot enough to cause the failure until the engine is shut down because the failure is in the beginning stage. The hood is on and all of the engine heat rises as the water drains out of the crankcase, rising up as high as it can go to the flywheel and stator area, and this cause the stator to fail intermittently.

I'm not saying that this is your problem BUT this is how the stator acts when it just starts to fail.
 
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ddakota

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Re: 1996 Faststrike 175 wont start after x hours of use

that makes sense.......... and everything points to this. 17 years and other than a VRO replacement and a power pack replacement this is the first year it has had serious problems. I had some problems last year and spent lots of time chasing it down, suspecting it was the power pack but did not want to spend the money till I could confirm, eventually replaced the power pack and cured it all. That CDI power pack developed a miss at midrange RPMs this spring, so sent it back and they sent a new one. If my next one lasts 17 years before I have to spend serious money on it, I'll buy that motor any day. I can spring for a new stator and this thing will be like new again.

Thanks for the insight - my mechanic and I suspected this. Now I have a 2nd opinion and will install a new stator. My mechanic is willing to install a new stator and see if it cures it, if so - charge, if not, put the old one back and no charge.
 

Joe Reeves

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Re: 1996 Faststrike 175 wont start after x hours of use

My mechanic is willing to install a new stator and see if it cures it, if so - charge, if not, put the old one back and no charge.

My friend.... you have a "Mechanic!" That type mechanic does not come around too often. I suggest you treat him right... and I'm sure you do. I've always treated my customers like that when encountering mind boggling intermittent problems as I felt that I was in a learning stage also.
 

ddakota

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Re: 1996 Faststrike 175 wont start after x hours of use

yes I do... he is great and I treat him right. Stracks Marine in Houston is the best! I will post results adter we swap out and check it. Thank you again for the response.
 

ddakota

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Messages
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Re: 1996 Faststrike 175 wont start after x hours of use

Resolution - finally duplicated the problem in the shop - the Optical Sensor was bad. Stator was not the issue. Weired, ran great, but once it got hot and sat for a while, it would not work. Let it cool down, it worked.

Replaced it and could not duplicate the problem , motor started everytime. Put the old one back in, ran it to get hot, sit ....no fire..... Put the new one back in, fires right up everytime.
 

Joe Reeves

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Feb 24, 2002
Messages
13,262
Re: 1996 Faststrike 175 wont start after x hours of use

Glad to hear that you solved the problem.... those intermittent problems will drive a person insane. My mind also considered the optical sensor but held off on mentioning it as I've never known one to be intermittent.
 
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