Weird Ignition System Issue

[Dan_A]

I discovered my ignition problem was due to a faulty run switch I didnt notice was there. The remaining issues I'm experiencing likely are no longer relevant to this thread.

Starter comes on cranks for about half a second then clanks a bunch and voltage drops to about 6 volts. I have it hooked up to the battery of a running car so I'd imagine power supplied is enough. Bad connection somewhere?

 

[alldodge]

1 - 73 5 - 30
2 - 73 6 - 40
3 - 100 7 - 95
4 - 100 8 - 100

I hope your gauge is bad because you should be seeing at least 100 or more for a almost worn motor. A new motor would be 150. Below 100 it won't hadley run at at all

Starter comes on cranks for about half a second then clanks a bunch and voltage drops to about 6 volts. I have it hooked up to the battery of a running car so I'd imagine power supplied is enough. Bad connection somewhere?

A bad connection maybe, but my guess with clanks is something is broke. If the outdrive is still attached to the boat, remove it and try again. If the drive is off, then I think you need to pull the motor and maybe rebuild

 

[Dan_A]

The clanking sounds like the solenoid throwing in and out as voltage drops then comes back. It was my first time doing a compression test so it's certainly possible I got bad readings considering the boat ran not long ago. But it seems to be a fairly straightforward process. I did wet test it and the numbers increased by 10-15 psi per cylinder

 

[alldodge]

Assuming your gauge screws into each cylinder and gauge holds pressure until the release button is pressed on the gauge

Throttle at wide open, all plugs removed, gauge attached and crank motor over at least 4 compression cycles for each cylinder. Starter needs to crank the motor over at decent rate, like 300 rpm

If you did it close to that, then I'm seeing a motor rebuild is needed

 

[Dan_A]

With the starting issues it wasnt cranking very fast at all so here's to holding hope that could be the problem. I did possibly find oil in the water on the side with the 2 really low cylinders which makes me think possible head gasket.

but when I noticed there was water in the block at all it concerned me. We are up north, if that water froze the loss of compression could very well be a cracked block right?

 

[alldodge]

Correct

 

[Dan_A]

I sincerely appreciate your help, i'll try a new battery tomorrow and see if I can get it cranking properly.... my gut is telling me it's a large paperweight

 

[Dan_A]

Got her running on starter fluid with a new battery. No water flow with the boat running on muffs. Will start a new thread in a more applicable category.

answer to the original question on this thread: make sure your run/off switch is in working order.

 

[Dan_A]

A long overdue update.

starter issue ended up being a switch below the throttle that wasn’t in the “run” position. I didn’t know it existed. All cylinders read 120 for compression

 

[poconojoe]

A long overdue update.

starter issue ended up being a switch below the throttle that wasn’t in the “run” position. I didn’t know it existed. All cylinders read 120 for compression

If you are referring to the emergency lanyard kill switch, the engine will still crank with it in the off position, it just won't start.
At least that's how mine is.
Unless yours is somehow different, you can crank all day and it will seem to almost want to start. It will crank and cough, but won't start.
I dont know how that switch being off would have been the problem.

 

[poconojoe]

-Checked power to the ignition and noticed something odd. so my thought is that somehow the polarity of the ignition switch has switched? It's now sending the negative side of the circuit therefore never closing the circuit and explaining why I read no power there.

You were probably getting a false reading or better explained as reading through a load or device. That senario will resemble an actual ground, but really just reading through a load of some type.
If you would have disconnected the wire from the load side of the ignition switch, the one going to the solenoid, that false reading would have most likely gone away.

 

[Dan_A]

You were probably getting a false reading or better explained as reading through a load or device. That senario will resemble an actual ground, but really just reading through a load of some type.
If you would have disconnected the wire from the load side of the ignition switch, the one going to the solenoid, that false reading would have most likely gone away.

This fix was found back in 2019 at the time of the original post but once Covid hit I lost access to the boat so my memory of how exactly the switch was wired isn’t the best. However, I do remember the moment I flipped it to run the engine cranked. If memory serves, the ignition switch ran directly into the “run” switch so that’s why I wasn’t getting any voltage at the ignition.

I now see that I did update that part of the post back in 2019. I also replaced the ignition switch, slave solenoid, battery, and the starter. All was good after those were replaced. Low compression numbers were due to the starter hardly being able to turn the engine.

I’ve been working on the hull structure since I got the boat back. Once I get all that done I’ll be back to the engine

 

[poconojoe]

This fix was found back in 2019 at the time of the original post but once Covid hit I lost access to the boat so my memory of how exactly the switch was wired isn’t the best. However, I do remember the moment I flipped it to run the engine cranked. If memory serves, the ignition switch ran directly into the “run” switch so that’s why I wasn’t getting any voltage at the ignition.

I now see that I did update that part of the post back in 2019. I also replaced the ignition switch, slave solenoid, battery, and the starter. All was good after those were replaced. Low compression numbers were due to the starter hardly being able to turn the engine.

I’ve been working on the hull structure since I got the boat back. Once I get all that done I’ll be back to the engine

Oh, I hadn't realized the post was from a couple years ago.
Hope all is good.