Engine not starting.

[waldo271]

Hey guys,
I need some advice,
I have a 210ss wellcraft with a 5.7 LX EFI mercuries engine. For the last 5 months, I've been working on redoing the transom as it was rotten.
I finally put the engine and drive back on a few days ago and I fired the engine for about 5 seconds just to make sure it runs and it did. I mean it started like it was brand new.
Today I decided I want to run the engine for a while so I connected water hose to it and started it, again, fired right away, but water never came back out. I probably waited for about a min before I decided I should turn it off before I damage something. I kept an eye on the temp to make sure it doesn't over heat.
I checked all the hoses and they were fine with no leaks. Fired it up again but still no water coming out.
During the second run, I noticed the engine started stalling a bit so I turned it off.
After that, it never started again, all it does is click then nothing.
There is only one thing that I can think of. Could it be the shutter in the Y pip that didn't let the water come out?
But again, when I was re- installing the engine, it was open.
Please give me some ideas.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Engine not starting.

Sure there was oil in the engine?Is the impeller in good condition. shutters should have no bearing on water exiting the engine.

 

[riptorn]

Re: Engine not starting.

Can you turn the engine over by hand to see if it is seized? Check oil for water.

 

[waldo271]

Re: Engine not starting.

Oil is good. Honestly have no idea about the impeller. Boat ran perfectly fine before I had to take the engine and drive out to do the transom.

 

[waldo271]

Re: Engine not starting.

hey guys,
I just found something new. The distributor cap has a bad crack on it and one of the connectors is almost completely broken off.
Could that cause the engine not starting? or was it that I ran the engine too long with no water?
I am sure the engine temp never went up. when I turned off the engine the last time it actually started, the engine was only warm. it was never hot.

 

[riptorn]

Re: Engine not starting.

The engine will be alright, just that impeller might heat up without water.
Did you get it to turn over?

 

[waldo271]

Re: Engine not starting.

not yet honestly.
had to go back into work but I was looking at some pictures that I took earlier today after I cleaned the engine and that's when I noticed the big crack on the distributor cap.

 

[fat fanny]

Re: Engine not starting.

Yes the dizzy fracture can cause starting issues (probably happened when re-installing the engine) I would most definately check your lower ends impellar for heat damage most likely cause of water circulation or lack there of. Good Luck!

 

[waldo271]

Re: Engine not starting.

ok hopefully tomorrow I will check the impeller.
Can I just disconnect the lower part only or the outdrive or do I have to take the whole thing off the boat and then disconect the lower part?
I should mention, I have only been working with boats for about 6 months do don't laugh at my questions .

 

[waldo271]

Re: Engine not starting.

so does this mean that the cause for the engine not starting is the distributor cap?
and the cause for the water not coming back out is the impeller?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Engine not starting.

ok hopefully tomorrow I will check the impeller.
Can I just disconnect the lower part only or the outdrive or do I have to take the whole thing off the boat and then disconect the lower part?
I should mention, I have only been working with boats for about 6 months do don't laugh at my questions .

Ayuh,.... Pull the Whole drive, 'n see if the motor turns over....

Maybe there's no oil in the drive 'n it's seized, causin' the motor not to turn over...

 

[waldo271]

Re: Engine not starting.

OK so finally back from work.
Tried turning the engine and it turns, thank god.
after chatting with the wife, who was helping me at the time this issue happened, the problem happened as follow,
After I fired it up the first time, it started quick and sounded great. a few seconds after, a continuous beep went off. this is the same beep that goes off when you turn the key in the first position but what was weird is that it started a few seconds after the engine was already running.
after waiting for about a min, no water came out.
turned the engine off, checked everything then started it again. noticed engine was stalling a bit but nothing bad. Beep went off again.
still no water coming out so I turned off the engine again.
did a few things then I tried again. Beep went off again a few seconds after engine was on, no water and engine was stalling even more now. tried to give it a lil more gas but the stalling was getting worse.
turned it off again.
a while after, tried to run the engine again but nothing. click then nothing.
I should mention, before all this happens, I used a degreaser on the engine to clean it up a bit.
maybe I used too much and it went into the coil and or the distributor?

didn't check the impeller yet because I'm waiting until tomorrow or the day after when I have more time during the day

Any thoughts?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Engine not starting.

Ayuh,.... Change the impeller,... 'ell, get the full pump rebuild kit....

Then clean the battery cables,... Both cables, Both ends, Shiney metal clean, 'n try it...

 

[riptorn]

Re: Engine not starting.

Hey. Replace the Dist cap

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Engine not starting.

Engine Alarm sounding ....
High Block Temperature. (Not to likely!)
Low Oil Pressure. (More Likely!)

Engine sits awhile... Oil pools in pan.
Engine starts. Oil pressure comes up. Alarm Stops.
Pan runs out of oil. Pressure drops. Alarm Sounds.
Have you checked your oil level?

Engine starts a couple of times and then.... Click!
Is your battery on the verge of being dead.
You keep starting it without ever running it long enough to charge the battery.

By "Click" I assume that you mean the start solenoid clicks, but the starter does not crank the engine.
That would have nothing to do with the Dist Cap.

An almost dead battery and misfiring while running could indicate the alternator has no output.
Or just a bad distributor cap!

My 6 cents!

 

[waldo271]

Re: Engine not starting.

hey guys,
engine is finally starting after playing with the battery terminals. it does not run all the way to idle.
I'm thinking that it's a problem with not enough fuel getting to the carb. off course after bring out of the boat for about 4 months, maybe some dirt got into the lines or carb.

here is what I checked,
Sterndrive oil: GOOD and turns
engine oil: GOOD and turns
dist cap: cracked and definitely needs changed.
battery terminals: Needs cut and changed.
carb: looks dirty so I'm thinking of rebuilding it.
fuel filter: had a dent on one side and have no idea when it was last changed so Im changing it. bought the boat a year ago so have no idea what the history is.
Couldn't check the impeller but planning on getting the water pump kit and get it replaced.

So what I'm thinking is, after I ran it the first time, it fired up perfectly and then maybe the dirt started to build up and less fuel was getting to the carb so engine started stalling.
then that's when the battery terminals problem started to occur.
oh and I have an oil container right above the fuel and water separator filter. is that for the sterndrive oil?
anyway, I have a leak in that container and oil was low so I'm assuming that this is the reason for the alarm sounding.

 

[Don S]

Re: Engine not starting.

Do you have a Mercruiser serial number for you engine? You don't have a carb, if you have EFI but there are also several versions of that as well. What drive? And what year is your boat?

Yes, you need to fix your know problems before you try to troubleshoot new ones.

 

[waldo271]

Re: Engine not starting.

My boat is 1996 and the engine is a 1997, if remember correctly, 5.7LX EFI with a carb. I am sure because I was trying to clean it up a bit today hahaha.
drive is alpha one gen II

 

[Bondo]

Re: Engine not starting.

oh and I have an oil container right above the fuel and water separator filter. is that for the sterndrive oil?
anyway, I have a leak in that container and oil was low so I'm assuming that this is the reason for the alarm sounding.

Ayuh,.... Yes, that's the drives oil....

here is what I checked,
Sterndrive oil: GOOD and turns in the quote above you say it's Low, which is it,..?? Change it for fresh, inspectin' the drained for metal, or other contaminants...
engine oil: GOOD and turns
dist cap: cracked and definitely needs changed. I'd consider a full tune up is in order...
battery terminals: Needs cut and changed. Don't forget, wires have 2 ends...
carb: looks dirty so I'm thinking of rebuilding it. like Don says, ya don't have 1...
fuel filter: had a dent on one side and have no idea when it was last changed so Im changing it. bought the boat a year ago so have no idea what the history is. Ayuh,... wise decision...
Couldn't check the impeller but planning on getting the water pump kit and get it replaced. Absolutely, priority #1...

 

[Don S]

Re: Engine not starting.

It's not a carb, it's probably a throttle body. Still need the serial number, look for a tag riveted to the block just above the starter. A digital camera works wonders if you can't see it.