Engine starting issues

[Dirty Dawg]

Hello all, been away for a while, no not prison, good tho see everyone is mostly still here. Need some help, ran into a problem today when I went to winterize the boat. Had some trouble starting the engine. Had to really push the throttle down, the engine would rev up heavily and stall in about a second or two. Finally after trying a few times I got her started. Engine started right up after it warmed up. I changed the oil and filter and went to restart it and again the same thing happened again.

Again, the engine would run for approx 1 second and would stop. This time I could not get it to restart no matter how long I tried.

I am wondering if the lanyard safety switch could be bad. It seems to me that when th switch is off and you try to start the engine it does a similar pattern. Although I cannot be certain, is there any simple way of bypassing the safety switch w/o disconnecting the throttle? How does the lanyard switch stop the engine from running?

The boat had a similar problem toward the end of the season, but again after a while it stated and then the season ended before I could come to a conclusion if there was an issue.

What do you all think? If it is not the lanyard safety switch what else could I look for? There is spark at the coil and at the plugs , I see a blue spark, not sure it it is strong enough since I have nothing to compare it to. When I turn the key I hear the fuel pump turn on and I can see gas fuel being shot into the carb, But I do not know if it continues to feed fuel.

Need to get her going to finish my winterization so any help or ideas would be appreciated!!!!
She is a :
2000 210 Sea Ray Sundeck
5.0L Mercruiser Alpha One Gen II

Thanks Again ike

 

[Don S]

Re: Engine starting issues

To check your lanyard kill switch, just turn the ign. key to the run position, then check to see if you have power to the + terminal on your coil. If not, check the ignition switch with the key in the run position, there should be power on the purple wire, which puts power to the coil.

Have you checked to see if you are getting fuel? Does your electric fuel pump work?

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Engine starting issues

Hello Don , thanks for the quick reply!!!. I updated the original post about fuel, (When I turn the key I hear the fuel pump turn on and I can see gas fuel being shot into the carb, But I do not know if it continues to feed fuel )

Here is what I found uisng a meter as you suggested, mind you it is dark her know. When hooked to the coil , with the key in "run" position, there is aprox 2.6 volts with the lanyard on, and .37 volts with the lanyard in the off position. When I went right to the key switch, the purple wire had approx 10.6 volts regardless of the lanyard being on or off.

Sorry didn't fully understand your post, so I'm not sure what these readings mean. Greatly appreciate if you can interpret them for me and what to look for next. Although unfortunately, it may need to wait for tomorrow. Thanks again for your quick response and any additional info would be greatly appreicated. Ike

 

[Don S]

Re: Engine starting issues

I updated the original post about fuel, (When I turn the key I hear the fuel pump turn on and I can see gas fuel being shot into the carb, But I do not know if it continues to feed fuel )

Now we have a problem. First of all, the pump on a carbed engine doesn't run when you turn the key on, only when you crank the engine when starting.
How can you see fuel being shot into the carb???? The fuel pump only fills the bowl, has nothing to do with the accelerator pump.
Are you sure you have a carbed engine ? Sure it's not TBI ?
Even with TBI, you shouldn't see gas go into the throttle body by turning the key to run.

Post a serial number for your engine.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Engine starting issues

Sorry Don, My limited typing and mechanical skills are interfering with my ability to communicate. Let me try to clarify. The fuel I see is swirtiing in when I push on the throttle, this is how I am assuming I am getting gas to the carb, which by the way it is definitely is a carbed engine. I think I here the pump running for a few seconds when I try to start and crank the engine, although the engine is cranking and making it hard to hear. Again a assumption of mine.

What about my reading do they make sense? Should I have only 2.6 volts at the coil?

Serial number OL643359. Thanks again Don!!!!!!!

 

[Don S]

Re: Engine starting issues

What about my reading do they make sense? Should I have only 2.6 volts at the coil?

Depends on how you checked the voltage.
with your meter, put the black test lead to a good ground. (NOT the - terminal on the coil) and ther red lead on the + terminal of the coil. You should read close to battery voltage.

You don't hear the pump run and really shouldn't hear it at all when cranking unless you have your ear on the pump. THey don't make that much noise, unless there is a problem.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Engine starting issues

Don, definitely may have not been a good voltage check. Couldn't really figure out where to find a good ground. Wound up going to the arrestor retaining bolt and may have not gotten a good read. Do these readings indicate a working lanyard switch? How does the lanyard switch work? Does it simply cut off the key switches connection? Should there be any voltage at all when the lanyad switch is off?

What suggestions do you have other than retaking the volt readings that I can do to track down the problem?

If there was a fuel flow issue, would I still be getting fuel when the accelerator pump is activited by the throttle after many attempts?

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Would prefer not to leave the boat like this for the winter. If I have to, can I still attempt to fog it with simply turning the engine wth the starter or will that not spread the fogging oil very much?

Thank you.... Ike

 

[Don S]

Re: Engine starting issues

If you aren't sure about your ground for the meter, hook it directy to the negative battery terminal. Use a jumper wire if necessary.
A quick test would be to hook a jumper wire from the Positive battery terminal to the + terminal on the coil and see if it starts and runs. If it does, then you have a problem with the power to the coil.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Engine starting issues

Thank you Don, will restest the volts and try to jump it to the coil and see what happens tomorrow AM. How do I know for sure which is the positive and negative on the coil? Is iy marked, ahrd to see back ther? Is it the only one that will have any voltage to it?

As always in your debt!!! Ike

 

[poorguy]

Re: Engine starting issues

You may also want to check your Distributor Cap and Rotor. I was having problem starting engine after my last trip, a quick clean with sand paper and it started right up. I will replace all on my next tune-up. Good luck.

Tony

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Engine starting issues

Tony, good advise, will clean/replace at next recommisioning.

Don, this morning I went out there with my meter, cleared some of my engine protector that I coat the engine with, dug those probes in and sure enough a little under 12 volts at the coil dropping down to .36 volts with the lanyard switch in the off position. Repeated it a few times and it was the same every time.

Well stuck the key in and she fired right up on the very first try. Great but confused. Cannot have this happen on the water, reliability is everything to me. I do not go far but I boat for FUN and being stuck is not.

Was able to winterize her and I guess will dig into this next year. A similar thing happened once before and after 20 minutes it started right up. It did not sound flooded to me in that it would instantly start and run for 1-2 seconds and abruptly stop, no sputtering at all.

The only other thing was that the key switch wiring had got tightly twisted on itself, The lock had gotten loss and I tightened it, but did not realize that it had spun around. I undid it this morning before starting the boat. Maybe a lose connection?


As always thank you all, especailly Don for all your help.I am sure I will be back with this next spring!!!!!!!! IKE

 

[Don S]

Re: Engine starting issues

The only other thing was that the key switch wiring had got tightly twisted on itself, The lock had gotten loss and I tightened it, but did not realize that it had spun around. I undid it this morning before starting the boat. Maybe a lose connection?

I think you may have found your problem, but you haven't fixed it.
See you in the spring. But it sure sounds like a winter project to me.

 

[Dirty Dawg]

Re: Engine starting issues

I wish I could make the whole boat a winter project, but, the house is under a major renovation and it gets cold around here to work outside. So the boat gets wrapped up tight for the winter. Too much grief to open and close it even on nice days. So it will wait till next spring I am afraid. Again my thanks for your help and wisdom.

Ike
P.S.: sorry for all my bad grammar, poor speller and a worse typist!!!

 

[Don S]

Re: Engine starting issues

the house is under a major renovation

Sounds like you have enough projects for the winter