Engine not starting!

[Stu Jackson]

Check the fuse and fuseholder between the start button or key and the starter solenoid.

 

[lenseman]

. . . What terminals do I bridge to both get motor running and engaged?

All this help is much appreciated.

Another PM sent.

 

[earlybird]

The spade terminal needs 12v applied to it to engage the pinion. This should also energise the motor provided it has a healthy 12v from the battery to it's main terminal, and also a good -ve earth connection.

 

[Heckler]

Curious & curiouser.... Cleaned the battery terminals with no difference. Have also tried bridging the terminals on the starter. There is a motor which kicks in but not turning over the engine.

Does the starter have two motors in it? There is no play in the stater motor mounting so I can't see how it's not engaging with the engine itself.

ok if the motor turns but the solenoid doesnt kick the pinion in to engagement, it points to the solenoid sticking, the piston isnt moving or the coil has burned out (highly unlikely if it was working a few days ago)
stu

 

[sigmasailor]

Can you hand crank the engine?

 

[scruff]

I can hand crank the engine but have never been able to hand start it that way.

It does however prove the engine isn't siezed.

My gut feeling is that my charger at home never fully charged the battery as its only showing 12v on the multimeter. I have today reinstalled the solar panel amongst other wee jobs.

Hopefully when i get back out to the boat in a few weeks my batteries will be brimming and the engine will burst into life. Well I hope so anyway.

Luckily I am on a swinging mooring and rarely enter marinas so it shouldn't impede me too much.

 

[Playtime]

Might be a bit obvious but have you checked the water level in the battery? The charging could have boiled it off if you weren't using a smart charger.

 

[sigmasailor]

I guess that's it; a full battery should give you some 12.8 V; 12 V means just about empty. Don't you have a decompression lever so can get some momentum hand cranking and try to start it like that?

 

[ghostlymoron]

My gut feeling is that my charger at home never fully charged the battery as its only showing 12v on the multimeter. I have today reinstalled the solar panel amongst other wee jobs.

You'll be very lucky to start the engine with what is effectively a flat battery. It won't spin the engine fast enough to engage the starter pinion.
I left my batteries on charge all one winter with a so-called 'intelligent' charger from Halfords. The batteries were fried by the time I came to use them again and had to be replaced. Can you get a 'jump start' unit from somewhere? That might do the trick and get the engine started to re-charge your batteries. Hope they're not fried like mine. It certainly sounds like lack of volts is your problem.

 

[VicS]

It won't spin the engine fast enough to engage the starter pinion.

It is a pre-engage type of starter. With those its the solenoid that engages the pinion. It's only inertia types that rely on the spinning motor to engage the pinion.

When the main terminals ( one of which is connected directly to the motor's innards) of the solenoid are bridged it will spin the motor but the pinion will not be engaged with the engine.

The solenoid is operated when power is applied to the smaller spade terminal. The solenoid both closes the electrical contacts to energise the motor and moves the pinion into engagement with the ring gear.