Intermittent starting problem on Volvo MD2030.

[Safeseas]

Hi All, I would appreciate some feedback as I have an intermittent starting problem on my Volvo MD2030.

The engine is acting a bit strange. Sometimes it starts and sometimes it doesn't. The click from the starter/ignition switch is always heard at the starter motor solenoid even when it does not start. Upon the recommendation of the electrician we changed the relay ( the one with connections to the starter solenoid ) and also the relay located just before the fuse box ( as well as stuck well the relays in the fuse box ). For some time it started with no issues and infact I noticed that on starting the engine required less glow, After some time the intermittent starting issue came up again. Both the electrician and the mechanic told me that most probably it was a sticky starter issue. Hence I serviced both the starter motor as well as the alternator. The starter motor had the pinion part changed completely and was serviced; the alternator had some issues too thus worth the job.

However when I refitted all, at first the engine fired up quickly and then within a couple of minutes I re-tried starting it up again and it didn't start. The switch clicked at the starter solenoid but nothing happened.
After re-trying a bit later it started though. I also checked the starting battery and its confirmed that it's still ok.

Could it be a faulty ignition switch that although I hear the click it might not be sending enough electrical supply to start the starter motor. Could it be bad wiring as I'm thinking that it's more something electrical rather than mechanical.? The only item I did not replace is the earth relay that is located at the bottom part of the rhs of engine beneath the starter motor ( Not sure if this can be related to this issue )

Did anyone ever go through the same problem?...Appreciate your help Thanks.

 

[Boater Sam]

Sounds like a poor connection or low battery power. How old are the batteries? Check every connection from the battery through to the starter and back along the negative wires as well.

 

[Safeseas]

Hi Boater Sam, thanks for your reply. I took the starting battery and checked it out before re-fitting the starter motor. They told me its good enough to start the engine....was at 12.8v without charging it for a couple of days and they assured me it had enough cranking power. I don't know exactly how old the battery is ( as boat been at us from mid 2021 ) and it had no written date. I did not make a full load test to it either. The connections I had them checked out by an electrician and he did not mention any issues on that regard, however, it could be the case that there is something in the wiring.. Hopefully we find the culprit.

 

[tillergirl]

I had a bad connection on the 1-2-Both switch. I always used to start the 2030 using 'Both' - pure habit. Clunk only on the starter occasionally, sometimes nothing at all, sometime perfect starting. I found if I started on one battery absolutely no problem. The issue was one terminal in the battery switch when using 'Both'.:

P1040422 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr

P1040421 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr

New battery switch and everything was fine. No issue with the 2030, no issue with the starter, no issue with the batteries; just the battery switch. I hated the 1-2-Both switch but never bothered to change it until the problem occured.

It will be easy to check if you have a similar battery switch.

 

[Safeseas]

Hi tillergirl, thanks for your reply, I think we have different battery switches at bottom of stairs as per photo, there are 3 switches and a circuit breaker for anchor winch. The 3 switches are the + for Motor / + for House batteriies / and - ( negative ). I turn these 3 on before starting the engine.

1 battery ( the starting battery ) is isolated and is only for starting and we have other 2 batteries for services.

So do you think I should try to open the connections at these 3 battery switches and check the switches maybe there is an issue there? Thanks

 

[lustyd]

On my 2040 it was the connection of negative to the engine. Someone had neglected to remove the paint which meant that the starter wasn't seeing enough amps at the right voltage (Starter gets it's negative from the engine block). Do you get a good strong beep for several seconds when stopping the engine, or is it a weak/short beep?

 

[Safeseas]

Hi, thanks lustyd for your reply. I actually get no beep when turning off the engine . I just pull the lever at the bottom right hand corner and put it back in and the engine stops but no beep occurs. Not always but only when I put on the power on/off button, I hear a small beep. However as you mentioned the negative connection guess needs to be checked then. Thanks

 

[38mess]

I had a bad connection on the 1-2-Both switch. I always used to start the 2030 using 'Both' - pure habit. Clunk only on the starter occasionally, sometimes nothing at all, sometime perfect starting. I found if I started on one battery absolutely no problem. The issue was one terminal in the battery switch when using 'Both'.:

P1040422 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr

P1040421 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr

New battery switch and everything was fine. No issue with the 2030, no issue with the starter, no issue with the batteries; just the battery switch. I hated the 1-2-Both switch but never bothered to change it until the problem occured.

It will be easy to check if you have a similar battery switch.

I took this advice when I had the same problem with the same engine, it cured it.
Thanks

 

[Safeseas]

I took this advice when I had the same problem with the same engine, it cured it.
Thanks

Thanks for your reply ...noted.

 

[Safeseas]

I had a bad connection on the 1-2-Both switch. I always used to start the 2030 using 'Both' - pure habit. Clunk only on the starter occasionally, sometimes nothing at all, sometime perfect starting. I found if I started on one battery absolutely no problem. The issue was one terminal in the battery switch when using 'Both'.:

P1040422 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr

P1040421 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr

New battery switch and everything was fine. No issue with the 2030, no issue with the starter, no issue with the batteries; just the battery switch. I hated the 1-2-Both switch but never bothered to change it until the problem occured.

It will be easy to check if you have a similar battery switch.

Hi tillergirl, thanks for your reply, I think we have different battery switches at bottom of stairs as per photo, there are 3 switches and a circuit breaker for anchor winch. The 3 switches are the + for Motor / + for House batteriies / and - ( negative ). I turn these 3 on before starting the engine.

1 battery ( the starting battery ) is isolated and is only for starting and we have other 2 batteries for services.

So do you think I should try to open the connections at these 3 battery switches and check the switches maybe there is an issue there? Thanks

 

[lustyd]

Hi, thanks lustyd for your reply. I actually get no beep when turning off the engine . I just pull the lever at the bottom right hand corner and put it back in and the engine stops but no beep occurs. Not always but only when I put on the power on/off button, I hear a small beep. However as you mentioned the negative connection guess needs to be checked then. Thanks

Everything you've described mirrors my own experience, and I'm sorry to say most of what you've spent was probably unnecessary. The sluggish starter would be down to volt drop, although this volt drop might have damaged the coils as it results in high amp draw and high heat. Hopefully this was tested when refurbing the starter. I have to say, having gone through all this that I don't believe the relays actually fail often. Instead I think people blame them and it's something easy to try, same with glow plugs. Connections on boats go bad, and yet people rarely check these first.

As others have said you need to check every connection from the batteries onwards. In this case, check means remove and clean as well as inspect the cables.
You'll have some beefy cables from the start battery, remove and clean (with wire wool/emery paper) the connections at the battery then refit. If your boat is dry you do not need to grease these, it'll just make them dirty (but some people do anyway - only grease AFTER connecting tightly). Check the copper going into the lugs, if it's black or green then the cable may be bad and needs replacing.
Follow these cables, they will go to your main switches under the steps. The black one will possibly go to a distribution post (basically a bolt on the bulkhead) along with the house negative wire and some others. If so, remove all and clean all. All lugs should be sitting up against other lugs - no washers except directly under the nut. One of the large black cables will go to your engine block behind the starter (but not connected to it). This is where you may find corrosion and paint which will need cleaning to give the lug good contact with the metal of the engine. Needless to say, the starter motor also needs good metal to metal contact with the engine, and someone might have painted that before fitting so while you have this off check there is good contact. You'll need an extension bar for your socket set to get to some of this stuff, possibly a couple. On the 2040 I needed about 18" of extension to get to the starter bolts from the front of the engine but it was an easy job.

The red will go to your switches. Again remove and clean. The red will then continue to the starter with a bigish cable, and from there to the alternator with a less big cable. Clean these connections too.

Once you clean and refit everything it's likely your motor will jump into life extremely quickly, given your starter was serviced already. Be prepared to let go of the switch faster than you're used to doing - this caught me by surprise as I was used to holding for several seconds!

I assume you're starting with the throttle at 3/4 in neutral, this is covered in the manual but just occured to me to mention. 3/4 throttle is further forwards than I usually think and the engine should rev to 2000 rpm when it starts.

 

[tillergirl]

I think as you have a much better battery switch set-up I would endorse Lustyd's comments at #6. Don't just look at the earth connection; undo, clean, remake everything.

 

[Daydream believer]

I have had similar problems with my MD2020. I found the relay to the glow plugs needed changing quite often, so always carried spares. However, you appear to have issues with power to the starter. (which has an identical relay)
I found that the plugs in wiring loom from the control panel sometimes caused issues. The starter clicked then stopped. I think that the wiring in the loom disconnected so power to the solenoid stopped. I pulled the plug apart, sprayed with contact cleaner & re connected & ensured that each wire had pushed into place. This happened 3-4 times, usually at the start of the season. Another telltale would be the alarm going off at odd moments.
Another issue was insufficient starter battery power, so I installed a switch to connect all batteries. I also renewed the switches & checked all terminals.

 

[Safeseas]

Thanks to all for your comments, will try to clean/see to connections as recommended and see if there are any issues re cables requiring replacement...Will come back with progress....thanks everyone for now

 

[Safeseas]

Hi All, hope you are well, I am coming back with some feedback with regards to the starting issue. First of all I would like to gratefully thank everyone for his/her input, infact your replies solved my problem. I used some wire wool and emery paper and cleaned the earth connection to the engine. The engine cranked every single time I tried to start the engine after that and all seems to be fine/ in a good working order. I will find some time and go around all other connections and do the same job. I thank you again for your replies. The servicing of the alternator proved to be very useful as the batteries are giving me much more voltage now too...therefore overall very happy ...Thanks to all and good day.