Weird starter issue, signs of "starter relay going out?

[jmo]

Hey Guys,

So on my first outing of the season last week, we launch, boat turns over on the first attempt and everything is good, we tool around a bit and then stop the boat so I can take the first run. Once I'm in the water and ready, my buddy goes to hit the start the boat and the whole system powers off, no radio, or power at the keypad (it seems).

So I clamber back into the boat (annoyed because its cold) flip the kill switch to off, flip it back on, enter my keycode and the boat powers up just fine. We skied for another hour or so and we just left it running while switching skiers for fear of it not starting, and then back at the ramp subsequent stops and restarts wouldn't induce the issue anymore.

So, I'm interested in what you guys think this might have been? The voltage on the battery seemed okay (12.63V on my multimeter). Only other thing that was out of the norm for me was I had turned the "bilge" on on the dash, which I don't normally do. Could having the bilge and the radio on been enough to cause the voltage to drop low enough so the keypad kicked out?

Or do I have the first signs of the starter relay going out? Also, can someone orient me to where the starter relay is on my 2001 Nautique Super Sport (GT40) - I see the starter below the FCC, but can't seem to pinpoint where the relay is?

Given all the threads I found related to gt40 relay problems, I thought I should start carrying a spare and figure out where it is in the advent I need to swap it out.

Thanks in advance,

jmo

[DanielC]

RE: Weird starter issue, signs of "starter relay going

Start off by cleaning your battery terminals. Then report back.

[DanielC]

GT-40 Relay locations

Here are some pictures I took today.

[DanielC]

assist relay location

Here is where that relay is:

[DanielC]

Here is another picture looking up at the relay:

[DanielC]

Disconnect the negative battery cable before you start to replace this relay.
When you replace this relay, take very careful notes of where each wire is. Be careful you do not confuse brown and purple wires, if you have them.
12 volts for the starter does not go through this relay. You should have 12 volts at the big red cable on the starter all the time after you are done replacing this relay.

[jmo]

thanks DanielC, that helps.

[M3Fan]

Re: RE: Weird starter issue, signs of "starter relay go

Start off by cleaning your battery terminals. Then report back.

Agreed. That's what this sounds like to me, exactly.

[jmo]

Hey Guys,

So I have yet to clean the terminals as I'm trying to see if I can figure out the exact pattern that causes it to blip out before I start trying to fix it (so I know for sure its fixed once I start trying different things) and it seems that if I just quickly hit the start button and don't hold it in hard, it blips off and I have to re-enter the code. If I push and hold hard it seems to turn over every time? Could it be an issue with the keypad itself?

Its only happened a few times, once on each outing...

Thanks,

JMO

[jasper]

It sounds like it could be your keypad. Keypad issues are hard to nail, but the fact that it starts (generally correctly at first) and then acts as though it is completely dead is a symptom I had. Re-entering code would sometimes get it back working temporarily but then it would sometimes not. The other symptom you have of having to hold the start button in hard is another symptom I had. Call around to various dealers for the key pad. I've seen them priced over $600 and as low as $265. It is a CC-specific part so you don't have much choice on sources. You might try surgery on it to repair (clean the contacts on the buttons once inside). Richard on this board did so successfully. Moisture inside is the usual culprit.

Symptoms on starter relay is that it will mostly start fine cold, then just a single click when you go to restart once warm. Cheap and easy fix with good instruction from DanielC above.

jasper

[DanielC]

Clean your battery terminals! One of the functions of the battery is to absorb voltage spikes from your alternator. Voltage spikes will confuse processors that are in your switch box, and possibly in your keypad. These voltage spikes could also damage these parts.

[sodbuster88]

Sounds like a similar issue I had with my '03 PCM Excalibur. Found it to be the master disconnect switch was going bad. Replaced the switch and no more intermittent problems. BTW, 80% of all electrical issues are either bad connections or lack of conduction.

[CradGen2]

I had this same issue on my 2000 Sport Nautique. It started off doing it every once in awhile and progress into more often. I traced it do being a bad solenoids(?). They make a marine and automotive. I used the automotive and never had an issue. I seem to remember something about how the relay was different, but I would check with Skidim or a good auto electric shop.

[jmo]

Hey guys,

So I pulled the battery out of the boat to clean the terminals and I noticed the negative clamp was barely on, not sure how I missed that. I must have forgotten to tighten it up after de winterizing, I hope that was the issue. I cleaned the terminals with baking soda/water/toothbrush just to make sure, they didn't appear to be corroded but figured it couldn't hurt. The battery itself is only 4 years old.

Here's hoping thats the end of it.

Thanks everyone.

jmo