Engine Starting Issue

[Red57Bird]

I have an 03 SAN with the Excalibur 330 motor. I recently did some maint./repairs that included new bilge blower, new spark plug wires, new belts, etc. The last couple of times I have tried to start the motor, it will turn over and almost starts, then the starter quits. I release the "Start" button and then try again, and the motor turns over and eventually starts. Once I've run it for a bit and it comes up to operating temperature I can usually start it again without a problem. The battery is charged and in good condition, alternator shows 13.5 volts, and everything seems to be in good order.

Does this sound like it may be a starter solenoid going bad, or possibly an issue with the keypad panel? Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[wakeboardin2k4]

RE: Engine Starting Issue

Im not an expert on the new key pads, but maybe someone can back me up on it. I have heard only bad things about the key pads. That they are prone to issues. If its will turn over after warming up, or even the starter spinning over at all I'd say its not your solenoid. A traditional solenoid issue would be that the bendix in the starter wont engage or you will hear a different style clicking than the starter going bad.

Hopefully someone on here can help you trouble shoot the keypad.

You can always take jumper cables and a battery to the back of your starter and jumpstart it. Or you can do the old screwdriver between the connections on the solenoid

[AirTool]

RE: Engine Starting Issue

You should have your battery load tested. "Charged" doesn't mean much with today's cra**y batteries.

Take it out of the boat, charge it overnight, then take it for a real load test.

[Red57Bird]

Thanks for the replies. Last month I had the battery go dead on me and I figured I left a switch on or something. Now I'm wondering if the battery is starting to go bad. It is an Everstart battery and is only a year old.