Is it the Starter?

[twstewart]

I have a 02 SANTI that started having some electrical issues near the end of last summer. The first thing that went screwy was the electronic rear cargo pop buttons stopped working while the boat was running. They work in accessory mode while engine is off, but not while engine is running. Then as we were on our last ride of the season we were cutting through rough water and on the big bumps the boat would go into limp mode and the check engine light would come on. I would bring it down to idle and the light would go off and it run fine until the next big bump. We were headed for the launch and by the end the boat was in total limp mode. It was not over heated, the oil presure was perfect and all battery conections seemed clean... I put the boat away for the season in my garage and started cleaning all terminals throughout the boat. On the first ride of the season this year the boat has issues starting. First push of the start button make the solenoid click, but no start. Press stop and start over & on the 2nd try boat starts (but pretty weak). Brand new battery and all terminals are perfect???

Sorry for the length, but hoping to gain some insight on this problem.

Thanks

[NautiDave07]

My 2000 did that clicking and I replaced the starter. As far as your limp mode issue I have no clue. When mine did something similar I had a glass fuse in a plunger type holder back at the battery that was melting down from vibrating loose. My boat did not go to limp mode, it would die with no lights or anything when I hit a wave. Not sure if you have the same fuse on your battery or not, but can't hurt to look.

[Nautiquehunter]

All your symptoms are ignition switch related I would start by checking the ign switch.

[scuff97]

The 2002 had some issue with the battery cables. You will have to check voltage to the engine with a volt meter. if you have a limp mode problem it will not let the rpm go above 2000. I would advise checking the oil switch

[twstewart]

Change in direction...

Thank you very much for the posts, I am totally agreeing with everyones diagnosis and will begin trying these avenues this weekend. I have checked the voltage on the cables & I believe I am good there, but the ignition switch may be my problem. I will dive in and update with hopefully good news. It's getting warmer here in Seattle and I hate being land locked!

[AirTool]

I'm not sure of the "transition" year. do you have a ford engine or chevy?

[DanielC]

2002 was the transition year. Beginning of model year 2002, you could get the GT-40 engine. Not at the end of that model year.

[AirTool]

2002 was the transition year. Beginning of model year 2002, you could get the GT-40 engine. Not at the end of that model year.

That's what I was thinking. I remembered an 02 DD on here for sale with a Ford.

So we'll wait for his answer. What's your guess?

[DanielC]

I am waiting for more information.

[twstewart]

Diving in...

So I have removed the dash board to look at the wiring behind the ignition switch. The previous owner appears to have been a do it yourselfer and it looks like the perfect pass was added by him. I am not sure, but it looks like a bit of a wild rats nest behind the dash. I see that the ignition is a very simple 1 plug with a green, orange, red & black wire... I am a little confused how this works because there is the keypad, horn & blower all on this same plug... I would think there should be 5 wires but apparently it must all route through the ignition switch somehow??? The ignition pad is roughly $360 and I'm hesitant to drop all that on a piece that may not be the issue. I removed the kick panel where the fuse box sits & realized the previous owner had installed something onto the main red wire going into the fuse box... It was a yellow wire that ran back to a switch that did not do anything, but the other end of the switch ran up to the bow with an open HOT end exposed... It looks like they used to run tower lights, but the wiring was cut & removed??? I removed the yellow "tower lights" wire from the main red wire running to the fuse box & checked all the connections. Everything looks tight & clean but I have no clue how to check the integrity of the fuses within the box? I am now re-installing the started that tested good at NAPA Auto Parts and going through the boats ignition performance with an electrical tester. I am trying to find out if accessories are losing power when the ignition is turned to different functions. Position 1turns on accessories, position 2 lights up the das & position 3 starts the boat... Wondering if something is wrong between the ignition start function to ignition run function...

Sorry about the length but this is where I am at...

I have the 330 Excalibur 5.7L 350 c.i.d multiport Chevy Vortec by PCM Engine

It appears to only have one starter solenoid, but not sure it may have 2 and that could also be another issue??? The main starter relay appears to be working properly, but the starter solenoid combo may be on the way out? All in all I am scratching my head on this and hoping to find the cure soon.

Thanks everyone for the help, very much appreciated

[DanielC]

Some definitions, on at least what I am talking about, I might not be using the correct names.

Keypad-the entire pad, that has the start, accessory, and run function in it, along with numbers so you can set a code, and controls for the horn, and blower. On the port (left) side of the steering wheel. This is not an ignition switch in the normal sense you think of it as.

Accessory switch pad-the other pad, on the starboard side of the steering wheel, has controls for lights, Nav, anchor, possibly docking, the heater fan switch, ballast tank switches, possibly a shower, the bilge pump, and other electrical things I am forgetting.

Switchbox-the black box on the back side of the drivers kick panel. This box has a large multipin connector attached to it. All the electric functions are actually controlled by this box. The keypad and accessory switch pad communicate with this box through the four wires you found on the key pad. I think there are four more wires that communicate with this box from the accessory switch pad. you are calling this a fusebox. It has no fuses, it has circuit breakers. If a breaker trips, you can push the soft "bootie" that covers it, and reset them.

You have found there are only four wires on the keypad, and there are more than four functions on this pad. I believe the keypad communicates with the switchbox digitally, but I am not 100% sure on how. The same thing with the accessory switch pad.

It is very possible that the keypad is starting to go bad on your boat. The only way I know to test them is direct replacement, with a known good keypad.

I believe the starter is just hooked up electrically to the engine in a normal way. Battery power is supplied to the top bolt on the starter solenoid, and when you apply battery voltage to the small spade terminal on the solenoid, the starter cranks the engine.

[twstewart]

Your right on the money

DanielC you are on the money and after a long day of diving through the wiring behind the dash I was able to locate a small wire that appears to be loose behind the speedo. On the top of the speedo (back side / not digital), there is a post with several fastener nuts on it. The post is tight, but it looks like the nuts have come loose and the black wire was able to travel enough to make contact with the positive! There is no signs of burn marks or anything major, but this may explain the going over bumps part. I backed the nut off the post and re-did the connection to the black wire & noticed there was another metal connector with no additional wire (looked to have been broken or accidently pulled out of the connector. I looked over the rpm gauge and saw that there were in fact 2 black wires fastened to the top post. I did the exact same set up and pulled the boat out of the garage and it fired first push??? To me this seems way to stupid to be it, but now my hatch buttons are working fine in all 3 positions and the boat seems to start on a dime! I have not water tested the boat yet (its pooring here), but I was able to give the dash some pretty good hits and nothing seemed to happen. The local Nautique shop said that the starter issue is pretty common for a boat that sits in a garage for 6 months without starting. Apparently they become a little gunky... I am hoping for a shot of decent weather tomorrow and I will let everyone know if this was truly the real issue.

Also if anyone else has this same boat / motor... I noticed that there is a green wire (with a male connection) that appears to be disconnected near the front (v-drive) of the motor. It comes out of a large hub of wires & is currently hanging with a similar female connection appearing to be next to it??? No idea why this would be dissconnected? Thought maybe it was used for computer testing??? I'll try & upload photos... 1st photo is green male end hanging around... 2nd is the femal end with addition 4 pin plug also just hanging around... 3rd is another shot of the female connections... 4th & 5th photos are of the rear side of dash... The whits gauge is the speedo and the black wire on the top of the post is the one that was barely hanging on and able to swing down freely and touch the post below. The other broken black wire was just laying on the floor of the dash. These are of course before photos...

[DanielC]

In 2002, and part of 2003, I worked at a Correct Craft dealer in Portland, Or. The boats then may have had all the options installed at the factory, at a regional service center, or at the selling dealer. In 2002, the boats with the digital switchbox also had the digital Teleflex gauges. By now, most boats with the digital Teleflex gauges have had them quit working, and have been replaced.
The person doing the replacing of the of the gauges may not have done the highest quality of workmanship in replacing the gauges.
The Perfect Pass could of been installed at the Correct Craft factory, the regional service center, the selling dealer, or by someone else, It also could not have been installed with the highest level of workmanship.

You are doing exactly what you need to do by resecuring all the connections under the dash. You may have very well solved your problem.
There is also a three position switch I think around the throttle handle, that can operate the bilge pump only, all off, or all accessories and ignition on. If the wire connections on this switch get loose, it will also cause all sorts of random hard to trace electrical problems.

I do recall there being some loose wires on the GM Excalibur engines, from the factory. That is normal.

To be honest, I am much more familiar with the GT-40 engine in my boat. I am also really glad my boat has "normal" switches, and a keyed ignition switch that I can just replace if it ever went bad, with a common switch available at almost any auto parts store.

[AirTool]

I would focus on testing the solenoid at the starter (and indirectly the starter) by CAREFULLY AND SAFELY jumping 12V to the solenoid.

If in doubt, disconnect the wiring harness at the solenoid so you don't backfeed the system. (although that should be okay)

[twstewart]

Holding pattern...

Well it rained all day, so I will have to wait until the weekend to test drive. I will keep everyone posted with the results.

DanielC when you were talking about the loose wires from the factory, are you thinking that the green wire mentioned above is suppose to remain unplugged? Or are you talking about the engine in general?