Boat won't start (electrical problem) Please help!

[Christopher]

Hello everyone. I am a new member but I have been reading your posts for the last year since I bought my nautique. I have an 89 Ski Nautique 2001. I am getting it ready to take out for the 1st time this year. I started her up this afternoon to check if my new impeller was working ok and it ran fine except for it didn't seem to be kickin out water from the exaust like it should. It didn't over heat and I didn't take the pump off so I'm sure it is working ok. So I shut her off to reposition the fake a lake (plunger) to make sure the intake vent was getting enough water. I went to restart and its dead. At first I heard a couple of clicks from the motor and then nothing. The dash is dead. I clicked all the switches and they are dead. No blower, bilge, anything. The only thing working is the clock. And it dies when I turn on the bilge or blower. The bilge turned on once and then it wouldn't come on again. The battery is not dead. Last year I replaced the the battery and alternater. This year a full tune up and impeller. The switches on the dash are a little tough to work. I can not find fuses anywhere. Does it have fuses? I hope someone can give me some advice because I am ready to get out and ride.

[WakeUp]

Boat won't start

If it started once and then won't restart, it sounds like the battery cables need cleaning. Remove them and clean the battery posts and the cable ends. Try it again.

[rocco]

Sounds like the old problem I had with my 85 sn
Check the starter relay.....and charge your Battery..
I keep my Battery on a trickle charger in the cold months...
A new battery will go down in just a few weeks if not charged.
Rocco

[Christopher]

Thanks for the advice. Well the battery is a little low but it started fine the first time. I will put it on a charger to make sure its good. I'm curious about the relay. I don't really know much about it. Is it attatched to the starter and solenoid? Would a bad relay kill the dash?

[M3Fan]

The relay sits atop the back of the engine under that little black cover with the 50 amp breaker on it. If the battery is putting out good voltage, as WakeUP said clean the battery terminals and cables, make sure they are nice and tight. The best way to see if it is the solenoid is to turn the key to "on" and then lay a screwdriver across the two big posts on the relay. This may result in one heck of a spark, so be ready. If the starter actuates, the relay is your problem. The relay's whole purpose in life is to use a small current to actuate a switch to lay the big amps into the starter so you don't have giant cables running through your dash. You may also have a grounding problem, which these dashes are NOTORIOUS for. Let us know how it goes, and we'll get you on the water in no time.

[mrese]

Thinking out loud here. The positive battery cable runs from the Batt terminal to the starter relay. If the starter relay is bad, yes laying a screw driver across the large terminals will direct voltage to the starter. (I don't think the positon of the key is a factor to energize the starter, unless you are jumping the smaller terminal with the white(?) wire coming off the neutral safety switch to the starter motor cable. Jumping the larger terminals is simply connecting the starter motor straight to the battery. With the key off, you won't be able to start the engine since the ignition circuit is not being energized and no power is being directed to the coil, but the starter should still rotate) Now, regardless of the starter relay operational status, the pos batt cable should be connected to the same terminal ( on the starter relay) as the red 10 guage wire suppling power to the ignition circuit breaker on the dash. So, basically as I understand it, battery power should still be supplied to the dash igniton circuit breaker regardless of the starter relay.
If the clock was working (indicating power was going the dash) but stopped working when the bilge was turned on leads me to think the trouble lies in a bad connection somewhere other than the relay. Christopher, you said the switches (circuit breaker) on the dash were a little tough to work. Did anybody mess with the ignition circuit breaker after you got the engine running? Your problem could lie with the circuit breaker. (The circuit breakers are there so there are no fuses. Well, you may have one in line coming off the alternator)
Check the voltage thoughout the system with you multimeter. I agree with Wakeup on the batt cables. If your indications are a low battery but the battery is actually fully charged, look to the cables next. Even though they look clean, they could still be the problem. Check to see what size Batt cables you have installed. If they are the 12 or 14 guage cables, you may want to changed them out to a 2/0 or a 1/0 size. The larger cable will carry the load stronger and more consistently. But stay away from the screw down terminal connections some parts stores try to sell. A good battery store should be able to fabricate a good set for under $30.00
All this may be totally wrong but it seems to make sense if you've been drinking. Actually it doesn't make sense after I read it again. Maybe I should delete the whole thing or just continue drinking.

[NautiqueJeff]

I doubt that the starter relay has anything to do with this particular problem. The starter relay wouldn't cause the power to your dash switches to go out. As most have said here, check the battery cables first. My bet is that they are corroded, and the corrosion may be hidden within the shielding, so just because they look good, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are, especially on a boat that has seen a few years of use.

[rocco]

Remenber one thing.The If you battery is too low,,It takes more to turn your motor also...and your cables will get HOT,,thats what burns up your starter Relay,,,,When mind did this years ago,nothing worked in the dash or anywhere,,,A marine Relay runs about 30 bux,,,one at Advance cost around 8 bux.....I got about 2 cheap ones and one Good one...everybody here is giving Good Advice............

[M3Fan]

The 50 amp fuse, which gives power to the ignition switch, gets it's power where it meets the positive battery cable... on the post of the starter relay. I don't think it is the starter relay either. In some cases, the relay gets enough power to make a click, but not enough to fully actuate. This used to happen to me all the time when the battery ran low and drove me nuts. I'd turn off the blower or some other accessory and it would start immediately. I'd say, before you do ANYTHING, borrow another battery and just try that. Or start it right off the charger. That will speak volumes to us!

[SGY]

My buddy had a similar problem last year. The SN was on a lift at Grand Lake, Colorado. Not a real hardware store anywhere in sight. My buddy was desperate. He kept getting the infamous click. He tried everything to get the boat started--even putting a battery pack on it and jumping across the solenoid. That worked but when he took the jumper off the solenoid, the boat would die. So he got this bright idea of thinking the boat needed some gas--"it was cold". Yeah, right. So while the boat was running, (in the water, still on the lift) with the jumper in place, he tried to hold the jumper and give the boat some gas. Big problem. He didn't get the neutral switch engaged and the boat jumped across the lift and into the shore line rocks. Tore up his brand new prop on the lift bracing.

Turns out it was the battery. Boat runs great and that new prop is smooooth. Moral of the story. Try the simple things first. Your electronics will do really funky things when the battery is bad or near bad. These things will often throw you off the path of simplicity making you think its something alot more complicated.

Good luck.

[NautiqueJeff]

Hey SGY, I remember when we were all working on that problem. Did you ever tell us that whole story? I don't remember hearing about the boat jumping off the lift!

[Christopher]

Ok I tried a few things today. I put in a different battery that was fully charged and cleaned the cables. No change. I checked it with the volt meter and am confused. I found power is getting to the relay. There is full power to the "In" side of the relay. I think this line comes straight from the battery to the relay. The other side is dead. I tried to jump it from the main in terminal to the main out terminal and nothing happens. I jumped it to the little terminal and it clicks. I took the wire that does have power and touched it directly to the other side and nothing happens. We even went as far as to hold the two wires together. Nothing happens. Wouldn't this feed power directly to the starter? So I found that when I touch the line from the battery to the line to the starter the power goes to zero. So I was thinking that the starter would be bad if the power goes to zero when connected to it? I also tested the breakers on the dash. They all have power except the ignition. The ignition has no power. And then also no power at the key. And when I turn the blower on its power goes to zero. But none of them should have power unless the ignition is on? I am hoping its the starter or somehow the relay but whats up with the ignition breaker reading no power? Maybe it is tied in with the starter somehow? Its a confusinf mess. I took the starter out in hopes that it can be tested. I forgot to take the relay out. (the boat is at my mothers house so I'm done now till tomorrow). I would seriously appreciate any suggestions.

[M3Fan]

First we need to separate two problems here. The first problem is pretty clearly at the starter. If you put 12 vots from the battery to the starter and didn't get anything, you've taken everyting out of the picture EXCEPT:
1. the cable itself, from the positive side of the batt to the relay- can hold the volts but not the amps.
2. the connection/cable from the relay to the starter.
3. This could be it- The battery cable going to the ground side of the battery to the engine block.. Remember, we have to complete a whole circut here so this is crucial. It connects near the front of the engine on the starboard side IIRC.

The "out" terminal of the relay connects to the starter via a very thick cable that connects to a tab that is clearly visible on the starter housing. You may want to make sure that connection is good and tight, and clean. If you take a lead right to that tab from the battery and it still doesn't actuate, you've taken everything out of the picture. You can have the starter checked out at a local parts shop just to see if it is shot. If that is the case, you can have it rebuilt (you may have to go to a marine shop to have it rebuilt "marine" and not "auto"). On the dash, nothing should have power, including the key, unless the ignition switch is on. Nothing. That is normal. Let's focus on the starter issue first and see what happens. Get that baby checked out. I think brand new they are under 200 at Skidim.[/b]

[NautiqueJeff]

On the dash, nothing should have power, including the key, unless the ignition switch is on. Nothing.

The bilge pump should have power with the ignition push-switch off.

[M3Fan]

On the dash, nothing should have power, including the key, unless the ignition switch is on. Nothing.

The bilge pump should have power with the ignition push-switch off.

Nope. Maybe on your 94 but not on our Ski Antiques