Starter wiring problem, maybe?

[Bob_S]

Hi All,
Once again, turning to you all for advice and the benefit of your accumulated knowledge and experiences. I bought Spirit, a '81 CD27 (YSM8 engine) last season mid-summer. I'm still learning about and bonding with her. Today's question is about the ignition wiring for the starter or, from the panel to the starter. With fully charged batteries I often get a delay or just a click or clunk sound when I hit the starter button. It seems the starter wants to spin and if I persist it will catch and turn over..eventually. It definitely isn't right though. I was told that while it seems like the starter is bad, it's really a common problem with that boat that has to do with the wiring being inadequate to carry the amp load. I'm just wondering if anyone else has heard of this and if there are any articles here that deal with that. I was told there are but I couldn't turn anything up in search..
As always, thank you in advance.
Bob S

[Jim Evans]

Hi Bob - I had the same problem on my '81 CD-33 with a Yanmar 3GM30F. On one occasion, I couldn't start the engine after refueling, (just heard the dreaded "click") and had to get a tow back to my slip. I had cleaned all the contacts, checked all the wiring, hired a recommended mechanic, all to no avail - and I wound up installing this relay: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C ... UTF8&psc=1. Since then, I've had no problems. While I agree that the starter is probably seeing low voltage, I never found the cause, but this relay solved the problem for me. I think it's one of those repairs that has no down-side, and it's worth a try.

[Bill Goldsmith]

Unless someone switched out the factory wiring with something smaller i doubt the wiring is undersized for the amp load. I don't think Cape Dory used undersized wiring in the starting circuit. If the battery you've selected for starting is fully charged, my first suspicion would be the ground wire connection. Corrosion on that connection can reduce the current flow. This happened to me. FInd the wire that goes from the starter motor to the engine block, disconnect from the engine, wire brush the wire end fitting and the engine block and reattach good and tight. It's good to do that every now and then even if not the cause of the current (ha) problem. Give that a try and see if it cures the problem. If not, the starter motor could need servicing or replacement.

I highly recommend NIgel Calder's Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual. It's pricey and big and heavy, but it has saved me multiples of the cost of the book in avoided mechanic's fees. I think it is the DIY sailor's bible. It contains troubleshooting guides for just about everything and I have not encountered a question yet that it didn't address.

[Steve Laume]

I highly recommend NIgel Calder's Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual. It's pricey and big and heavy, but it has saved me multiples of the cost of the book in avoided mechanic's fees. I think it is the DIY sailor's bible. It contains troubleshooting guides for just about everything and I have not encountered a question yet that it didn't address.

I will second this recommendation and add a multi meter. I don't keep the Calder book on board but I always have a multi meter and a bunch of connectors along with a good crimping tool.

You are unlikely to find a ground wire coming from the starter as the case is what grounds it to the engine block. You will find a ground going from the block to the battery. Do check and clean this. You should also check all of the positive connections in the system. AT the panel you will have the ignition and starter switches with the possibility of the glow plug switch involved as well. There is going to be two trailer type plugs between the panel and the engine. These are always suspect. These all add up to many possibilities for voltage loss. I seriously doubt that your starter is the problem. You could also check the entire system or any part of it with your multi meter set on ohms and probed on each side of a connection. You can do the whole system by using a long wire with an alligator clip on one end connected to the hot side and your other probe at the starter. This would tell you if you had significant resistance, once all switches are closed and could then track it down to the specific connector or connectors. If you just want to fix the problem and don't really care where it was, you could just clean all of the connectors and you would be ahead of the game.

I took the glow plug switch out of my starter circuit and eliminated the trailer plugs when I rewired things. The solenoid is also a sensible idea but the starter will work fine if it gets all of the voltage the original wiring can provide, Steve.

[Anthony P. Jeske]

Hi,
There was a lot of discussion on this issue in the past. If you do a search in this website on "intermittent starting" you'll find a lot of help.
Often, the problem was corrosion in the ignition key, starter switch and attached terminations. Replacing the starter switch with a Cole Hersee M-626BP switch is one step. Replacing the wiring at the engine panel with properly sized and terminated circuits is another. See the Marine How To website for wire termination helps: https://marinehowto.com/

Good Luck,

Tony Jeske
Ex CD28 World Enough
Ex CD25D Breezy
Ex CD28 No Regrets
Ex C&C 27 Flying Circus

[RWilker]

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago and installed relay, replaced starter switch, upgraded wiring, and even had starter rebuilt. The issue didn't resolve until I installed a new starter motor. I hope your problem has an easier and less expensive resolution.