Help needed--on water and engine is not turning over

[WaterBullDawg1980]

Hey guys,

Posting from my BB again. We are currently stuck on the water bc my engine won't turn over! Went out all day yesterday with no problems, and most of the day today. Its almost like its a battery problem as the engine sluggishly turned after sitting for about 30 minutes listening to the radio, but the batteries are both new. Plus I had just cranked it and moved it to keep from getting hit by these sailboats. :)

Now when I turn the ignition, I hear the normal beeping, and 1 click from the engine but nothing. It won't turn.

Any ideas on some things I can look for before calling for a tow?

[aaroncat]

Have you checked all the fuses under the dash? Remove and re-seat them.

We thought we were doomed about a month ago with the boat not turning over then went through the fuses 1 by 1 and the boat turned over fine after that.

[badasshybrid]

Mine did the same thing the other day and it was a ground wire loose on the block.

[WaterBullDawg1980]

Mine did the same thing the other day and it was a ground wire loose on the block.

Can you remind me where that is again? I am thinking it is on the bottom right if you are looking towards the back of the boat.

Sound right?

[WaterBullDawg1980]

Have you checked all the fuses under the dash? Remove and re-seat them.

We thought we were doomed about a month ago with the boat not turning over then went through the fuses 1 by 1 and the boat turned over fine after that.

Man I was hoping that would fix it! No luck. :(


Its strange bc the battery reads fine. I turn the key, get one click and then nothing else.

[viking]

Maybe you've checked and double checked but make sure it's in neutral!
Mine did the same thing and after bout 1/2 hour realized one of my kids pushed the throttle arm forward just enough that it wasn't reading the neutral position. Wiggled it and sure enough it started right up.

[WaterBullDawg1980]

Maybe you've checked and double checked but make sure it's in neutral!
Mine did the same thing and after bout 1/2 hour realized one of my kids pushed the throttle arm forward just enough that it wasn't reading the neutral position. Wiggled it and sure enough it started right up.

I double checked and then triple checked. I would never have let myself live it down if that was the case, so I made sure that sucker was in neutral before I posted. :)

This is startïng to get frustrating...........

[WaterBullDawg1980]

Check battery connections,
Safety lanyard,
Douple check all the plugs on your ecu above your tanny,
try tapping on your starter (solinoid)
try wiggleing the wire harness under the dash while you try to start it.
try shifting the throttle back and forth while you are trying to start it.
I'll try to think of some more.

What do you think it means that the engine is not turning over? I just get that one click.

The battery connections look good.

Checked the ecu plugs. (Unplugged and plugged back in)

Did some wiggling on the harness and still does the same.

Shifted the throttle a bit..same.

Also, where is the starter? Still trying to learn where everything is in my first full summer as a boat owner. :)

Thanks to all of you for the help!

[WaterBullDawg1980]

Was the battery space jammed packed with stuff?

try opening and closing the circuit breakers (above the battery) a couple times.

As a matter of fact it was. What do the circut breakers look like? I looked in there and unplugged and plugged back in the fuses. I saw what looked like simple RCA cables going to the head unit and then just wires clamped together.

Am I missing them?

[WaterBullDawg1980]

The motor should still turn over it just won't start with vapor lock.
My bet is on your battery terminals. Grab the cables and try to work them onto the post better. If you have new batteries that means there is a good chance the cables weren't tightened properly/completely. If you can move the battery cable connections on the battery then they are too loose.

Yeah, I had read through the vapor lock, but it won't turn over so I didn't think it was that. Plus, its only 72, I poured some cold lake water on the fuel filter and plus I have been sitting here for about 2 hours. :). As a matter of fact I just cracked an Amstel Light. :)

I am going to mess with the connections right now. They look like they could be tighter for sure.

Stand by for update......

[WaterBullDawg1980]

Ok, first signs of life and maybe some info I should have included before.

I tightened the connections on my battery and tried starting again.

This time it chugged a little (sounded like it turned over a few times). I think I have narrowed this down to my battery.

The extra piece of info here is when I just changed my batteries my cranking battery was a West Marine Sea Volt 550. Now guy at West Marine assured me that these were more like 800 cranking amp batteries and I could bring it back if it didn't work. I thought I remembered in the manual that it was actually a 700 something needed. Maybe this is the problem, but wouldn't I have noticed it before? Been out on the water at least 4 times on this battery.

For what it is worth I have 2 batteries, (no perko or the like).

Ugh, the wife has just about had enough.

[WaterBullDawg1980]

Final update.......

No luck guys. I didn't give up though! My wife did.

I'll let everyone know the outcome.

Thanks for all the help, it is truly appreciated!

[wolfeman131]

What lake were you on?

I was out of town on Spring Break last week so probably wouldn't have been much help, but I'll send you my cell number again so you can reach out directly if you have problems again.

[wolfeman131]

No luck guys. I didn't give up though! My wife did.


Can't have this! I got lucky as the breakdowns on the old boat, coupled with a baby, resulted in the purchase of our new Moomba. I'm traveling this week, back next so let's get this figured out.

[WaterBullDawg1980]

I thought I had posted an update but apparently I did not. It must have been a night where I took an ambien to help me sleep. I never know what happens after that. :) Ed, you know what I mean!

So I ended up getting towed to the dock...(which is embarrassing by the way..) It's ironic bc I told my wife on the way to the ramp that this puts a bad stamp on Moomba for anyone seeing me get towed in and what happened next you ask?

I get to the dock and there is gorgeous white Gravity XLV who just pulled out. Well, I complimented him on his boat and since I know he noticed my trailer and had probably put it together that I was the one getting towed, I felt I had to tell him I had NEVER had a problem with my boat and expressed to him my embarrassment for being the bad seed for Moomba's good name. : (

Anyhow, I believe it is the starter. We had tried to jump it off and had the same result. We did try to knock on it a few times and finally had to call no joy and pack it up. So I am bringing it up to Heidi at Atlanta Marine either tomorrow or the next day to see what can be done.

I havent begun the research yet, but is replacing a starter that hard? It doesn't look to be at all. Also, can you have them rebuilt? It seems like I remember reading that you could get them rebuilt for much less.

All in all, I must say the fam had a great Sunday out on the water. It really wasn't that bad even though I spent so much time tinkering with the boat. Perfect weather and even got to enjoy a few cold beers. :)

[WaterBullDawg1980]

What lake were you on?

I was out of town on Spring Break last week so probably wouldn't have been much help, but I'll send you my cell number again so you can reach out directly if you have problems again.

Its funny Drew, bc I ALMOST gave you a ring. We saw 2 Moomba's while we were sitting there and one of them looked very similar to yours.

Got you pm and responded also.

[mmandley]

No replacing the starter is really easy man.

Disconnect the batteries of course.

Then disconnect the cables from the starter. There 2 bolts holding it to the bell housing. Take those out and bam it comes right out. Be careful a starter is much heavier then it looks.

Yes starters are all rebuild able. You might take the route of buying a brand new one to get you on the water ASAP. Then send the bad one in for rebuild and have a spare.

[OBV6]

Hey guys,

Posting from my BB again. We are currently stuck on the water bc my engine won't turn over! Went out all day yesterday with no problems, and most of the day today. Its almost like its a battery problem as the engine sluggishly turned after sitting for about 30 minutes listening to the radio, but the batteries are both new. Plus I had just cranked it and moved it to keep from getting hit by these sailboats. :)

Now when I turn the ignition, I hear the normal beeping, and 1 click from the engine but nothing. It won't turn.

Any ideas on some things I can look for before calling for a tow?

If you haven't already done it, check the key switch with a multi-meter. I had somewhat the same problem. Heat, vibration and corrision= embarrasment, especially when your toy is the newest on the block!

[WaterBullDawg1980]

Hey guys, I did get the starter replaced.

Actually a mechanic at one of our local dealers who recently left to start his own business did it for me for a very fair price.

I am on the water and rolling....

And fyi, as some of you know, I just bought my first and only boat late last fall. I have did all my winterzation myself, installed new cabin speakers, cupholders, new steering wheel, replaced all fluids, new jack put on and replaced both batteries. Not that it takes a rocket scientist to do accomplish any of these tasks, but the point is I have been trying to learn to do all of this stuff myself. I wish I had taken the time to look up how to replace the starter myself as it only took about 7 minutes. But at least I know for the future right?

Going to be a cool one on Lake Lanier tomorrow. The high is 73, but all sunshine.....
8)