57 Turns over no start

My '94 5.7 turns over good

My '94 5.7 turns over good but won't start. While I was on vaca. the guy watching my boat stopped watching. Rain water just to the top of alternator. Pulled plug wires to check for spark...none found...wire to center of dist. doesn't spark either....dist. looks O.K. inside. I'm not very knowlegeable about electrical and good mechanics are few and far between here so I'm in need of some serious help. Any feedback is appreciated.

"Did you give him a big thanks

"Did you give him a big thanks, right in the face? If it was on a trailer, there's no excuse for not removing the plug. If it was in the water, there's really no excuse for not having a float switch on the bilge pump and a solar charger. They're cheap enough that it's not worth going without them.

OK, I cracked my soapbox and I need to get off.

If the starter was submerged, remove it and clean it out, have it cleaned and lubed or do it yourself. Starters, alternators and things like these don't survive water. I would be checking your wire terminals on the battery, starter and alternator. If there's a circuit breaker near the starter, check that- it may have popped. Check your safety switch and lanyard. If you always leave the lanyard in place, press it or pull iit out, whichever it needs to engage the switch. If the water was as high as it sounds, you had a lot of plugs and harnesses under water.

You may be able to claim this on your insurance, though. Check into it. Rebuilding starters and alternators is a lot less money that buying new, but they need to be done to coast guard specs. Your location may make it necessary to buy new but look online for the best prices."

Water was halfway up the engin

Water was halfway up the engine block but didn't get inside. Engine turns over fine just won't fire up. I have a co-owner who's footing the repair bill since he didn't look after the boat in my absence as he was supposed to. Cost is his problem not mine. All he had to do was throw the battery selector to the other side and all would've been fine.

"Sounds like you need to let i

"Sounds like you need to let it dry out awhile.
Check under the distributor cap for water.
My guess is the wires are wet even if they were not under water. Just having that amount of water in the boat will let the wires etc soak in the water.

Do not just grind on the starter. This is hard on the starter and will do nothing.
When the ignition dries out it will start right off.
Just give it a day or so or pull the cap and wires and bring them inside to dry out.

See if you can get some heat on it or sun, you know dry it out."

It's been drying out for t

It's been drying out for two weeks so far. Just bought a low voltage tester to see if current is getting TO the coil as there doesn't seem to be anything AFTER the coil.

"Did you disconnect the coil o

"Did you disconnect the coil on the - side before you tested it?

It could be the coil but coils do not go bad very often.
Did you check the distributor for water? (pick-up, cap etc)
If you can, do an ohm test on the ignition parts but get a manual that explains how to do the tests.
Some parts may not be able to be tested with an ohm meter without being damaged.

If you have power to the coil then the problem is with the distributor or the ECM / power pack which ever you want to call the ignition control box.
Check all plug in and screw down wire connectors and make sure they are clean and dry.
But.
Some models have a power supply from the starter selnoid to the coil that sends power to the coil when the starter is in the start mode.
If the starter was under water this connection may not be sending power to the coil while operating the starter.

Check for power at the coil while cranking the starter also.
If this model does have the wire from the starter to the coil there will be no power from the key switch while the switch is in the start position. Power is not sent to the coil from the switch until the switch returns to the run position.

Or something like that anyway."

Did you try another coil wire?

Did you try another coil wire?

Thanks a million for all the i

Thanks a million for all the input everyone. I'm embarrassed to admit I'm an idiot. This is my first boat. I had some uninvited guests on my boat while I was away. They stole a few small items and threw the OFF / RUN switch which I NEVER use and NEVER thought to look at. Thats all it was... even with all the water it took on. I learned a few valuable lessons during this episode. After all experience is the best teacher. Thanks again!!

"I know how you feel. I had th

"I know how you feel. I had the exact same thing happen to my boat about 4 years ago, thanks to youngsters with busy fingers. It took me 2 solid days of trying all sorts of things with no luck, then I finally noticed the safety switch in the OFF position. Did I ever feel stupid. It took a while to finally admit to my wife that that was all it was!
Now whenever it seems sluggish to start for any reason, that is the first thing I check.
Happy Boating!"