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Volvo Penta D3 130. Starboard engine will not start

djcleckie

New member
Its a Rodman 810. The port engine fires up and runs fine.

Starboard engine nil effect when I turn the starter switch not even a slight click from the starter solenoid. Initially I suspected the starter solenoid.
I stripped out the starter and put it on the bench. 12V on the terminal then when I put 12V onto the solenoid it pulls in and runs fine.

Starter and solenoid seem fine.



Next checked wire that attaches to starter solenoid. 0V when starter switch is turned.



Below the console I took the wire to the solenoid off and checked the switch terminal. When in start position there is 12V on the terminal BUT the 12V is not getting to the starter solenoid.



Next did continuity check from switch terminal to starter motor solenoid terminal – open circuit.
So the cable from the starter switch to the starter motor solenoid has a break but where?



Is there a micro relay somewhere in the circuit or is the cable a continuous run from the console switch to the starter motor solenoid?
Could a new cable be run direct from the switch to the starter motor terminal?

Any suggestions appreciated

Dave
 
You have an ECU that controls that engine. I don't know if it is in the solenoid circuit, but it may well be. If it is you may have something silly like a faulty trim sensor saying the leg is too high to safely start the engine etc. We had a pair of early d3's and they the early ones were a bloody nightmare of problems. Issues with the connectors on the ECU were not unknown on the earlier D3's so I would at least check those as a simple step. Ideally you want a wiring diagram.
 
You have an ECU that controls that engine. I don't know if it is in the solenoid circuit, but it may well be. If it is you may have something silly like a faulty trim sensor saying the leg is too high to safely start the engine etc. We had a pair of early d3's and they the early ones were a bloody nightmare of problems. Issues with the connectors on the ECU were not unknown on the earlier D3's so I would at least check those as a simple step. Ideally you want a wiring diagram.

Hi
Thanks for the reply.
When the ECU does its pre-ignition engine startup check no errors are generated.
Also as Port Engine fires up fine so if its a "false" error being generated then it cannot be boat specific and must be local to the Starboard engine.
But YES my "instinct" is to look for a loose connector. Just prior to this issue arrising the boat had a rough crossing from Ireland to Scotland.
The "constant banging" into waves could have loosened a connector somewhere.
Volvo have supplied me with a generic D3 130 wiring diagram. This shows no sensor/connection from the starter solenoid to the ECU.

My problem is that the wiring diagram does not tell me where a specific connector is situated in the boat.

Regards

Dave
 
Sorry but I can't remember the way the wiring harness ran. Do check the connectors on the ECU as there were issues with them earlier on at least. I would trace the main harness from the helm to see if it splits or all goes back to the ECU as one item before splitting off to the various engine parts.
 
Isnt there a start relay? The start solenoid draws alot of amps so they use a slave relay to energize the solenoid. You can jump the start solenoid with a screwdriver to see if the starter works. Sometimes all it takes is to just pull the relay and put it back in. A remote starter button can be handy to have on hand for emergencies. If your starter works you just need to find the bad wire, relay, connector or neutral safety switch in the shift control?
 
Hi
Yes there must be a start relay as the main starter motor relay draws about 10 Amps and the Port engine (which is working fine) only draws about 500mA at the switch.
I tried running a wire direct from the starter switch to the starter solenoid (on the Starboard Engine). The starter engaged and turned the engine over fine but it was drawing 10Amps while the same measurement on the Port engine was only 500mA.
This would soon "burn out" the starter switch and in any case the wiring was too light for 10A.
The trouble is I cannot find any such relay. There is one mechasnical relay on circuit 20 but the Volvo Penta wiring diagram shows the starter circuit on 21/7.
In the wiring junction box there are connections 21/1, 21/2 and 21/3 BUT NO 21/7.

Perhaps its not a mechanical relay but one of these new solid state relays?

Anyway after a whole wasted day crawling about in the tight space under the cabin (where the wiring centre is) trying to find the starter circuit I decided to rewire the whole circuit.
The "start switch" now goes to a cheap 30A mechanical relay which switches in the bigger starter relay.
This is working fine. The start switch now only draws 500mA and the higher 10A is switched in by the relay.

I would still much rather find the original fault and fix it but in the meantime I have 2 working engines.

Thanks for all the advice.

Regards

Dave
 
Hi
You can't "jump" the start solenoid with a screwdriver as the starter motor is "hidden" behind the cooling heat exchanger. You cannot even see the terminals to put a meter on it!
I took the heat exchanger off to get a access to the starter solenoid and "yes" when I jump the terminals with a screwdriver the engine will start BUT I cannot run it as there is no cooling.
See my later post - I have rewired the circuit and now in an emergency I could do a "remote starter button" by running a wire direct to the battery +ive terminal.

regards

Dave
 
I cant find a wiring diagram normally the start wire is yellow. The start solenoid pulls alot of amps the start relay provides a path directly to the battery. In the electrical box on the engine are there two relays? If so swap relays and see if the starter works?
 
Hi
The start wire to solenoid is green/yellow. At the engine it goes into a wiring loam. According to the wiring diagram it goes to junction 21/7.
But in the big electrical junction box under the cabin floor there is no connector number 21/7 OR a green/yellow wire leading in.
(There are connectors 21/1, 21/2 and 21/3 only)

There is a solitary relay in the junction box but it is a single switching relay numbered 20/1 and it is not connected to the start switch.
For twin engines there has to be either a double relay or 2 separate relays.
Also when the port engine is started I cannot hear any relay "click" but as only 500mA goes through the switch and the solenoid takes 10A there has to be a relay "hidden" somewhere in the circuit.

After hours of crawling about etc without any success in finding it I decided to totally re-wire the starboard solenoid circuit - see earlier post.

I am wondering if they are using some form of solid state switching inside one of the ECU's but I am looking for a conventional relay?

Regards

Dave
 
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