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Boat sparky in the Birmingham area?


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Hello, folks. Long time no see. So long in fact, my profile appears to have been deleted. hey ho.

 

Anyway, cam anyone recommend a boat sparky in Birmingham? The cat has developed a wee issue in her electrics and won't start. 

 

The woes started back end of last year on the way back from Wales, domestic alternator stopped charging. Refurbed it but still no joy. Limped it home on a jumper cable but to add to the woes the engine compartment flooded over winter. Fortunately looks like none got inside the engine (oil still looks clean etc) but now she's dead. Have looked over and can't see anything obvious. One wire to starter was corroded through but I've replaced that to no effect.

 

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

Ian

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19 minutes ago, was Nine of Hearts said:

Hello, folks. Long time no see. So long in fact, my profile appears to have been deleted. hey ho.

 

Anyway, cam anyone recommend a boat sparky in Birmingham? The cat has developed a wee issue in her electrics and won't start. 

 

The woes started back end of last year on the way back from Wales, domestic alternator stopped charging. Refurbed it but still no joy. Limped it home on a jumper cable but to add to the woes the engine compartment flooded over winter. Fortunately looks like none got inside the engine (oil still looks clean etc) but now she's dead. Have looked over and can't see anything obvious. One wire to starter was corroded through but I've replaced that to no effect.

 

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

Ian

 

Can't help with a sparky but do you have a big multi-plug connector on the main engine wiring harness.Iif so pull it apart and make sure the connections are clean and tight, even wiggling it about might work.

 

If that does not work or apply then as long as its not a Beta (access difficulties) short the large battery connection on the starter to the blade or nut close by with just one thinnish cable on it. Use an old screwdriver and be firm, expect sparks. If it refuses to clunk or try to start then its probably the start battery, dirty battery terminals, dodgy main starter cane or negative. If it clunks but refuses to start then as long as when you do it there is still 10V or more at the battery terminals its probably the starter itself. the voltage should jump back to 12V plus once you take the screwdriver away.

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Hi Ian,

 

First, you haven't been deleted:  https://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?/profile/2164-nine-of-hearts/

 

Second, I used to use an excellent boat sparky but he seems to have decided to become totally unreliable/uncommunicative, so I'd be interested in the answers too.  In the meantime, what about Richard at Sherborne?

 

Hope all is well at the Port.

 

Dave

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9 minutes ago, was Nine of Hearts said:

I believe Richard has jacked it in, alas, else he would have been my first port of call. :(

Did the water rise up over the starter motor? If so it might be still have water in it.

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2 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Mmm, I bet it's not dry inside it.

 

We bought a 'sunk recovered' NB (it was only a year old) and the water had gone half-way up the engine, both the alternator and the starter motor were totally seized up and needed replacing.

The water had not gone down the dipstick hole so the engine was fine (but still drained it, flushed it, refilled it, and replaced the filters)

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Have you tried Tony Brooks suggestion with the jump lead directly to the starter motor solenoid. You can also clamp onto the big terminal nut on the starter with the lead from the pos side of the battery. This should make the starter motor spin up but not engage its pinion with the engines ring gear. If it does then do the Tony Brooks thing. Careful of touching the engine mass or starter body with the lead or big sparks will happen.

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Bilge pump runs, no lights on panel but there's a rapid ticking when the starter key is turned, followed by a solenoid type "thunk" when the key is released. Domestic electrics are all sound. I've jumped the +ve of the starter to the domestic banks so the inverter charges both (as engine won't run and I'm not confident the alternator still functions). 

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8 minutes ago, was Nine of Hearts said:

Bilge pump runs, no lights on panel but there's a rapid ticking when the starter key is turned, followed by a solenoid type "thunk" when the key is released. Domestic electrics are all sound. I've jumped the +ve of the starter to the domestic banks so the inverter charges both (as engine won't run and I'm not confident the alternator still functions). 

 

Thanks for the extra vital information. Typically, apart from the flooding, flat battery or dirty/loose battery terminals and clamps so remove. Clean to bright metal the mating surfaces of the clamps and battery posts and refit. If that does not cure it then the battery may well be flat BUT:-

 

If the motor is seized then that may also cause the ticking which I take to be what is known as machine-gunning.

 

Try jumping from the domestic bank with decent jump leads.

 

None of that explains the no warning lamps because if the battery as that flat or the terminals that dirty I doubt it would have the energy to more the solenoid. Have you checked the big multi-plug if you have one (or two) yet?

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A rattling solenoid indicated insufficient current to pull it in properly, flat battery, poor connections, duff isolator, duff starter.

 

But you should be getting oil & ignition warning lights etc, on the panel even so.

 

You need a really heavy well connected positive to positive jump lead between cabin and starter batteries to do a jump start.

 

Are all the batteries near flat?

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1 minute ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Are all the batteries near flat?

 

 

If he limped home (last Summer) using jump-leads, and then the boat has stood (all Winter) and got flooded, and only now is work being done, I'd suggest that there is not much hope of the batteries being anything but flat.

2 hours ago, was Nine of Hearts said:

The woes started back end of last year on the way back from Wales, domestic alternator stopped charging. Refurbed it but still no joy. Limped it home on a jumper cable but to add to the woes the engine compartment flooded over winter. Fortunately looks like none got inside the engine (oil still looks clean etc) but now she's dead. Have looked over and can't see anything obvious. One wire to starter was corroded through but I've replaced that to no effect.

 

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50 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Are all the batteries near flat?

 

Definitely, and I can't stress this enough, definitely not. They're connected in parallel to the inverter charger and are fully juiced as the lights on said inverter and a voltage check attests. There's four 110Ah domestics and a 2yr old starter. The connections could well be dodgy, but the batteries are in fine fettle.

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5 minutes ago, was Nine of Hearts said:

 

Definitely, and I can't stress this enough, definitely not. They're connected in parallel to the inverter charger and are fully juiced as the lights on said inverter and a voltage check attests. There's four 110Ah domestics and a 2yr old starter. The connections could well be dodgy, but the batteries are in fine fettle.

 

Have they been on charge ever since you 'limped home' ?, If not how long ago did they go on Charge ?

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3 minutes ago, was Nine of Hearts said:

 

Definitely, and I can't stress this enough, definitely not. They're connected in parallel to the inverter charger and are fully juiced as the lights on said inverter and a voltage check attests. There's four 110Ah domestics and a 2yr old starter. The connections could well be dodgy, but the batteries are in fine fettle.

 

And the start battery voltage at least an hour after you stop all charging and better still overnight is ------?

 

At present, they could be sulphated so they are now 5Ah batteries and its just the charger that is holding the voltage up. They may also have internal shorts but not enough to overload the charger at the moment.

 

One does not normally connect a charger to the engine battery unless its a two output device so its possible the start battery is not being charged.

 

Nothing in the abov4 proves the start battery is OK or even serviceable, and your earlier posts suggest it may well not be. Hydrometer readings please or voltage after a considerable time off charge to try to confirm the battery condition.

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2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Have they been on charge ever since you 'limped home' ?, If not how long ago did they go on Charge ?

 

They have been connected to the inverter charger since my return in November. They test positive, the charge meter on the ignition sequence shows 13v, there are no other electrical issues to anything on the boat. All other 12v services run. The batteries, nor their connections, were ever below water. 

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1 minute ago, was Nine of Hearts said:

 

They have been connected to the inverter charger since my return in November. They test positive, the charge meter on the ignition sequence shows 13v, there are no other electrical issues to anything on the boat. All other 12v services run. The batteries, nor their connections, were ever below water. 

 

That sounds promising, I'd still suggest the possibility of a seized starter due to being submerged, but have you done a capacity (not voltage) test on your batteries ?

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3 minutes ago, was Nine of Hearts said:

 

They have been connected to the inverter charger since my return in November. They test positive, the charge meter on the ignition sequence shows 13v, there are no other electrical issues to anything on the boat. All other 12v services run. The batteries, nor their connections, were ever below water. 

 

Ok so what is the engine battery voltage while attempting to crank? Two readings, one direct from the lead posts and another from the clamps or eye terminals. If they differ by more than a smidgen its dirty battery terminals. If t drops to say sub 10v on the posts it's the battery or a  seized starter.

But again it does not explain why you said you had no warning lamps but now say there are no other electrical issues.

 

You should ignore the domestic system and concentrate on just the engine. If the charger is connected to the start battery 13 volts is too low, even on float it shoudl be around 13.4 to 13.8 volts.

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 02/06/2021 at 11:57, bizzard said:

Did the water rise up over the starter motor? If so it might be still have water in it.

 

Follow up: you win the prize, :)

 

Spoke to a mechanic who unfortunately couldn't come out, but concurred on your analysis. Managed to get a new starter off some firm in Germany (plus full service kit). Couldn't get the old one off, but another mechanic type fella with bigger tools did the job. Amazingly, fired first try. Happiest bunny in all of christendom.

  • Greenie 1
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