Problem getting start button to fire engine on 320DA 2006

K

kozakoff

New Member
Jan 2, 2019
2
Boat Info
320 Sundancer 2006
Engines
2x Mercruiser MPI 5.7 w/V-Drives
I have had the problem described in the subject line the last 2 times we have gone out. First time was with starboard engine, second time was with port engine.
  • Ignition switches on in the panel in the cabin
  • Keys in on position
  • When the Start button is pressed on I get the normal "beep"
  • No errors codes of any kind on gauges
Press the start button and nothing. Press again and again and again and eventually it will fire the engine. When the engine fires, it starts up immediately. Battery voltages show normal on the display. I had to push the button maybe 10 or 15 times to get the engine to fire on both occasions.

Could this be a problem with the start buttons?

Any insight would be appreciated.
 
could be the neutral switch in the shifters. Try wiggling them when you push the button. If not that then check the starter relay.

download.jpg
 
Craig said:
could be the neutral switch in the shifters. Try wiggling them when you push the button. If not that then check the starter relay.

View attachment 63764
Click to expand...
Good suggestions - thank you. I will try these. I know where the neutral switch is in the shifters. Where would I find the starter relay? Would it be under the dash also?
 
Top of the engine just in front of the distributor. Look for the red circuit breaker button. Next to that.
 
Do you hear the engine priming when you flip the switch, or is there no sound at all?
 
Craig said:
could be the neutral switch in the shifters. Try wiggling them when you push the button. If not that then check the starter relay.

View attachment 63764
Click to expand...
+1 on the starter relay.

Had the exact same problem you are describing on our 340. Switched out the relay and it has fired up perfectly ever since. Took about 5 min to change.
 
Craig said:
could be the neutral switch in the shifters. Try wiggling them when you push the button. If not that then check the starter relay.

View attachment 63764
Click to expand...

Everyone likes to blame the neutral safety switch, but when I had these same symptoms, the starter slave solenoid (shown above) was to blame. Buy two. They are cheap. And they are located on top of the engine. Just about the easiest thing to replace on the entire boat!
 
scooper321 said:
Everyone likes to blame the neutral safety switch, but when I had these same symptoms, the starter slave solenoid (shown above) was to blame. Buy two. They are cheap. And they are located on top of the engine. Just about the easiest thing to replace on the entire boat!
Click to expand...

Watch buying the "cheap" ones as the are made overseas and some don't last long. The Arco's are a US made product and their HD units have the contacts molded into the housing instead of being held in with the extra nut on the bolt.
 
atrick said:
Watch buying the "cheap" ones as the are made overseas and some don't last long. The Arco's are a US made product and their HD units have the contacts molded into the housing instead of being held in with the extra nut on the bolt.
Click to expand...

Almost everything electronic is made overseas these days. I sell electronic components so I’m quite experience with this. Your American car isn’t. Your Boeing aircraft is mostly from overseas parts. Even your All American Harley Davidson bike has had Asian parts for decades. So you can’t just say anything made overseas is crap. But that being said, I read mixed reviews on a lot of these before choosing the ones I did. These are the ones I bought:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5V961K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So far, no problems. They work great!
 
scooper321 said:
Almost everything electronic is made overseas these days. I sell electronic components so I’m quite experience with this. Your American car isn’t. Your Boeing aircraft is mostly from overseas parts. Even your All American Harley Davidson bike has had Asian parts for decades. So you can’t just say anything made overseas is crap. But that being said, I read mixed reviews on a lot of these before choosing the ones I did. These are the ones I bought:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5V961K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So far, no problems. They work great!
Click to expand...
Same ones I bought last week...
 
Sometimes when I push the start switch I don’t hear the beep. Could this be a starter relay problem as well?
 
kozakoff said:
I have had the problem described in the subject line the last 2 times we have gone out. First time was with starboard engine, second time was with port engine.
  • Ignition switches on in the panel in the cabin
  • Keys in on position
  • When the Start button is pressed on I get the normal "beep"
  • No errors codes of any kind on gauges
Press the start button and nothing. Press again and again and again and eventually it will fire the engine. When the engine fires, it starts up immediately. Battery voltages show normal on the display. I had to push the button maybe 10 or 15 times to get the engine to fire on both occasions.

Could this be a problem with the start buttons?

Any insight would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Here's a quick test that helped me isolate the issue to the start switches. when one engine doesn't start, press the emergency jumper switch between the start switches. Mine was corroded on the terminals from years of salt water misting in the helm area. I have cleaned them. It doesn't last, so I am replacing both. OFF-ON-[ON] Carling rocker switches. About 20 bucks each.
 
scooper321 said:
Almost everything electronic is made overseas these days. I sell electronic components so I’m quite experience with this. Your American car isn’t. Your Boeing aircraft is mostly from overseas parts. Even your All American Harley Davidson bike has had Asian parts for decades. So you can’t just say anything made overseas is crap. But that being said, I read mixed reviews on a lot of these before choosing the ones I did. These are the ones I bought:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5V961K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So far, no problems. They work great!
Click to expand...
Thanks for your post. I've been noticing that my starboard engine has been increasingly hard to start, meaning I'm getting the audible beep when pushing rocker switch at dash, but it takes multiple pushes to get engine to turn over. Immediately cranks. I'm suspicious of rocker switch, but after reading this post, think it could very well be the starter solenoid. Checking out both. My 2001 290 Amberjack has the 5.7 MEI mercruisers. Thanks again for the advice. David Cutrer
 
Absolutely could be the starter solenoid. It’s on top of the engine so swap it with the other engine and see if the trouble goes with it. That will answer if it’s the solenoid quickly.
 
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