Port Engine Not Turning Over

[Captain Allen]

OK, here's a new one for me. Today I decided to run the engines for a bit, since I had not been out in 3 weeks. The port engine would not turn over. I cranked the starboard engine and then tried the port engine again and it turned over and started up. Keep in mind that I have a battery charger on all the time. When I shut the engines down after 30 minutes, the port engine still would not turn over, unless the starboard engine was running. Any ideas? Battery isolator? Bad battery?

 

[kevinnice]

on my 290 the port engine is on a battery all on its own. the starboard engine shares 2 batteries with the house services. i have a seperate switch for the port battery maked just on and off, whereas the starboard switch is marked 1, 2, both or off. i also have an emergency start button at the helm, which brings all 3 batteries in line regardless of which engine i am starting.
is yours configured the same?

 

[Captain Allen]

Almost. My battery switches for each side are just On-Off, no Both setting.

 

[kevinnice]

i am no expert on this stuff, but as no one has come to your rescue(!) i'd suggest the following: switch the batteries. if the problem reverses then it is definitely a faulty battery.

 

[techmitch]

How about starting with testing the batteries, and not with just a volt meter.

 

[shore]

Unhook cables from port starting battery..volt meter test just for fun.Take it out and have it load tested regaurdless.Free at auto parts stores.

 

[SR Tech]

Bad battery

 

[Captain Allen]

Got someone checking it out this week. I'll let you folks know the outcome. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[Hampton]

Depending on the batteries, could be a starter slave solenoid or corrosion on the battery terminals, grounding wires, or hot wires to the starter.

Here's the question: If you had tried the starter several times, would it have started? Do you really think the stbd engine at idle provided more power than your battery? When you tried the port engine, did it rotate a little and then stop, like a car with a dead battery, or did it seem like the starter didn't even engage?

 

[tollycraft]

Sounds like a bad battery. Use a proper load tester, their not that expensive and can be used on you vehicles as well. This type of tester puts aload on your battery and gives you an accurate idea of your battery's condition. Most load testers can also test your alternator on your boat and your cars. Best investment you'll ever make, believe me. I purchased mine up in Canada here for about $45.00. I had my battery system set up the same as Kevinnice, the reason for this is to always have one battery that does not run anything else on your boat, that way you will always have at least one battery to start one engine if the rest are all dead from running other accessories. Incidently, running your engines to assist in charging a dead battery is hard on the alternator and will reduce its life. When you have no other choice do it, but don't continue, as you will be replacing the alternator next.

Good Luck

 

[Captain Allen]

Thanks for the advice. The port engine tried to turn over, but couldn't, so it's not the starter. It might well be a bad battery connection. The battery apparently did not take a charge from either the charger or the engine. I have access to a load tester here at work, but didn;t have it with me at the boat. One complicating factor is that the PO added a battery to the OEM setup. Not sure why or how he wired it in, but the batteries as installed do not match the diagram in the owner's manual.

 

[Captain Allen]

It was a bad battery, indeed. It would not let either battery on that side take a charge. New battery fixed the problem. Thanks all for the help.