Volvo Penta 3.0 stalling...wierd...help!!

[Stangman-66]

My 2001 Glastron SX175 has a 3.0GSM-C HO Volvo Penta. It starts and runs like a champ. BUT...... It has stalled on me 3 or 4 times in the last 2 days....both at idle and under way....not caused by bumping waves. The engine quits....dead ...and the guages all return to their off position.....then the engine comes right back on and all the guages work....like nothing ever happened. (I only have to restart it if it happens at idle) Its like in Close Encounters when the aliens shut off the guys pickup on the road and then everything goes back to normal when they leave!! It sounds electrical because the engine doesnt 'putter' off .....it just goes silent. Does anyone know where I should start looking????? Help Please.

Thanks,
Scott.

 

[MikDee]

Re: Volvo Penta 3.0 stalling...wierd...help!!

Sounds like you're losing all basic electrical power, Check your battery cables! Make sure they're clean, lubed, & tight! Or, it could be a bad ignition switch.

 

[Stangman-66]

Re: Volvo Penta 3.0 stalling...wierd...help!!

Ok...I will again. I did tighten the battery cables while i was out....and It still did it. Here's the funny thing.....my GPS Fishfinder is wired through the main fuse panel and it never loses power. The motor has an alternator.....would disconnecting the battery still shut down the motor? Its not fuel injected....it has a carb.

 

[glastron50gl]

Re: Volvo Penta 3.0 stalling...wierd...help!!

When the boat stops running all the gauges will stop giving readings. Your depth gauge should still work. Turn your NAV lights on and see if the dash lights are still on after it dies.

 

[Stangman-66]

Re: Volvo Penta 3.0 stalling...wierd...help!!

You are right....I fiddled with the fuses and when I touched the one to the ignition key, I duplicated the problem. It seems that the fuses have become loose with age...they all come out too easy. When the motor quit, the guages turned off but the stereo stayed on. The engine wouldnt let me start it for about 30 seconds. It cranked but wouldnt turn over. Could there be a circuit breaker that somehow protects the engine from damage by not letting it turn on for 30 seconds after stalling? Because if the loose fuse didn't cause the stall and a circuit breaker somewhere did, I wonder where it could be.

 

[tom travers]

Re: Volvo Penta 3.0 stalling...wierd...help!!

i had the same problem, checked everything, changes battery connections, checked coil, ignition switch, changed switch, checked fusable links, still nothing. then i checked the fuse next to the distributor (it's a small see through plasic box) found that there are four fuse wires, changed the connector, and everything works now!
the wire looked ok, but on close inspection it was burned out, but still made a connection and would disconnect and stop everything.
So if your electricial system has one of these fuses change it or put the connector wire in another slot on the fuse box.

hope this helps.

tom t

 

[Stangman-66]

Re: Volvo Penta 3.0 stalling...wierd...help!!

Thanks Tom......I seem to have fixed it though. I did 2 things.... bi-passed the deadman switch and put a gasket around the engine bay lid to keep salt water from dripping on the engine and wires. One of these fixed it. Haven't had a problem since.