Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

[Bull52]

I have a 2005 Rinker 192 Captiva with the 4.3 Merc. While riding along on the lake the engine just cut off. When I tried to restart, I got no power at the key and the small reset breaker at the ignition popped out. After trying to restart several times and getting the same result, I got a tow back to the marina. When I got home, I tried again and the boat fired right up.

Thinking it was a fluke problem, I went back to the lake the next day only to have it happen again after riding around and pulling a tube for a while. Again, when I got home to try and find the problem, it started right up.

I can't find any loose wires around the ignition switch or starter or battery. All the other electrical things work i.e. radio, lights, blower, horn, etc.

Any ideas out there?

 

[Lrider]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

IMHO

It appears to happen when everything is hot and works when it cools down, I would disconnect everything that I do not need that is associated with that breaker and run the boat all day if needed, it it doesn't happen then it is one of the devices you disconnected, reconnect one at a time until you find it, of course it will be the last device you connect

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

Rather than looking for loose wires, you need to find the chaffed wire, probaly in the same area you looked including the alternator area, it a short to ground thats poping the reset button and causing disrupting ignition. Concentrate anywhere you wiring touching laying on the engine block, and where wiring at the helm is shoved through a bulkhead.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

Maybe an overheating cut-out? Just a guess.

 

[seabob4]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

Bull,
First, your engine's electrical system and your boat's electrical system are independent of each other, save for a common ground. That's why your engine can quit and have no power, yet your horn, nav lights, etc. work.

Now what is this "breaker" you talk about at the ignition? On Mercruisers, there is a 50A breaker mounted on top of the motor, but I don't know of any at the helm. Are you talking about the kill switch? If the lanyard from the kill switch is pulled, the motor will crank, but it won't start, as the coil is being grounded. If the shift lever is not in neutral, the motor won't do anything at all.

I would check the batt cable connections on the motor, at the starter and where the ground cable attaches. Tighten them up.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

While I don't know the boat and engine, the mode of failure you are describing is that of a bad capacitor: Heats up and shorts out, cools down and operates correctly. If the engine has points ignition, try changing the capacitor. If it has electronic ignition have someone with the correct meters test the ignition module.

 

[Bull52]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

Seabob, on the dash there is a small 20 amp breaker button at the ignition switch. Also one at all the accessories like the blower, lights, horn, bilge, etc. The breaker will reset after a few seconds but when I try to crank again, the button pops again.

 

[River's Revenge]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

In the Adults section only (Thankyou Don) there should be a electrical diagram for your boat. Find the Breaker that is tripping and then see what is wired to that. The more probable are the heat issues which could be a number of things including coils and grounding of coils anything that could produce excessive amp draw. once cooled down it works, that sorta thing. But the more possible is.... the chaffing that was mentioned. Also did you change anything recently. add something like a blower motor or bilge pump anything 12vdc. If you did i'd recheck those areas.

Now.... what kinda beer?

 

[rbh]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

OK, I will take a stab at it for a cold one!
The 20amp breaker may be one of the main feeds which also includes your ignition system, and over time the draw between the ignition and whatever else you have on that circuit has weaken'd the breaker, this includes high resistance faults (bad terminations)
After you check and clean or replace all the termination point's for that circuit, Replace the breaker.

 

[karatejoe]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

what they said or a new" Bermuda Triangle" out on your lake.

 

[BTMCB]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

Just do what all previous posters suggested and you should be fine.

Now, about those beers....

 

[Bull52]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

IMHO

It appears to happen when everything is hot and works when it cools down, I would disconnect everything that I do not need that is associated with that breaker and run the boat all day if needed, it it doesn't happen then it is one of the devices you disconnected, reconnect one at a time until you find it, of course it will be the last device you connect

Problem Solved. Thanks Lrider and everyone else for the suggestions.

 

[wildspeed]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

Problem Solved. Thanks Lrider and everyone else for the suggestions.

and the problem was... ?????

 

[lucky7]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

he' s out on his boat..

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

Yep kiss and run thanks for stopping by.

 

[norfork]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

yep kiss and run thanks for stopping by. :d

someone owes someone a beer or a lot of beers

 

[reap182]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

Did somebody say beer...........

 

[oceansbreeze]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

I had my money on the bermuda triangle portion of the lake. The captiva 192 is a beautiful boat, I looked at several, and definitely on my list of possible future boats.... Glad the issue is fixed.

 

[Bull52]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

Thank you all. The problem was a loose connection behind the gauge cluster. Any of y'all make it to Richmond, VA and Lake Anna the beer is on me.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Figure this one out and I'll buy you a beer!

Lake Anna's not too far away...