Mystery problem: Won't turnover until ground terminal removed & replaced

[DaveK22]

I have a 2003 Stingray 180lx w/ Merc. 3.0. 2nd owner since 2012. This problem has happened only twice, 2nd being the other day. I have a power inverter that plugs into a cig lighter but I have an adapter plug that allows me to clamp it right to the battery terminals. I use it to power my AC operated air pump to inflate tube. It works great and won't blow any fuses.


Now the problem...and not even sure if the above info has anything to do with it. After blowing up my tube, removing the power inverter setup, I went to turn the boat over and nothing. Not cranking over, turned the key and absolutely nothing. No lights or electrical either. After a slight panick attack, trying to turn it over multiple times with a few minutes in between...I then had a vague recollection of this happening one other time. I then removed the ground terminal from battery, waited a minute, then the boat fired up as normal...which is what I had vague recollection of doing the first time it happened.


Again, I'm not sure Iif the process of blowing tub up has anything to do with it not turning over because I do the same process many other times with no issues at all after restarting.

Any ideas on what could cause this?

 

[NYBo]

Welcome to iboats!:welcome:

Whether you know it or not, you have diagnosed the problem: A bad connection at the negative battery terminal. Make it all bright and shiny, both the cable end and the battery terminal, with a wire brush or sandpaper, and reattach securely. If you are using wing-nuts, replace them with stainless steel nuts with nylon inserts (Nylocks). Coat with dielectric grease or plain old Vaseline to slow down corrosion. While you're at it, do the same for the other end of the cable, as well as both ends of the positive cable. Just be careful not to let anything touch and cause a dead short.:target:

 

[crb478]

I doubt that it had anything to do with blowing up the tube and more to do with the ground cable. It could be corroded at either or both ends or inside the cable where you can not see it. Clean the connection at both ends and check for resistance in the cable. Feel down the length of the cable for any hard or corroded spots. Make sure it clamps tightly to the battery with no air gaps and that it mounts solidly to the motor. You can cover the connections with dialectic grease or get a can of the battery spray.

 

[Texasmark]

When cleaning they mean remove the connections and shine up the inside where the current flows, don't just shine up the outside with the connections intact.

On finding a cable with a corroded crimp at the connector a voltmeter across the cable while cranking or feeling for a heat rise at the connector can find it. If you loose 1 volt across that terminal while cranking at 200 amps that's equivalent to turning on a 200W light bulb and it will get hot fast. You can feel it. Obviously lesser amounts won't be so noticeable.

Mark