need motor help

[ianpatties]

today I took my boat out. the left engine started fine. The right engine never started. the left engine ran for a minute then quit. the left engine started again after a few tries and quit as soon as a applied the throttle. after that both engines would act like they wanted to turn over but nothing. The best way to describe the noise was repetitive click. I have no idea what is going on. the boat ran well enough to get me just outside the marina where I had to be towed back in, Could it be the battery? When I test drove the boat it ran fine. Oh by the way it is a 99 challenger 1800. any suggestions would be very helpful.

 

[seadoosnipe]

Battery...

Yes, once the cranking amps drops below a certain amount, the electrical system kicks out. You'll just get the solenoid clicks. The other possibility is the solenoid, but with two engines, I doubt it, so go with the battery first.

 

[ianpatties]

Thanks for the advice. I just want to clarify the clicks. They sounded similar but not exactly to a car engine that is not getting enough juice when attempting to start on a dead battery. Also the lights under the seats flickered when I was trying to start the engine. I guess that is why I thought battery. The one thing that confuses me is why initially the left engine started with out a problem yet the right engine wanted to start but never could. I just thought of another detail that might help. The safety lanyard was acting up as well. It would give the two beeps and then when I would hit the start button it would give a long single beat. Then after a few attempts to start the boat the beeps sounded odd. Thanks again for your help.

 

[seadoosnipe]

beeps....

Keep a good ear out for the beeps. The one long beep would signal that it's not identifying your lanyard.
Why one engine starts verses the other, I can't say. Strange though, because once an engine is started, your supplying about 14 vdc from your charging system back to that battery.
When you get an engine running, check your battery with a multi meter. If you don't have one, you can get it at Wal Mart for a couple bucks. In checking it, you'll notice, with the engine off, about 12 vdc. With the engine running, somewhere around 14 vdc. If you see no change in the power supply to the battery, you may also have an issue with the rectifier or regulator............

 

[ianpatties]

i checked the battery and it was reading 11.7 vdc. I still couldnt get it to start. something I noticed today is it would make that repetitive klunking noise and sometimes it would stop suddenly and then there would be a loud beep. Also the klunking would stop and their would be noise I guess it sounded like something spinning. It is hard to describe other than it was a something spinning.

 

[kustomkarl]

That sounds like it might just be the recoil on the starter...

Karl

 

[seadoosnipe]

Low power....

:agree: Karl is correct. Your battery at rest should be storing a little more than 12 vdc. If your below 12, then the amount of cranking amps is significantly lower than what's needed to through out the bendix to engage the flywheel...........:cheers:

 

[kustomkarl]

why thank you Louis...It looks like we are following each other around the forum...:rofl:

But who's in the lead....I wonder :ack:

 

[ianpatties]

alright here is what happened today. I recharged the battery and it gave off 12.7 vdc. I still had to use a jumper box to start the engine. It started up without a problem with the jumper box. I ran it for 10-15 minutes without any problems. I stopped for a few minutes and when I tried to start the motor nothing happened. The horn wouldnt even beep. The battery still gave a reading of 12.7 vdc. I used the jumper box and it started right up. It confuses me.
Thanks

 

[robin savell lloyd]

May be you have a bad conection at the battery. have you cleaned wires and battery post? if that does not work I would try a defferent battery that you know is good that would have to fix problem. :cheers:

 

[seadoosnipe]

Battery....

If your not having problems with your jumper box and it's starting the motor. Sounds like your battery is shot.
Just because you can charge it and it has over 12 volts on it, doesn't mean it's good. The battery is measured in CCA (cold cranking amps) and if there are a few cells dead, you'll be able to charge and show over 12 volts, but you won't have the proper cranking amps.
Also, use your jump box and when it's started, how about using a muti meter and let us know what your charging system output is. With the motor running, you should be getting about 14 vdc.
You can take the battery to "Autozone" or your local parts house and ask them to test it.
The load test is the only way for them to determine your batteries capability. With your first post showing what the battery was storing, it seems that you may have a few cells dead.

 

[kwiktsi]

Time for a battery. As said above, just because it has voltage, does not mean it has any "push" (amperage) behind it. You don't know how many starers I have seen people replace on cars due to not knowing how to properly test a battery.

Hook your voltmeter up and check the voltage, then try to start it and watch what happens, once a load hits, it probably falls right off.

I could even have busted a connection internally when your mount broke if it pulled on one of the cables. Put a battery in it and go enjoy your boat !!