No Start: 2000 Challenger 1800 210 Carb

[JLew081]

Ran the boat for an hour this year, ran perfect, full power, no issues. Docked it for an hour, will not start. Starter enages and spins the flywheel. Battery is fully charged. I can hear the fuel pump priming when I turn the key. I'm a shade tree mechanic with advanced knowledge of automotive mechanics, not familiar with boats. My guess is it's not getting spark? Haven't had a chance to check for spark yet. I'm reading a bit about maybe the stator, power pack, trigger plate might be bad on it. It does not even attempt to start. Just spins the flywheel.
I did remove the flywheel-all magnets are good. The stator was rusty and corroded, I cleaned it, re-installed it and the motor still has the same symptoms.

 

[Dr Honda]

At this point... it's going to be hard to tell, since you didn't check for spark yet. BUT... it's generally electrical, if it runs... park... won't run.


BUT... as far as the stator... unless you found a short... I don't think it's going to be that. It will GENERALLY go intermittent.


OK... this may sound dumb (but I've done it) did you put on your lanyard??? Or... is the lanyard loose??


But on those lines... check the Black/yellow wire going back to the coils. It's the kill, and grounds the coils. For a test... you can unplug it back at the coils, and see if you get spark.


Where around Da' Burgh are you?

 

[JLew081]

I appreciate the speedy response. I'm from Cranberry Township. Lanyard is clean and tight. I tested the coils; no spark on any of them. So that rules out the coils (there's no way all 6 individual coils failed at the same time). So I'm assuming the problem is happening before the coils, although I am not positive on what to check next. Is there some sort of "master/relay coil" (for lack of a better term) before the actual individual coils? From the research I've done it seems as though the stator is the most common problem. I did pull out a 6 foot piece of rope from the impellor shaft earlier in the day. It ran perfect after that. I read that whenever the impellor gets obstructed the stator can be damaged... Is it possible to check the resistance on the stator somehow?

 

[Dr Honda]

....... I read that whenever the impeller gets obstructed the stator can be damaged... Is it possible to check the resistance on the stator somehow?

OK... yes... a rope can mess up the stator. BUT... you have 2 of them. There is the electrical stator up under the flywheel. (for your spark) BUT... you also have a water stator, and it has angled blades. It's directly behind the impeller, and it straightens the water flow.


I'm not saying it's not the power stator... but it's not normally an instant thing. Also... the ignition is split... so for all 6 to give out together... you have to look at the common issues.

The stator should read 3.5K~4.2K on the blue to red, and Blue/white to red/white. Then you should read 90 to 140 ohms from the red to black, and red/white to black.


The trigger unit is common to both sides of the ignition. Also... it moves with the throttle. I would check the wires... you may find one cut, broken, or disconnected.

 

[JLew081]

I'm only getting about 20 ohms from the red to black. The rest barely have a reading. I do not see any loose wires anywhere

 

[Dr Honda]

Well.... sounds like the stator has an issue then.

Since there was corrosion... if heat made the oxide crystals grow... it could have simply shorted out.

 

[JLew081]

I'm going to order the stator. Another quick question... The starter gear stays engaged to the flywheel every now and then. Is it just the return spring that needs replaced? I found a kit with the spring, the spacer and the nut pretty cheap.

Oh and thanks a ton for helping me. I really appreciate it. Hopefully I'll have it running soon!

 

[Dr Honda]

Yep... I'd say the spring needs replaced, and the shaft greased a little.

 

[Dr Honda]

Here's a new aftermarket stator on ebay for $200.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CDI-Stator-..._Accessories_Gear&hash=item564bf81671&vxp=mtr


But... then again... for $60 more... you can have OEM.

http://www.boats.net/parts/search/M...cal Components(Flywheel - Starter)/parts.html

 

[JLew081]

I appreciate you going the extra mile and even finding a few on ebay fo me. I'll report back when I get it in the mail.

 

[JLew081]

Installed the new stator and it started right up! It seems like it's the new style stator, it looks different than the OEM part I took off the motor. It doesn't have the rubberized coating over the copper coils. Hopefully it will be sufficient.
Thanks for the input on the matter, I really appreciate it. I'll be sure to check here on a regular basis for future info.