2001 Air Nautique - No Start

[Riverdweller]

Boat will not crank, there is slight movement when I press Start then I loose power to the Helm and I have to reset the main power toggle switch. I've replaced the Starter Relay, Starter, Safety Neutral Switch and Battery Cables, checked all Grounds and swapped the two Relays (ECC and Fuel Pump) and all I get is the slight crank movement then loose power to my Gauges. Could this be caused by a faulty Kill Switch? I've seen similar posts regarding this same situation but there's never a follow up with what the fix or fixes were. Appreciate any feedback, my boat needs to get wet asap. Thanks!

[Jonny Quest]

I've seen the ECOS (Engine Cut-off Switch) cause starting issues. In my boat, the engine would "crank" but not start and run. I don't know if the ECOS would keep an engine from turning over with the starter engaged...

I struggled at the dock for 10 minutes once trying to figure out why my engine wouldn't fire up. I finally noticed that the red lanyard was lying on the ground by the driver's seat. Re-installed the lanyard and switch "keeper" and the engine fired right up.

JQ

[Riverdweller]

Just found something interesting, the GT40 Engine Wiring Diagram shows the two larger posts on the Starter Relay Solenoid opposite from other info I've found on here. I wired mine like the wiring diagram, not sure which is correct.

[Riverdweller]

Just found something interesting, the GT40 Engine Wiring Diagram shows the two larger posts on the Starter Relay Solenoid opposite from the two lower pics I've found on here. I wired mine like the wiring diagram, not sure which is correct or if it matters.

[Jonny Quest]

in my 2001 (GT40) I had the same relay you show -- wired the same way. Worked like a dream.

[SilentSeven]

I press Start then I loose power to the Helm and I have to reset the main power toggle switch.

and

....all I get is the slight crank movement then loose power to my Gauges

These sound like high current problems.

Question - how does the rest of the electrical system perform? That is, can you power on the dash or the stereo or the running lights with out issue? If yes it works ok, what happens when you turn all the accessories on? Does the dash brown out or do the gauges act weird? Does the problem only occur when you try to engage the starter?

Also, tell us more about what the starter actually does. Do you only hear the click of the solenoid or does the starter gear actually engage with the engine flywheel and 'bump' the crank pulley forward a bit?

If the problem only occurs when engaging the starter, I'd go back through all the following:

1 / get the battery load tested. Weird stuff can happen if you have a bad cell.
2 / triple check your new battery cables. Are they the right AWG? Connections are good? No signs of melting or heat damage from high current? Ground goes to the engine block? Battery connections are tight and don't have corrosion. The separate ~ 12 gauge dash power wire is connected to the battery?
3 / How's the high current connection from the solenoid to the starter? Can't remember if it has a separate wire or the solenoid connects directly to the starter hot pole.
4 / Test your transmission neutral lockout switch with a multi-meter. If the boat thinks it's in gear, starter is disabled. Consider jumping this switch and trying to start as a test.

After you do all this and still have problems then try manually jumping 12v to switched pole on the solenoid. Be careful as this this should bypass all safeties. Engine should crank.

If the engine still doesn't crank after all that I'd pull the starter and have it bench tested. Maybe you got a bad one. Also, I'd get out a breaker bar and socket and manually roll over the engine to verify it's not somehow seized.

Tell us what you find. These engines aren't too complicated so the problem shouldn't be too hard to run down.