Not starting. Battery / charging issue? Perkins 4108

[Susanita]

Engine troubleshooting.

The perkins doesn't start.

* It starts to turn over but does not start. Belt moved slightly.

* Starter doesn't seem to heat. No white smoke

* Has been leaking a touch of diesel but engine has been running fine with this. Possibly because topped up the tanks fully. Last time I did this same case.

* Tried masterswitch on both batteries and engine only. Engine battery is not top quality anymore but still has power. It has been working fine. Possibly it has dropped.

* Oil levels ok. Cooling liquid ok.

* Everything was working fine yesterday

* Complete engine has been redone 4 months / 40 engine hours ago. Has been working fine.

* I tried start numerous times now. Nothing.


Checked the voltages. Engine battery doesn’t seem to charge properly that’s why it doesn’t start. Master switch is on 'both' but doesn’t seem to do anything with the service battery at all when starting. Changed the positive from engine battery to the service battery to test and then it starts. But this doesn't solve the problem. It seems to be an issue with the negative somewhere. It’s loosing voltage along the way.

Any thoughts of what else to check? How to solve this?

Thanks!

[Pete7]

Quick and easy checks first. Clean all the pos and neg contacts on the switches, alternator and starter motor with emery cloth or wife's nail files.

If no change look closely at the batteries since it starts on the house but not on the engine battery. What is the engine battery and how old? Battery switch could also be the issue or you could be looking at multiple faults.

With the engine running you could also put a volt meter on the batteries to see if the alternator is giving a good voltage to the house and engine battery. 14v ish will do for now, 12.5v will not.

Pete

[Susanita]

Thanks!
Cleaned everything.
Got the engine started in service battery. Now testing if it properly charges.
Could it harm just starting on the service battery? Just for a few days since now I have crew on board. I changed the positive of the engine battery to the service to start and then back to the engine battery to charge. Seems to work. Don’t have access to voltage machine now. I let t run for a while and then test again.

Thanks!

[Pete7]

There is a risk that if you move the positive cable with the engine running you will blow the diodes in the alternator. So the engine must be switched off before moving cables, hopefully you know this already. Do you have a chart plotter which gives battery and alternator voltages by chance? this will tell you if the alternator is working, since the voltage will be a couple of volts higher with the engine running or should be. If not a cheap multi meter for $10 will do. Even borrow one for an hour from a nearby boat.

The other risk is if you flatten the service (House) battery whilst stopped you won't be able to start the engine again.

So new engine start battery soonest, then longer term fit some form of battery monitor system so you can easily see what is going on. cheap and simple = NASA Battery Monitor BM1 or more expensive products available from Smart Gauge or Victron with lots of posts about them on here.

https://www.nasamarine.com/product-c...tery-monitors/

[BruceS]

Most 4108's have a voltage gauge on the helm in a standard install but seems yours doesn't?
A 12v headlight would give a good indication, dull at 11.5 and bright at 14.1v.
Does yours have the original alternator with the external regulator?
It appears to be a PWM control type... charge, stop, charge, stop & so on....
I put a new one in but was exactly the same. Figured it was normal for Pommy gear!! Temperamental things! See if you can grab a lend of a different one for testing?

[boatbod]

First things first, use a wrench and turn the crankshaft of the motor over two complete revolutions just to make sure you can. Assuming it's not hydro'd, go ahead and troubleshoot the electrical system.

[jimbunyard]

Sounds a lot like a bad starting battery.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Susanita

* Has been leaking a touch of diesel
* Complete engine has been redone 4 months / 40 engine hours ago. Has been working fine.

You should fix that, soonest. No excuse for letting a diesel leak persist. Should have been fixed when the engine was redone, unless it's started since then... and that wouldn't speak well of the re-done-er person.

-Chris

[lordgeoff]

Originally Posted by Susanita

Engine troubleshooting.

The perkins doesn't start.

* It starts to turn over but does not start. Belt moved slightly.

* Starter doesn't seem to heat. No white smoke

* Has been leaking a touch of diesel but engine has been running fine with this. Possibly because topped up the tanks fully. Last time I did this same case.

* Tried masterswitch on both batteries and engine only. Engine battery is not top quality anymore but still has power. It has been working fine. Possibly it has dropped.

* Oil levels ok. Cooling liquid ok.

* Everything was working fine yesterday

* Complete engine has been redone 4 months / 40 engine hours ago. Has been working fine.

* I tried start numerous times now. Nothing.


Checked the voltages. Engine battery doesn’t seem to charge properly that’s why it doesn’t start. Master switch is on 'both' but doesn’t seem to do anything with the service battery at all when starting. Changed the positive from engine battery to the service battery to test and then it starts. But this doesn't solve the problem. It seems to be an issue with the negative somewhere. It’s loosing voltage along the way.

Any thoughts of what else to check? How to solve this?

Thanks!

Check the earth on the engine. Clean all the connections on the engine block. Also take out the stud (you will need a lock nut) that takes the earth cable and polish it. If you can also brush the female thread going into the block.That will get rid of any rust and muck in there.
As a further check attach your earth to one of the bolts on the Bell housing or starter motor bracket to see if engine turns over faster.

[rbk]

After checking the battery check your start button (if equipped) by bridging the terminals. If it starts faster/better than using the button it’s about to fail.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by Susanita

Engine troubleshooting.

The perkins doesn't start.

* It starts to turn over but does not start. Belt moved slightly.

* Starter doesn't seem to heat. No white smoke

* Has been leaking a touch of diesel but engine has been running fine with this. Possibly because topped up the tanks fully. Last time I did this same case.

* Tried masterswitch on both batteries and engine only. Engine battery is not top quality anymore but still has power. It has been working fine. Possibly it has dropped.

* Oil levels ok. Cooling liquid ok.

* Everything was working fine yesterday

* Complete engine has been redone 4 months / 40 engine hours ago. Has been working fine.

* I tried start numerous times now. Nothing.


Checked the voltages. Engine battery doesn’t seem to charge properly that’s why it doesn’t start. Master switch is on 'both' but doesn’t seem to do anything with the service battery at all when starting. Changed the positive from engine battery to the service battery to test and then it starts. But this doesn't solve the problem. It seems to be an issue with the negative somewhere. It’s loosing voltage along the way.

Any thoughts of what else to check? How to solve this?

Thanks!

Check your cables ability to carry enough current to your starter.
I found this corroded cable after some checking in the battery locker.
It took 40 yrs to become a problem, and was hidden under the cable insulation.
Lucky I found it. This was 18" long, and corroded thru.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ture30506.jpeg
Cheers
SV Cloud Duster