Sluggish cranking Yanmar

[awaywego]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

You might wind up having to install a relay at the engine so the solenoid power need not go through the ignition switch.

Would you mind explaining this a bit more?

[Terra Nova]

On those Yanmars, IIRC, solenoid power runs through the ignition switch, dropping voltage over small wire to and from the switch. If you rewire it such that solenoid power runs from the heavy positive starter cable, through a relay operated by the switch, you get full voltage.

[awaywego]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

On those Yanmars, IIRC, solenoid power runs through the ignition switch, dropping voltage over small wire to and from the switch. If you rewire it such that solenoid power runs from the heavy positive starter cable, through a relay operated by the switch, you get full voltage.

Does it appear from this setup that what you're talking about is taking place? You can see in the picture the heavy battery cable coming in, the wire from the alternator, and then up top the wire from the starter...

[Terra Nova]

No. It looks stock and, thus, potentially troublesome.

[Sardean]

Its easy to rule out key switch, bypass it by bridging the small terminal on solenoid to the big positive wire, this will bypass the start switch circuut. I don't believe the key switch is the problem....
It sounds like a bad connection. Befire replacing wires clean your big negative wire connections especially at motor. Quite common fir them to be corroded. Another quick check is to crank motor for 5 sec then check for hot cables or connections. If the cable is badly corroded inside it will be hot where the problem is. Good luck and please update us on your progress

Sent from my D6653 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[belizesailor]

By pass that crunchy negative cable with a good heavy gauge jumper and I bet it spins up (leave positive as is to confirm its not the problem).

Also a good example of why its good to have good quality heavy gauge jumpers, not the mostly junk they sell in auto parts stores (ought to be legal penalties for that). Very useful for troubleshooting and jumpering around problems temporarily.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by awaywego

I'll do that, starting with the black cable first.

Really what it comes down to though is over the last year I've replaced basically everything BUT the cables, so it's just about all that was left. New cranking battery in August. New cranking motor and solenoid in September. New battery selector switch in October. Just about the only thing left in the equation was the wires themselves. That's just about the approach that most shitty mechanics use, ain't it? Replace everything till it works?

Have you considered that had you asked this question before you did all that...?

I know, bee's knes and all that, but over the years many of us have helped folks out before they spent all their hard earned because they asked first. And then when the first shadetree mechanic replacement at great $$ didn't work, finally got around to asking.

Tough love, I know.

But many of us learned a lot of this stuff before the internet.

Good luck. ...with your - cable.

[awaywego]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Have you considered that had you asked this question before you did all that...?

I know, bee's knes and all that, but over the years many of us have helped folks out before they spent all their hard earned because they asked first. And then when the first shadetree mechanic replacement at great $$ didn't work, finally got around to asking.

Tough love, I know.

But many of us learned a lot of this stuff before the internet.

Good luck. ...with your - cable.

What the hell is this guy's problem? I've tried to politely ignore what has basically amounted to trolling this entire thread, but you've elevated to the level of condescension and rudeness. I can't for the life of me figure out why? Can some fill me in?

Your last post doesn't even make sense.

[awaywego]

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you've said in your last post, but your entire participation in this thread has just felt like harassment more than anything else.

In the event that I've misjudged you and your goal is actually to be helpful, here is some additional information about the upgrades I've made to the system over the last 6-7 months.

New cranking battery because the old one was from the previous owner and was shot.

New starter and solenoid because we burned up the old one when pulling out of Portsmouth, VA. Apparently it stayed engaged and as we motored away from the docks the overspeed killed it. Smoke pouring out of the engine room.

New battery selector switch because the old one had internal corrosion. It was very old.

So I wasn't just spinning the wheel and guessing at the problem, these things all happened and needed attention. I didn't replace a battery without cause. I didn't just choose to get a new starter hoping to correct an ignition issue. Just so happens they all are involved in the starting circuit.

So now, I came to the forum to ask a question and received helpful information from most. I also got the standard "you shouldn't be asking this question because there's already threads out there that have discussed it.". And to your credit, you at least shared a few of them with me, but I think most people would rather just hear some first hand direct responses from other people who feel like offering them.

[DeepFrz]

awaywego; relax. If you had stated those reasons for making the changes in the first place there wouldn't have been a post from Stu. The way you stated your replacements sounded like you were swagging the problem. You even alluded to doing that. For your information Stu is one of the more knowledgeable and helpful people on the forum. So chill and hang around.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

awaywego; relax. If you had stated those reasons for making the changes in the first place there wouldn't have been a post from Stu. The way you stated your replacements sounded like you were swagging the problem. You even alluded to doing that. For your information Stu is one of the more knowledgeable and helpful people on the forum. So chill and hang around.

+1 Stu has offered many a sage word and is definitely worth listening to.

[seahag]

Maybe Stu is better at fixing stuff than explaining? Everyone has their strengths!

[Three Sisters]

Originally Posted by awaywego

And to add to that previous post, my negative black wire feels stiff and crunchy while the positive red wire feels flexible.

Replacing the negative black...is the slow cranking gone ?

All that you mention replacing would have cost a bundle to have it done.

[dlymn]

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

You might wind up having to install a relay at the engine so the solenoid power need not go through the ignition switch.

The fault is not in the solenoid or the cable from the ignition switch to the solenoid. This system can cause problems but this is not the case here. The cable to the starter motor is usually live and will crank the motor when the solenoid operates and makes a circuit for the cable power to get to the starter motor. The wire from the ignition switch to the solenoid carries a much smaller current than the cable to the starter. Adding a relay does absolutely nothing to provide more current to the starter motor.

[Terra Nova]

It is not the starter motor that needs more current. It is the solenoid.