Weird "no start" problem today

[Parasympathetic]

Then like ghostrider said, check ground at starter and if separate, the solenoid and back to the battery. Sounds like a intermittent disconnect.Check those areas with an ohm meter when you can get it to do it again. Also, most systems have a "master" or big-ass fuse coming immediately off the battery going to the engine and everything else. Check that with ohm meter while wiggling the wires. Try pulling that fuse and cleaning the contacts. I haven't heard of bad battery cables in "modern" times, but it wasn't unheard of in the 60's and 70's, so that would be another thing to check.

[LSVLance]

Both batteries checked out fine. The old 1000 cca one load tested at 980 cca.

The Mercury mechanic at the local shop gets in at 10:00 am. I'm gonna head up and try to get the boat turned around in the slip to make access a bit easier and trouble shoot a bit more. I'm also taking the trailer up with me...just in case.

The place I bought he boat from is closed Sundays and Mondays, so I can't pick their brain until tomorrow at the earliest.

[LSVLance]

Check your ground.!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ding ding ding....


Loose connection at the ground cable under the positive cable connection on the motor itself. I looked for the ground connection, but couldn't see it under all of the wires crammed down in there. Now I know exactly where to look should it ever happen again.

I went ahead and pulled the boat out of the water and after a few phone calls to the nearby Merc Dealers...decided to pull the boat down to Warsaw, MO 2 hours away to the dealer I bought the boat from. Fantastic people there, very professionally ran dealership. They worked me right in, found the problem and had it fixed right away so I could head back home with the boat in tow.

Pros Choice Marine in Warsaw, MO down by the Lake of the Ozarks. Largest Triton Dealer in the Country, very professional service shop, and some of the nicest people I've ever met if anyone in Central MO ever needs service or wants to buy a new fishing or Pontoon boat.

Can't wait to get her back on the water now. Thanks for all the help everyone.

[curtiscapk]

Nice Lance if I need to take the Floater somewhere for service I know where to go!

[LSVLance]

The Smithville Marine service manager was...well how can I put this...barely above a complete dick when I talked to him. Told me it'd be about 10 days or so before he could even look at it and more than likely it was ECM related and that would entail sending the ECM off to Mercury for them to fix.

A couple of the other Merc dealers in the area never even returned my phone calls.

I didn't even tell Pros Choice I was coming until about an hour before I got there. Fantastic the way they treat people there. The techs were actually running to and fro in between boats...busting their tails to get the boats in and out of their stalls... No lollygagging around whatsoever.

[billyman]

GREAT! Glad you got it fixed. I have had a similar thing happen to me once (last weekend). Was out on the water, went to head in & my motor wouldn't crank (nothing). Just as my buddy started towing me in I turned the key again & she started right up. I was leaning towards a bad cell on my battery, but I'm going to check this before I do another thing. Thanks for the info.

[Ghost Rider]

I am glad that you got if figured out. Now you can enjoy some time on the lake.

[LSVLance]

While I had her on the trailer and at home, I deployed the bimini, put the cover on and pressure washed it all up real good. It's been needing that. I then ran her back up to the slip and put her to bed back in her home...and tuned up and cleaned up ready for this coming weekend.

[Parasympathetic]

glad it's working.