Date: 10 June 2015. Self-induced Work
(engine won't start)
Guest author Captain Dave Frye on M/V Fryedaze.
This piece is for
The Writer's Block.
It's written by an online friend from
TrawlerForum. Dave and his wife Betsy are doing The Loop. Their
first day didn't quite go as planned. Dave shares with us the
how, why and, wherefores of what went wrong, and right, on Day One.
Sooooo, here is my tale of the
trials of boating. I get up at six excited for the first day of the
Great Loop. Port engine starts, Starboard doesn’t. It turns one
quarter of a turn and the starter chatters.
First thing I suspect is the batteries, even though they are at 12.8
volts DC.
I pull all connections to the
Starboard engine to ensure clean and good connections. Test start
‘NO JOY’.
I put jumpers to the other engine
NO JOY.
I pull all cables and swap
batteries for each engine.
Port starts right up, Starboard
didn’t.
Took hydrometer readings. All
cells greater than 1.285.
IT’S NOT THE BATTERIES.
Phase two: I start snooping around
the starter (its outboard and a bear to see). I find the lead from
the starter positive to the alternator positive output melted. The
cause will come later. I replace the positive lead from the alt to
the starter and…NO JOY and its get hot quick. Looks like a starter
problem.
Well we are starting the loop
today and have no car. In come Robbie, Joann and Donny to help out.
Robbie and Donny provide all kinds of great advice from their
previous experience with farm equipment and previous jobs.
They talk me into pulling the
starter so I did. Robbie suggests we taking it over to the Wenger
Amish motor shop and check it out, best idea of the day (you why see
later).
Meanwhile I want my truck because
I figure we are going to be here for a few days. Joann takes me home
and on the way back I order a new starter from Drum Point Marine and
it will be here tomorrow between 1000-1300.
I get back and Robbie calls Wenger
to see if they could fit us in. They can so we hit the road for
Saint Mary’s Amish country. The fella at Wenger tests the motor and
its fine. We start asking questions and he gave us a wealth of
ideas.
Sooooo, back to the boat.