Hi all

The last couple of times i have been out on the boat when i push the starter button nothing happens but if i push it again once or twice it cranks and starts as normal

I have googled this and it seems to be a common problem on older Yanmars but there are lots of opinions about what the cause is

Some blame the starter button, some the starter motor solenoid and others the wiring harness from the starter button to the solenoid

Some have run a heavier wire from the starter button to the solenoid and others have added a relay into the starting circuit

To be honest i haven't had a look myself as yet and checked connections etc but i was wondering if any forum members have experienced this and what they found the problem was and what they did to fix it

Thanks in advance

Regards Don

I personally use a replay in my start circuit Donk
A few things things come to mind
One . the ignition switch maybe faulty on the start terminals inside the switch
Two . the terminals inside the solenoid on the starter motor maybe corroded and or worn
Three . there is a low voltage terminal running from the ignition switch directly to the stater soleniod make sure the terminal and its crimp on the wire is in good condtion
Id make sure your battery terminals are clean as for a start
then check all you terminals going to the other ends on the battery cables
If you run a battery Isolator check the terminal for tightness and no resistance between the terminals and the cable on both ends of the cables.

a Few things for you

Back to basics Donk,

Check and clean all your connections. Including the start battery. See if it starts first go after that. If not, short the solenoid with a jump wire. Unless the components are really old, it's usually connections gone bad, sostart with the easy stuff first.

nebbian said..
If nothing actually happens (no relays clicking, no solenoid thumping) the first time, but it does the second time, then it's most likely the switch itself.

Easiest way to tell would be with a multimeter.

If it were me I'd replace the switch anyway.

Replacing the button is going way overboard. Pull the rubber cover off the button and give it a good squirt of CRC and all will be good. Had a similar problem with the kill button on a 165Hp Turbo Yanmar on the 60 footer I manage. I regularly squirt CRC onto all switches on the boat as the slightest hint of corrosion on contact faces will cause intermittent faults.

You can buy contact clean lots of companies sell it including crc
A mixture of baking soda and water and an old tooth brush bows the job clean and dry afterwards works for me

Hi all

Thanks for the information so far

I have a rdo on friday so i will go out to the boat with my multimeter , pull all the harness connectors and terminals apart, tension them up, give them a squirt with contact cleaner,find the hidden inline fuse and see how we go

Regards Don

cisco said..

frant said..


Looks like red thumb is back in action. Possibly should have suggested you use RP7 rather than CRC to appease the red thumber.

Welcome back frant. You must have got a couple of green ones by the look of the amp meter bar atop the thread.

OK I'll admit I haven't a clue what you are talking about. I know what RP7 and CRC cleaners are, but:

Red thumb? Amp meter bar at the top of the thread?

hi donk
same thing happened to my 2qm20 yanmar before christmas it was becoming harder to start and bang turn key on push button nothing at all no lights no buzzers no power turned out it was the ignition where the key goes in i took it out my self auto electrician tested it for free 1 min job and sold me a newie for $50 its not a marine one but mine is down below.
Motor starts now with vigor like it has been crying out for more start power for a while hope this helps

Maybe you should trade up on a Walker H28 Donk Ha ha

Hi all

Went out to the boat today with a multimeter and checked the resistance of all the wires, switches and connectors in the starting circuit

Also checked battery voltage and then worked my way along the circuit and only had approx 0.2 volt drop at most (under no load)

Pulled the connectors apart and gave them a squirt with contact cleaner, spread the pins out and plugged them back in

The only suspect thing i found was the inline fuse holder with a glass fuse looked a bit dodgy where the ends of the fuse clipped into the wire terminals

Stuck it back together and started it a number of times and it cranked each time

Could be wishful thinking but i didn't seem to have to push the press button in as far as i used to before the starter motor started spinning

Went for a sail for a couple of hours and it started first go afterwards so hopefully i have fixed it (time will tell)

Regards Don