Stuck in mud then no Power!! (AR192) -- Problem Solved

[sebmcadet]

NEED HELP!

Went out at sea came back a little late, it was getting dark, got stuck in mud. Motor was at 6000rpm then. Engine immediately high RPM and within seconds shut down. Impeller got stuck I suspect.
Went walking into deeper water, anchored it. Cleaned the access port. Nothing substantial in it. Closed access port. Turned the key, NOTHING. NO POWER whatsoever. Blower, navigation lights, all gone.
Got the boat towed. Cleaned it this AM and ran some basic tests.

- Battery ~13.8V (Battery is ~1.5 yrs and boat was running all day)
- The 20A fused by the battery ON/OFF switch seems ok
- Kill switch cord is tight
- Swim platform closed
- The shifter is in neutral
- Blower works
- Cleaned the impeller (mostly some weeds were still in it)
=> When I turn the key nothing happens. No starter click. Dashboard remains dead. Feels like an electrical issue at this time.

Any suggestions?

 

[ScottS]

Was it a hard stop when you hit the mud? Check your battery connections are still tight?

Try using your spare keys. Check for loose connections behind the helm.

Try resetting your breakers.

Just shots in the dark until someone with more experience shows up.

 

[sebmcadet]

Thanks, Scott for the prompt reply.
Not a real hard stop, as far the boat motion was concerned.
The engine did however stop very quickly.
I'll try with the spare key and check if anything else is loose (I didn't notice anything special around the battery)

Never figured out how to remove the console panel. Any tips?
Which breakers should I look into and where? (The only visible fuse I saw was near the battery ON/OFF toggle button)

Thanks!!!

 

[Babin Farms]

Check the fuse for continuity. There are times they look good and are blown. I'm not familiar with the newer boats but check to see if there are any other fuses or breakers that may be blown or tripped.

 

[ScottS]

The soft rubber nipples below each of the switches are breakers. Just give them a push to ensure that they aren't popped.

Don't try to remove the console itself, pull the cushion in the bow that is in front of your console to check the wiring from behind the console. My cushion pulls off with a little bit of effort, it is held on by 4 bolts I think, but they are held in place by tension. However, I believe the previous owner hooked his battery up to the reverse terminals and blew a bunch of fuses. So originally, I think there are some nuts on those bolts. You may have to remove the lower cushion and reach up behind the seat back cushion and remove the retaining nuts on the bolts holding it in place.

However, I do recommend you double-check the fuses before going through all the trouble. Ensure that you have your master power in the correct position and recheck your terminals on your battery. Try having someone manually depress the swim deck safety switch to ensure that it hasn't somehow come loose or is acting wonky. Try flipping the kill switch lanyard over as I have heard some people have had that solve a non-starting problem.

Also, confirm that your bucket is actually in the neutral position when the throttle is in neutral. What I am getting at is, when you hit the mud, maybe you knocked the throttle to bucket cables out of alignment and now there is a disconnect between throttle position and the actual orientation of the cables/bucket that may be impacting a safety switch.

I'm still shooting in the dark, and again hopefully someone with more experience will chime in. Good luck!

 

[sebmcadet]

Thank you all for your suggestions.
Here is where I'm at -- no drum rolls -- I'm still stuck.

1. Checked all the fuses (visually and with a voltmeter for continuity). Found the main fuse box behind the engine. Then changed the 20A by the main switch, even though it was ok.
2. Made sure the kill switch lanyard was well inserted, and that kills switch by the swim platform depressed. (I've operated them both several times)
3. Looked behind the console (never known how to access it, thanks for pointing me in this direction), but didn't really know what to look for. Pressed all the rubber nipples.

At that point, I turn on the main switch. Blower functions. Turn on the radio. Radio functions.
Make sure I'm in neutral and check the reverse bucket is indeed in the 'neutral' position (very good to have mentioned that).
And as soon as I turn the key power goes off!
Then nothing works. Radio stops. No more power... And I can't get it back.

So I'm back to where I was Sunday. For some reason, the power came back somehow this morning because the Blower and Radio worked. And now it's dead, and the main power switch doesn't allow the current to run through even the radio...

In my opinion, there is still either a safety switch somewhere that is triggered, or there is still a malfunction, which I assume, is electrical. I'm attaching a few pictures in case it helps someone decipher the problem. However, I'm going to call a technician now. And will post again.

Thanks!!

 

[Babin Farms]

Seems like it is a breaker if your losing everything once you try to start it or the battery is toast. Have you load tested the battery? I just replaced a battery that was 12months old due to it going bad and not holding a charge. It would hold enough to power the radio and blower but you could tell the blower wasn't at full speed, and when trying to start the engine it wouldn't even engage the starter.

 

[ScottS]

At this point, I would seriously consider pulling your battery and bringing it in to be tested.

At a minimum, maybe try trickle charging the battery for a few hours and see if that impacts the issue. Maybe even go for a jump start with a set of cables - *never tried this, not sure if there is a compatibility issue if you're trying to jump-start from a ground-based vehicle. I would use a USB jump pack.

Getting deeper, you and your boat seem to live somewhere humid. There is a chance that there are some issues with corrosion. I would recommend taking apart your main connections and cleaning them up with some steel wool or other abrasive to clean up the contacts and resetting them. Especially check your ground to battery ground.

I doubt this is related to your issues, but I also noticed that your ignition wires are connected with butt-connectors. The side of the butt-connectors opposite the ignition switch is no sealed (heat was never applied to shrink the connector for a watertight seal. You may have an issue with the connection here. However, your blower and other equipment should still work regardless of this, so I doubt this is worth diving into at this point.

I am still amazed someone with more experience with this issue hasn't chimed in yet. Sorry that you're having such a rough go of this. I am trying to think of possible solutions that would make sense in conjunction with the running up on the mudflat.

 

[sebmcadet]

Thanks Guys!!! Trickle charger's on the battery as we speak. Will leave it on for 6-7h and check. Then pull the battery and have it tested if the problem persists.

Any idea what other breakers or safety switch I may have overlooked?

Note to self: Re-wire ignition cables with heat-shrink butt connectors.

 

[Babin Farms]

Not familiar with the newer boats but the only breakers that I am aware of are the ones on the dash. I have seen on other applications where there will be a large circuit breaker closer to the battery but it won't reset itself.

 

[sebmcadet]

I haven't found more circuit breakers, but I've let the trickle charge on for 7h, then try again and got nothing... So I'll bring the battery for testing and possible exchange tomorrow.

 

[ScottS]

Frustrating. Sorry that you’re having to go through this. I know it’d drive me insane.

 

[I_squared_r]

I see that you're missing the little rubber boot on your ignition switch. That lets moisture inside and eventually kills the switch. Does the ignition feel smooth when you turn it? Does it stick at all? The right way to check it, is to check continuity with a multimeter at those wires. I don't have a wiring diagram so you will have to unplug it and probe around a little.

Also check all your battery cables are tight! Whenever I had this problem it was because I forgot to tighten a cable, the boat wasn't in neutral, or my ignition switch started to fail.

 

[sebmcadet]

Had the battery checked this morning: BAD BATTERY!!*
Bought a new one. Cleaned up the contacts. And BINGO! IT STARTED.

That's it, folks! Thanks for your help.

* Battery is 1 yr 1/2. Ran/charged all weekend. So getting the impeller stuck must have drained the charge completely somehow. And I'll have to think of checking the battery every other year.

Note: Throughout this ordeal and in my frustration I had my daughter turn the water on the other day while I was trying to turn the engine on. She went away before I realize, and so I had water running and out the pee hole with a dead engine for well over a minute. I've been frantically checking the oil for any milky appearance, which it doesn't have, and will probably change the oil this weekend as a safety measure. I'll chime back here to finalize this thread, which hopefully will serve others.

 

[sebmcadet]

I see that you're missing the little rubber boot on your ignition switch. That lets moisture inside and eventually kills the switch. Does the ignition feel smooth when you turn it? Does it stick at all? The right way to check it, is to check continuity with a multimeter at those wires. I don't have a wiring diagram so you will have to unplug it and probe around a little.

Also check all your battery cables are tight! Whenever I had this problem it was because I forgot to tighten a cable, the boat wasn't in neutral, or my ignition switch started to fail.

You mean, this ignition switch? -- See picture.

 

[sebmcadet]

Just a final comment on this thread:
- Problem solved. Getting stuck in the mud apparently killed my battery.
- I had left the water running with the engine off: after taking the spark plugs off and running it I saw no water come out the cylinders. I've drained the oil and it was not murky. So I've replaced the oil and now everything appears to be in order.

Thanks for you guys support.

 

[ScottS]

Glad everything worked out for you. Hope you’re able to get out and enjoy it this weekend!

 

[sebmcadet]

Yep, all good now
Thanks again!