Engine start hesitation

[tcblinn]

I have a 41 Sea Ray with twin 6C8.3 Cummins Diesels. When I start the port engine cold, there is a slight hesitation just after depressing the start button. The glow plug is heated and volt meter has moved to normal before depressing the start button. Once depressed the first second or two is normal. Then there is a hesitation and the tachometer swings counter clockwise about 70 degrees. The start process then catches, the tach swings back to normal position and the engine fires up. This is after the boat is cold for a day or two but being charged with shore power. After running the boat, if stopped and then fired up within a hour or so, no hesitation. If it sits for several hours with batteries on and no shore power, the hesitation comes back. Batteries all less than one year old, have been load tested and all connections checked. All good.

Thoughts/advice appreciated.

Topic

[Tony Athens]

battery cable connections

Sounds “classic” one or more bad main battery cable NEG and -or POS connections someplace in you DC power distribution system.. Battery terminals, main grounds to the engines, between the batteries, battery switchs or ??

One soltion– take apart engine one-by-one, clean to bare metal, grease all with white lithum grease, and reassemble.. Look for “green stuff” while doing the work

Tony

[Author]

Replies