GT-40 no fuel / no spark

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   Let me preface this by saying the engine on our boat has always run flawless as long as I have owned it.  The boat currently has about 630 hrs and always starts immediately when I turn the key.

Today, my father was planning on taking my boat out (without me of course, so some of this information is second hand).  He went to start the boat, but the battery was dead (only solenoid clicking, but no key was left on).  He swapped out the battery with a spare, but still had a hard time starting the boat.  He finally had to put it in neutral and rev it a bit, but it was still stumbling once it started.  Finally, he got it out on the water and it was still stumbling until he started to run it hard at which point he said it ran very powerfully and got it up over 40mph.  Then got back to the dock and it would barely run and possibly died.

8 hours later I came over and took a look.  It will crank over just fine, but that is all.  When you first turn on the ignition, the fuel pump does not come on for the normal 1 or 2 seconds to pressurize the system.  So I checked the fuel pumps.  Neither high or low pressure pumps are coming on.  I jump them directly to the battery and they work just fine.  Next, I checked for spark.  No spark either.

This leads me to believe it is something ECU related.  None of the circuit breakers are popped.  I consider myself pretty good at trouble-shooting, but this has me confused.  I didn't have any electrical diagnosis tools today, so I will come prepared tomorrow.

Any ideas of where to start would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Cooper
1995 Ski Nautique GT-40

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cooperlacy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: September-14-2009 Location: Cutler, IN Status: Offline Points: 60	Post Options Post Reply Quote cooperlacy Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: GT-40 no fuel / no spark Posted: June-24-2012 at 3:41am
	Let me preface this by saying the engine on our boat has always run flawless as long as I have owned it. The boat currently has about 630 hrs and always starts immediately when I turn the key. Today, my father was planning on taking my boat out (without me of course, so some of this information is second hand). He went to start the boat, but the battery was dead (only solenoid clicking, but no key was left on). He swapped out the battery with a spare, but still had a hard time starting the boat. He finally had to put it in neutral and rev it a bit, but it was still stumbling once it started. Finally, he got it out on the water and it was still stumbling until he started to run it hard at which point he said it ran very powerfully and got it up over 40mph. Then got back to the dock and it would barely run and possibly died. 8 hours later I came over and took a look. It will crank over just fine, but that is all. When you first turn on the ignition, the fuel pump does not come on for the normal 1 or 2 seconds to pressurize the system. So I checked the fuel pumps. Neither high or low pressure pumps are coming on. I jump them directly to the battery and they work just fine. Next, I checked for spark. No spark either. This leads me to believe it is something ECU related. None of the circuit breakers are popped. I consider myself pretty good at trouble-shooting, but this has me confused. I didn't have any electrical diagnosis tools today, so I will come prepared tomorrow. Any ideas of where to start would be appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help. Cooper 1995 Ski Nautique GT-40

AMB Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: April-29-2012 Location: NW Ohio Status: Offline Points: 67	Post Options Post Reply Quote AMB Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June-24-2012 at 11:30am
	I have a thread in the maintenance section on my '99 having fuel supply problems. It ended up being the ECM. No test for the ECM, you rule everything else out. Some basics to get you started: jump the kill switch - unplug the two leads paying attention to what 2 posts the go on (there are 4 and you need to be on the correct ones). I used a wire with 2 male electrical connectors to plug the kill switch wires on. It is a good idea to keep in the glovebox, in case the kill switch goes bad someday. You could be having relay problems. Those are on the back of the engine, $12 parts each, one for fuel pumps, one for ECM. 2 years ago, my fuel pump relay was going bad, and the boat would run fine, then die, and not start for a while, then run fine, etc., all randomly. I always carried a spare after that, as they go bad quite often, although, mine lasted 10 years, and never had a problem after that. The fuel pump relay has a green/yellow wire going into it. They are interchangeable, but you need both to run the boat. The pumps for sure should prime everytime you turn the key on, so I hope it is just the relay or kill switch, as the ECM costs >$500. The only way to test the ECM is to have a buddy with one and swap it out. My pumps didn't prime, but if I tapped on the ECM with key on, the pumps primed, so there was some sort of electrical short in the ECM. Good Luck! There are some very knowledgeabl guys out here who helped me though it. So scroll though some of the threads and see if it might work for you.

AMB Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: April-29-2012 Location: NW Ohio Status: Offline Points: 67	Post Options Post Reply Quote AMB Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June-24-2012 at 1:23pm
	Here is the link to my thread: http://www.correctcraftfan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=25775&title=99-sn-gt40-fuel-supply

cooperlacy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: September-14-2009 Location: Cutler, IN Status: Offline Points: 60	Post Options Post Reply Quote cooperlacy Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June-26-2012 at 2:22am
	Thanks for the tips. The solution turned out to be embarrassingly simple. I didn't check the work of the people who said they swapped out the battery. The 10 ga. wire going to the ECM was not connected, but was dangling against the positive terminal. This would allow it to start and run occasionally, but miss out when anything caused it to vibrate. Moral of the story: Don't assume someone else did the job properly. Start with the simple/obvious solutions and work your way back from there. Thanks, Cooper

Bri892001 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Grand Poobah Joined: September-27-2008 Location: Boston MA Status: Offline Points: 4945	Post Options Post Reply Quote Bri892001 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: June-26-2012 at 1:23pm
	I was going to say the safety tether! Because that will kill the fuel pumps too. Glad it was an easy fix!

GT-40 no fuel / no spark

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