A couple problems...thoughts?

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

A couple things I thought I'd get a little feedback on.

1. The last few times out we've been tripping the main breaker on the motor. It happens after we've been running for a while and immediately as we shut of the engine. I wait a few seconds, open the engine hatch and push it and it resets. I'm assuming it is just going bad...is that assumption correct or is it telling me something else is going on?

2. We broke a belt this weekend...the belt that goes to the alternator. In the spring I changed my impeller and when I did I checked the belts and tightened everything up. I'm thinking maybe I tightened the alternator belt a little too tight. The alternator spins easily with the belt off. Again, was this just a belt gone bad or is it trying to tell me something else is wrong? Note: the belts are about two years old.

Any thoughts or ideas would be helpful. At this point I'm planning to get new belts and also a new breaker.

chawk610 · Addict Joined: 06 Jul 2010 Posts: 668 City: Fort Worth

I had an issue with the breaker on an old boat. Turned out it was the volt gauge shorting out. As fo rthe belt... yea, they break sometimes. I always travel with spares.

STANG KILLA SS · Posted: Jun 11, 2012 6:30 am Post subject:

with a belt installed how much can you move the belt? off its straight path pulley to pulley? 1/4"? 1/2"? 1"?

youd be suprised how loose you can run those belts. saves alot of stress too.
basically "too loose" is when you throw the belt.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Hmmmm, was probably 1/4". I had pulled it kinda tight.

STANG KILLA SS · Posted: Jun 11, 2012 10:58 am Post subject:

yeah 1/4" is really tight. id loosen them up if you have a manual tensioner.

also were gonna needs some bikini shots of your wife posted to further help you diagnose as it could be a "ballast" issue

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Yeah, it's manual...just pull it into position and tighten it down. The old crow bar and wrench technique...you would have had the same set up on your old Nautique.

Maybe I'll send some pics to your inbox. Mr. Green

STANG KILLA SS · Posted: Jun 11, 2012 12:18 pm Post subject:

everyone has ballast issues time to time. no need to PM, help the whole WB community

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Here's a couple...can you figure out what she's doing?

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Not sure why they are not rotating correctly...ugh!

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Got a belt and got the motor running. Everything seems fine. I ran it and shut it off looking at current and voltage through and across the breaker, main resistor and main connection (looks like a regulator or just terminal block - where the main positive and negative leads connect to that run over to the battery). I saw no spikes in current or voltage no matter what I did. The breaker never popped, either. I got to thinking about it that the breaker never popped on my test runs first time out either. I didn't have the doghouse on. I'm leaning towards this being a heat issue and the breaker has just gotten weak. Would y'all agree?

carp22 · Newbie Joined: 01 Sep 2011 Posts: 36 City: great falls

We had the same breaker problem with our boat last year... If it is old enough and still has a cyloniod (idk if i spelt that right or not) I would check to make sure that is working. An easy was to do that is to just bypass it with a screwdriver on both pionts while the ignition is on. If it tries to fire up but wont when the trying to start it with the key then your cyloniod is bad, try to take it out and clean it up. If it still doesnt work, go buy a new one they are not expensive.

This happened last year to our 94' four winns jet boat. I know this is what we did but if im missing something please fill him in cuz i dont want to give him false info.