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Posted on behalf of River Rat (please read today's private message to you):
PROBLEM:
Catalina 30 Atomic 4 engine cranks at times but at other times there is not even an engagement click or any sound coming from the start circuit. Go below and short the terminals between the "S" terminal and bat hot lead at starter and immediate crank and likely start will occur-----What is wrong??
ATTEMPTS AT FIXING ISSUE:
1. Replace Ignition Switch, may work for a while.
2. Replace Starter Solenoid, may work for a while.
3. Replace Starter, may work for a while.
Bottom line is that you can try all of the above and they MAY work or seem to work for a while but then the problem will occur again, ---- Turn the key, no crank or turn the key over and over and maybe after 10 or more attempts the engine might crank. You can always go to the starter and short the "S" terminal and the battery lead and it will always crank over perfectly-------major question is ----what is wrong with this picture???
ANSWER AS I HAVE FOUND IT OVER AND OVER:
1. Original Atomic 4 engines had Prestolite Starters which carried a Piggy Back Relay to carry the heavy load of the starter solenoid. The Catalina harness was designed for this light load due to the relay being a part of the start, crank system, and therefore was in the 16 gauge wire range or at least very very small.
2. Later Atomic Four engines had Delco Starters which had no such thing as a Relay and expected the hot lead from the starter switch to carry the full 20 to 25 amp load that the starter solenoid needed for engagement. Catalina unfortunately did nothing when the starters were changed and therefore a very small gauge wire was expected to carry full solenoid load which it can not do for long. Result is that when the points in the Ignition Switch or Starter Solenoid contacts becomes even slightly burned the resistance is so high that the tiny wire can not carry the amp load and the stater does not engage. Bottom line, no crank.
THE FIX:
All you have to do is disconnect the wire leading from the Ignition Switch to the starter solenoid and introduce a a 30 amp relay. You get an old style relay which uses a hole in the case as ground and bolt it to the engine. You then run a number 10 wire from the starter hot lead, main battery lead to starter, to the relay and then from the relay you connect a 12 gauge wire from it to the the starter "S" terminal. Now all that is left to do is put the old small gauge wire from the Ignition Switch to the Activation Post on the relay and you are in business. Now the starter solenoid gets full amps it needs and the Ignition Switch is only carrying the light amp load needed by the relay.
I have done the above fix to at least four Catalina 30 boats with Atomic 4 engines and they have never had the issue of no crank again. Catalina will tell you that the wiring is fine and that you need a new Ignition Switch or Starter which is a crock. If you call Delco they will tell you that their solenoid needs at LEAST 20 and most times 30 amps to work properly. Even if you buy the new harness from Catalina it will come, or has in the past come with the same small lead used with the Prestolite Starters which will NOT work with the Delcos or at least not well or for long.
Hope this helps a few Catalina owners who have fought the above problem and probably spent a fortune trying to cure it. I learned much as they did, the hard way, but found an old Electrical Tech who had seen the same issue in Log Bronc's, little boats used to push logs in lumber mill ponds, which used Stevedore versions of the Atomic 4 and suffered the issues of Prestolite versus Delco starters. Hope this helps.
River Rat
PROBLEM:
Catalina 30 Atomic 4 engine cranks at times but at other times there is not even an engagement click or any sound coming from the start circuit. Go below and short the terminals between the "S" terminal and bat hot lead at starter and immediate crank and likely start will occur-----What is wrong??
ATTEMPTS AT FIXING ISSUE:
1. Replace Ignition Switch, may work for a while.
2. Replace Starter Solenoid, may work for a while.
3. Replace Starter, may work for a while.
Bottom line is that you can try all of the above and they MAY work or seem to work for a while but then the problem will occur again, ---- Turn the key, no crank or turn the key over and over and maybe after 10 or more attempts the engine might crank. You can always go to the starter and short the "S" terminal and the battery lead and it will always crank over perfectly-------major question is ----what is wrong with this picture???
ANSWER AS I HAVE FOUND IT OVER AND OVER:
1. Original Atomic 4 engines had Prestolite Starters which carried a Piggy Back Relay to carry the heavy load of the starter solenoid. The Catalina harness was designed for this light load due to the relay being a part of the start, crank system, and therefore was in the 16 gauge wire range or at least very very small.
2. Later Atomic Four engines had Delco Starters which had no such thing as a Relay and expected the hot lead from the starter switch to carry the full 20 to 25 amp load that the starter solenoid needed for engagement. Catalina unfortunately did nothing when the starters were changed and therefore a very small gauge wire was expected to carry full solenoid load which it can not do for long. Result is that when the points in the Ignition Switch or Starter Solenoid contacts becomes even slightly burned the resistance is so high that the tiny wire can not carry the amp load and the stater does not engage. Bottom line, no crank.
THE FIX:
All you have to do is disconnect the wire leading from the Ignition Switch to the starter solenoid and introduce a a 30 amp relay. You get an old style relay which uses a hole in the case as ground and bolt it to the engine. You then run a number 10 wire from the starter hot lead, main battery lead to starter, to the relay and then from the relay you connect a 12 gauge wire from it to the the starter "S" terminal. Now all that is left to do is put the old small gauge wire from the Ignition Switch to the Activation Post on the relay and you are in business. Now the starter solenoid gets full amps it needs and the Ignition Switch is only carrying the light amp load needed by the relay.
I have done the above fix to at least four Catalina 30 boats with Atomic 4 engines and they have never had the issue of no crank again. Catalina will tell you that the wiring is fine and that you need a new Ignition Switch or Starter which is a crock. If you call Delco they will tell you that their solenoid needs at LEAST 20 and most times 30 amps to work properly. Even if you buy the new harness from Catalina it will come, or has in the past come with the same small lead used with the Prestolite Starters which will NOT work with the Delcos or at least not well or for long.
Hope this helps a few Catalina owners who have fought the above problem and probably spent a fortune trying to cure it. I learned much as they did, the hard way, but found an old Electrical Tech who had seen the same issue in Log Bronc's, little boats used to push logs in lumber mill ponds, which used Stevedore versions of the Atomic 4 and suffered the issues of Prestolite versus Delco starters. Hope this helps.
River Rat
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