Rednuke1
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- Sep 25, 2017
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- Key West 189 (Florida)
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- A Summer Place
As the title states, I just finished replacing the starter in my 2015 Cutwater 28 equipped with the Volvo Penta D-4 / 260 HP. This post is long, so grab a beverage of your choice and read on, or move on to the next post if not interested.
The reason for this (lengthy) post, is that prior to replacing this starter myself, I searched every corner of the internet, including YouTube, for any information anywhere from someone who has actually done this task themselves. I found basically nothing. Therefore, I will share my experience in detail with my friends here on the forum in case the issue comes up for any of you folks.
I of course searched this forum as well, since there are countless Cutwater and Ranger Tug owners here with this same engine. Again, information was sparse. I found comments across the internet and on this forum on the subject, with many stating that the best way to do this job is to pull the motor. I can tell you now, unequivocally, that is not the case.
First, a little background on the issue. My boat was new in 2015, and spent it's first season in Washington state, and making a trip up the inside passage to Alaska. After about a year and a half on salt water, we took the boat on adventures to Lake Superior, (Apostle Islands), a couple trips down, and back up, the upper Mississippi, the St. Croix River, Flathead Lake Montana, and a hidden boating secret of the 185 mile long Lake Sakakawea. So the boat got its share of salt and fresh water. I do all of my own maintenance, and do it with care. The boat currently has 677 hours on the clock.
Near the end of last years boating season, I started to have starting issues that got gradually worse. My batteries were due for replacement, (verified with a load test on each), but I decided to wait until this spring, since I saw no reason to replace, and start my warranty period right before putting the boat up for the winter.
This spring, it got (4) new Duracell Group 31 AGM's. A little to my surprise, the starting issue was still there. It would only start with the parallel switch on, or while on shore power with the charger on. With the new start battery at rest, (no parallel switch, and no shore power, battery at a fully charged 12.6 volts), the engine would crank, in a healthy manner actually, but would not start. It was obvious to me at that point that I had a voltage/amperage drop or drain somewhere in the system.
Before jumping the gun and automatically ordering a starter, experience told me to run some tests to verify the problem. The first thing is to check for dirty or corroded connections. Starting at the battery, I worked my way to the Engine Battery switch, then down to the starter itself. I cleaned every connection, positive and negative, including the connections at the starter, and the grounding strap to the engine block. No change, wouldn't start.
Next, I did voltage drop tests on all cables and wiring between battery and starter. Don't forget to do voltage drop test on your negative circuit as well. No voltage drop, signified wiring was good. (you will need a decent voltage meter for this test with "Min/Max" and "Hold" functions).
Next, I did an amp draw test. For this, you will need a good quality clamp meter with a DC amp function with a range up to at least 400 amps DC, and preferably a "Hold" function. (Do not try this test with a clamp meter set up for AC only, you will cook it, or the fuse). My amp draw test consistently showed a draw of around 395 amps. The most a healthy VP D4 starter should draw is 350 amps, preferably less. This test, combined with my other testing confirmed, to me anyway, that I had a bad starter, and it was pulling down the voltage and stealing too many amps for the engine to start.
The ECU, (electronic control unit), on the VP D4 and the D6 are very voltage sensitive. This particular ECU needs I believe a consistent voltage of at least 9.5 volts while the engine is cranking or it WILL NOT start, no matter how much you crank. (Mine was pulling voltage down to 7-8 volts during cranking). If persistant low voltage situations continue, you can also start to get some really weird, off the wall, and false alarm codes on your VP display. This happened to me as well. As a side note, all modern diesels equipped with ECU's need a minimum voltage value to start the engine, ranging from 9.5 volts, all the way to 11.5 volts for some, depending on the engine/manufacturer.
Now that I was convinced I knew what my issue was, I went starter shopping. My first call was to a Volvo Penta dealership where I've purchased parts in the past. Yea... quote was $1,280.00 or so, plus shipping. I've been around long enough to know that more than likely, Volvo Penta doesn't make their own starters. After some research, I found out that this particular starter is made by Mitsubishi. I did some part number cross-referencing and ordered a Mitsubishi starter that was delivered to my door for about $685.00. You will find ads and offers online for replacement starters for this engine, (same starter for the D6 too by the way), for prices starting at $160.00. Don't fall for it. Don't buy junk, or you will be doing this job again sooner than you want to.
Now for the install...
Me: I'm not a professional mechanic, have never been one, nor do I claim to be an expert in any way. I have had the benefit of growing up on and around farming, and we did as much of our own maintenance as possible. I'm retired from the oil business, (worked for a company where I sold and helped manage the building of oilfield infrastructure, IE: engineered systems, pipeline pump stations, high pressure injection wells, etc. One of my main hobbies is restoring antique motorcycles, and really old cars, pre-1930. My only point here, is I'm kind of a mechanical guy, but again, no expert.
An important point I want to make with this long post, is if you have basic mechanical skills, and a reasonably basic set of tools, are in reasonably good physical shape, you can do this job yourself.
This procedure applies specifically to the Cutwater 28, so modify as necessary.
First, you need to make room to work. Lay a good pad on top of the engine, you will be laying on your chest for a long time. I used a folded up moving blanket. I still ended up with a sore chest. Next time I would steal the wife's yoga pad, and fold that in half.
Special tools needed: An inspection mirror. Get one at a tool store with the extendable "wand" handle. You will also need another mirror. I went to a dollar store and bought one of those round shaving mirrors on a little stand. It worked great. You will also want an LED work lamp. Get one of the long battery powered ones with the long LED strip. That's it for special tools.
TURN OFF YOUR ENGINE BATTERY SWITCH. Next, you will see two wiring harnesses plugged into the side of the engine above and slightly to the rear of the starter. One is marked "Sensors", the other marked "Data Link". Take a photo with your phone before unplugging. The plugs are interchangeable and will fit into each others socket. Don't mix them up! Tuck them both out of the way.
Next, (I did this job while the boat was in the water, in the slip), shut off the thru-hull valve that feeds the strainer for your engine. Go to your raw water pump and loosen the two clamps that secure the main water supply hose to the pump. Work the hose loose from the pump, let it drain into the bilge, and tuck it backwards toward the strainer and tuck it out of the way. There is no need to remove it from the strainer end.
If you have a NexGen generator like I do, the fuel filter for this is mounted on the bulkhead right above where you need to work. I removed the hose from the discharge side, plugged it, and tucked it out of the way. Unbolt the filter housing from the bulkhead, and zip-tie it out of the way.
That's it. You're ready for starter removal. At this point, I taped the LED worklight to the wall just above and opposite the starter, shining down. Take your shaving mirror and position it on the bottom opposite or near the starter. Play with it a bit, just get it where it's easy to see your work. It works surprisingly well.
At this point, start removing the wiring from the starter. There are (3) external wire connection points. First is the signal wire on top of the starter. Its all by itself. Mine was attached with a 12mm nut. Take a piece of blue tape, mark it as "Signal wire" and attach it to the wire you just removed. Move on to the Positive post on the end of the solenoid. As you remove each of these wires, (and the positive cable that comes from the Battery Switch), mark each wire with a piece of RED ELECTRICAL TAPE. This is IMPORTANT. All the wiring is painted VP green. You will have big trouble if you reinstall them incorrectly. Next, move on to the negative post, remove all wiring and cables, but mark with BLACK electrical tape.
With the wiring removed and tucked out of the way, you're ready to remove the starter mounting bolts. From your vantage point of being perched on top of the engine with your head stashed between the engine and bulkhead, you will be able to see just one of the mounting bolts with your eyes only. THERE ARE ONLY THREE MOUNTING BOLTS. The second mounting bolt is under the starter and toward the block. you can see this one easily in your shaving mirror. The third one is a bit of a stinker. It is located behind the solenoid and can only be seen with your Wand inspection mirror with a small hand held flashlight shining in it. I suggest removing the Stinker Bolt first.
For this, you will need a 3/8" drive 16mm socket mounted to two long, (or one very long), 3/8" extensions. Once I got the socket and extensions snaked into the narrow opening between the engine and solenoid, it was surprisingly easy to get it on the bolt head with the help of my inspection mirror and flashlight. The bolts are not super tight like most diesel engine starters, and are easily loosened with a 3/8" ratchet. After the Stinker Bolt is fully loose from the threads, you can try to bring it out with the socket. It also has a large spacer on it, as well as a smaller recess washer/spacer. I successfully brought my Stinker Bolt out with the socket, and promptly dropped it into the bilge under the engine. (Retrieved with magnet and lots of colorful language). The next bolt I took out was the one on the bottom closest to the engine block. Easy to see in my mirror. This one goes best with your 16mm socket mated to a smaller ratchet with very fine teeth, as the space allows for a short twist of the ratchet. The easy bolt I saved for last. That's because the starter will drop right out when the last one is removed. I did this by myself, but it would be helpful at this point to have a buddy hold the front of the starter up while you take this last one out.
That's it. I was able to lift the starter straight up to the top of the engine.
At his point, I took a break and had a glass of The Famous Grouse Scotch on the rocks. :-}
Reinstall was of course just the reverse of the long-winded montage above. A couple of tips however. There is a gasket that is installed between the starter and mounting point. It is a special material and very thin. Be careful with it. To get it to stay in place at the mounting point, I just dabbed a very small bit of gasket maker on three or four points on the gasket. Another very helpful tip. Again, I did this job by myself. When installing the new starter, having a buddy help hold the starter in place while you get the bolts started would help a lot. I propped up the front of the starter with a roll of those blue shop paper towels. Also, when I reinstalled the Stinker Bolt, I took blue masking tape and secured the bolt and two spacers all together so they wouldn't come apart while snaking them back into the small opening to their mounting hole behind the solenoid. I also put a very small piece of blue tape to keep the bolt attached to the socket while making the trip back to the Stinker Bolt hole. Finally... and this is imperative... Clean all of your wiring connections THOUROUGHLY before reattaching. Clean them until they shine. The last thing you want is for all your work to be in vain because you didn't take the time to clean the electrical connections.
Total time start to finish, including reinstalling all the peripherals, was about 6 hours. That includes my 45 minute "The Famous Grouse Scotch" break. I'm confident that if I had to do it again, (I hope I don't anytime soon), I could do the job in 4 hours. I'm not going to lie, I was sore the next morning. I'm 63 years old, and my 6'-4" height, 205 lb. frame did not work to my advantage. Make sure you have a good pad to lay on the top of the engine, that helps a ton.
All in all, when I heard that engine fire up almost the instant I hit the starter button, I knew it was worth it. I'm sure I saved thousands of dollars doing it myself. Again, if you have basic mechanical skills and a decent set of tools, are patient, and in reasonably good shape, this is entirely doable. I hope this post is helpful to someone in the future who has this issue, and searches the internet for information on doing it yourself. If you have any questions, or if there is any way I can help any of you with info, etc. please ask!
Now.... Where's that bottle of "The Famous Grouse"....
The reason for this (lengthy) post, is that prior to replacing this starter myself, I searched every corner of the internet, including YouTube, for any information anywhere from someone who has actually done this task themselves. I found basically nothing. Therefore, I will share my experience in detail with my friends here on the forum in case the issue comes up for any of you folks.
I of course searched this forum as well, since there are countless Cutwater and Ranger Tug owners here with this same engine. Again, information was sparse. I found comments across the internet and on this forum on the subject, with many stating that the best way to do this job is to pull the motor. I can tell you now, unequivocally, that is not the case.
First, a little background on the issue. My boat was new in 2015, and spent it's first season in Washington state, and making a trip up the inside passage to Alaska. After about a year and a half on salt water, we took the boat on adventures to Lake Superior, (Apostle Islands), a couple trips down, and back up, the upper Mississippi, the St. Croix River, Flathead Lake Montana, and a hidden boating secret of the 185 mile long Lake Sakakawea. So the boat got its share of salt and fresh water. I do all of my own maintenance, and do it with care. The boat currently has 677 hours on the clock.
Near the end of last years boating season, I started to have starting issues that got gradually worse. My batteries were due for replacement, (verified with a load test on each), but I decided to wait until this spring, since I saw no reason to replace, and start my warranty period right before putting the boat up for the winter.
This spring, it got (4) new Duracell Group 31 AGM's. A little to my surprise, the starting issue was still there. It would only start with the parallel switch on, or while on shore power with the charger on. With the new start battery at rest, (no parallel switch, and no shore power, battery at a fully charged 12.6 volts), the engine would crank, in a healthy manner actually, but would not start. It was obvious to me at that point that I had a voltage/amperage drop or drain somewhere in the system.
Before jumping the gun and automatically ordering a starter, experience told me to run some tests to verify the problem. The first thing is to check for dirty or corroded connections. Starting at the battery, I worked my way to the Engine Battery switch, then down to the starter itself. I cleaned every connection, positive and negative, including the connections at the starter, and the grounding strap to the engine block. No change, wouldn't start.
Next, I did voltage drop tests on all cables and wiring between battery and starter. Don't forget to do voltage drop test on your negative circuit as well. No voltage drop, signified wiring was good. (you will need a decent voltage meter for this test with "Min/Max" and "Hold" functions).
Next, I did an amp draw test. For this, you will need a good quality clamp meter with a DC amp function with a range up to at least 400 amps DC, and preferably a "Hold" function. (Do not try this test with a clamp meter set up for AC only, you will cook it, or the fuse). My amp draw test consistently showed a draw of around 395 amps. The most a healthy VP D4 starter should draw is 350 amps, preferably less. This test, combined with my other testing confirmed, to me anyway, that I had a bad starter, and it was pulling down the voltage and stealing too many amps for the engine to start.
The ECU, (electronic control unit), on the VP D4 and the D6 are very voltage sensitive. This particular ECU needs I believe a consistent voltage of at least 9.5 volts while the engine is cranking or it WILL NOT start, no matter how much you crank. (Mine was pulling voltage down to 7-8 volts during cranking). If persistant low voltage situations continue, you can also start to get some really weird, off the wall, and false alarm codes on your VP display. This happened to me as well. As a side note, all modern diesels equipped with ECU's need a minimum voltage value to start the engine, ranging from 9.5 volts, all the way to 11.5 volts for some, depending on the engine/manufacturer.
Now that I was convinced I knew what my issue was, I went starter shopping. My first call was to a Volvo Penta dealership where I've purchased parts in the past. Yea... quote was $1,280.00 or so, plus shipping. I've been around long enough to know that more than likely, Volvo Penta doesn't make their own starters. After some research, I found out that this particular starter is made by Mitsubishi. I did some part number cross-referencing and ordered a Mitsubishi starter that was delivered to my door for about $685.00. You will find ads and offers online for replacement starters for this engine, (same starter for the D6 too by the way), for prices starting at $160.00. Don't fall for it. Don't buy junk, or you will be doing this job again sooner than you want to.
Now for the install...
Me: I'm not a professional mechanic, have never been one, nor do I claim to be an expert in any way. I have had the benefit of growing up on and around farming, and we did as much of our own maintenance as possible. I'm retired from the oil business, (worked for a company where I sold and helped manage the building of oilfield infrastructure, IE: engineered systems, pipeline pump stations, high pressure injection wells, etc. One of my main hobbies is restoring antique motorcycles, and really old cars, pre-1930. My only point here, is I'm kind of a mechanical guy, but again, no expert.
An important point I want to make with this long post, is if you have basic mechanical skills, and a reasonably basic set of tools, are in reasonably good physical shape, you can do this job yourself.
This procedure applies specifically to the Cutwater 28, so modify as necessary.
First, you need to make room to work. Lay a good pad on top of the engine, you will be laying on your chest for a long time. I used a folded up moving blanket. I still ended up with a sore chest. Next time I would steal the wife's yoga pad, and fold that in half.
Special tools needed: An inspection mirror. Get one at a tool store with the extendable "wand" handle. You will also need another mirror. I went to a dollar store and bought one of those round shaving mirrors on a little stand. It worked great. You will also want an LED work lamp. Get one of the long battery powered ones with the long LED strip. That's it for special tools.
TURN OFF YOUR ENGINE BATTERY SWITCH. Next, you will see two wiring harnesses plugged into the side of the engine above and slightly to the rear of the starter. One is marked "Sensors", the other marked "Data Link". Take a photo with your phone before unplugging. The plugs are interchangeable and will fit into each others socket. Don't mix them up! Tuck them both out of the way.
Next, (I did this job while the boat was in the water, in the slip), shut off the thru-hull valve that feeds the strainer for your engine. Go to your raw water pump and loosen the two clamps that secure the main water supply hose to the pump. Work the hose loose from the pump, let it drain into the bilge, and tuck it backwards toward the strainer and tuck it out of the way. There is no need to remove it from the strainer end.
If you have a NexGen generator like I do, the fuel filter for this is mounted on the bulkhead right above where you need to work. I removed the hose from the discharge side, plugged it, and tucked it out of the way. Unbolt the filter housing from the bulkhead, and zip-tie it out of the way.
That's it. You're ready for starter removal. At this point, I taped the LED worklight to the wall just above and opposite the starter, shining down. Take your shaving mirror and position it on the bottom opposite or near the starter. Play with it a bit, just get it where it's easy to see your work. It works surprisingly well.
At this point, start removing the wiring from the starter. There are (3) external wire connection points. First is the signal wire on top of the starter. Its all by itself. Mine was attached with a 12mm nut. Take a piece of blue tape, mark it as "Signal wire" and attach it to the wire you just removed. Move on to the Positive post on the end of the solenoid. As you remove each of these wires, (and the positive cable that comes from the Battery Switch), mark each wire with a piece of RED ELECTRICAL TAPE. This is IMPORTANT. All the wiring is painted VP green. You will have big trouble if you reinstall them incorrectly. Next, move on to the negative post, remove all wiring and cables, but mark with BLACK electrical tape.
With the wiring removed and tucked out of the way, you're ready to remove the starter mounting bolts. From your vantage point of being perched on top of the engine with your head stashed between the engine and bulkhead, you will be able to see just one of the mounting bolts with your eyes only. THERE ARE ONLY THREE MOUNTING BOLTS. The second mounting bolt is under the starter and toward the block. you can see this one easily in your shaving mirror. The third one is a bit of a stinker. It is located behind the solenoid and can only be seen with your Wand inspection mirror with a small hand held flashlight shining in it. I suggest removing the Stinker Bolt first.
For this, you will need a 3/8" drive 16mm socket mounted to two long, (or one very long), 3/8" extensions. Once I got the socket and extensions snaked into the narrow opening between the engine and solenoid, it was surprisingly easy to get it on the bolt head with the help of my inspection mirror and flashlight. The bolts are not super tight like most diesel engine starters, and are easily loosened with a 3/8" ratchet. After the Stinker Bolt is fully loose from the threads, you can try to bring it out with the socket. It also has a large spacer on it, as well as a smaller recess washer/spacer. I successfully brought my Stinker Bolt out with the socket, and promptly dropped it into the bilge under the engine. (Retrieved with magnet and lots of colorful language). The next bolt I took out was the one on the bottom closest to the engine block. Easy to see in my mirror. This one goes best with your 16mm socket mated to a smaller ratchet with very fine teeth, as the space allows for a short twist of the ratchet. The easy bolt I saved for last. That's because the starter will drop right out when the last one is removed. I did this by myself, but it would be helpful at this point to have a buddy hold the front of the starter up while you take this last one out.
That's it. I was able to lift the starter straight up to the top of the engine.
At his point, I took a break and had a glass of The Famous Grouse Scotch on the rocks. :-}
Reinstall was of course just the reverse of the long-winded montage above. A couple of tips however. There is a gasket that is installed between the starter and mounting point. It is a special material and very thin. Be careful with it. To get it to stay in place at the mounting point, I just dabbed a very small bit of gasket maker on three or four points on the gasket. Another very helpful tip. Again, I did this job by myself. When installing the new starter, having a buddy help hold the starter in place while you get the bolts started would help a lot. I propped up the front of the starter with a roll of those blue shop paper towels. Also, when I reinstalled the Stinker Bolt, I took blue masking tape and secured the bolt and two spacers all together so they wouldn't come apart while snaking them back into the small opening to their mounting hole behind the solenoid. I also put a very small piece of blue tape to keep the bolt attached to the socket while making the trip back to the Stinker Bolt hole. Finally... and this is imperative... Clean all of your wiring connections THOUROUGHLY before reattaching. Clean them until they shine. The last thing you want is for all your work to be in vain because you didn't take the time to clean the electrical connections.
Total time start to finish, including reinstalling all the peripherals, was about 6 hours. That includes my 45 minute "The Famous Grouse Scotch" break. I'm confident that if I had to do it again, (I hope I don't anytime soon), I could do the job in 4 hours. I'm not going to lie, I was sore the next morning. I'm 63 years old, and my 6'-4" height, 205 lb. frame did not work to my advantage. Make sure you have a good pad to lay on the top of the engine, that helps a ton.
All in all, when I heard that engine fire up almost the instant I hit the starter button, I knew it was worth it. I'm sure I saved thousands of dollars doing it myself. Again, if you have basic mechanical skills and a decent set of tools, are patient, and in reasonably good shape, this is entirely doable. I hope this post is helpful to someone in the future who has this issue, and searches the internet for information on doing it yourself. If you have any questions, or if there is any way I can help any of you with info, etc. please ask!
Now.... Where's that bottle of "The Famous Grouse"....
