Engine stops - When switching on Fish Finder

[Sailingsid]

Hi All

Can anyone help, recently purchased a Suziki 60hp four stroke 2003 and had some electrical issues during the first trip out. Engine stopped dead and all electrical items, VHF, bildge pump and Nav lights didn't work!! All electrical items are individually fused. After 5min anchored up and checking connections and wirering the engine started again and all electrical items began to work. After 30min of trouble free running it stopped, on both occasions when it stopped i had just switched on my hummingbird fish finder which apparently are prone to shorting, would this stop the engine and electricals from working???

Thanks in adavnce for your support

Kind Regards

Shaun

[Pikey Dave]

What boat is the engine on?

[Erin]

Does the fish finder work ok when the engine is off?

[Sailingsid]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

What boat is the engine on?

Hi

It's a Ribcraft 4.8m

Regards

[Sailingsid]

Originally Posted by Erin

Does the fish finder work ok when the engine is off?

Seems too, but only tried it when out of the water.

[Pikey Dave]

I'd start by checking any isolator switches, battery connections, common earth connections. Anything that's common to all the electricals including the engine. It could be just coincidence with the fishfinder.

[Cookee]

If it is the fishfinder then it will be the earth attached to somewhere it shouldn't be.

[9D280]

Originally Posted by Sailingsid

Engine stopped dead and all electrical items, VHF, bildge pump and Nav lights didn't work!! All electrical items are individually fused. After 5min anchored up and checking connections and wirering the engine started again and all electrical items began to work.

OK. Question for the Suz bods - does this flavour of engine "self sustain" once running? (most older 60 HP machines generate enough of theior own juice to keep the engione running, een if the battery is disconnected).

If No (i.e it needs a helathy battery) I'd be checking the battery connections, the main isolator (they are generally terrible for reliability - I have a jump lead in the toolbox to bypass mine in emergencies) and the battery cable(s). Chances are all the kit will die at a similar low voltage (usually 8-9ish V for total shutdown) so a dodgy connection could cause what you describe.


More likely tho' is a short. Have any of your fuses been blown? If yes, then that is your likely circuit wth the fault. If not, chances are it's somewhere upstream (battery side) of your fuses.

Alternative 3 - what state is your battery in?

[Erin]

I don't think the Suzuki's self sustain. Pretty sure an 03 DF60 will be EFI and will rely on the battery for ECU. Sounds to me as though there is a wiring fault somewhere and maybe even things aren't fused properly too. Check the battery wires are firmly connected to the engine. If the f/f is pulling enough current to kill the engine then really the fuse in the circuit should pop before the engine dies. Test the battery first, but also check the wiring. Turn the f/f on and then try starting the engine. A process of elimination needed here.

[Nightfisher]

I'd first clean battery terminals and ALL lead connections (Ground in-particular). If fuses are not popping a bad ground connection will cause all kinds of problems including, in more modern motors, an engine shut down condition. Good luck.