Yanmar control panel button problem

DaveOak · 16 Oct 2023

Yanmar 3YM30. Control panel B20. All works fine except the starter button. Press hard, you can hear the tone in the alarm change but nothing fires. Started once by pressing very hard but can't get it to do it again. Plenty of battery. All wiring is fine. I think it's a problem with the button itself. Can these be replaced or do I need a whole new panel?

Thanks.

Mistroma · 16 Oct 2023

I don't know about the 3YM30 but my 4JH4AE has removeable switches. I had the same problem when boat was just over a year old and replaced the switch. It was pretty obvious it would be easy to remove, I just unscrewed the panel and looked as the back. The small push in retaining clips were pretty easy to spot. I'd suggest having a look at the back of the panel if you don't get a reply from someone with experience of your panel.

VicS · 16 Oct 2023

DaveOak said:
Yanmar 3YM30. Control panel B20. All works fine except the starter button. Press hard, you can hear the tone in the alarm change but nothing fires. Started once by pressing very hard but can't get it to do it again. Plenty of battery. All wiring is fine. I think it's a problem with the button itself. Can these be replaced or do I need a whole new panel?

Thanks.

B20 panel

It looks as though the individual push buttons may not be available . I think you will have to replace the whole group. Its expensive but the price of the whole panel is astronomical.

Before buying anything do some diagnostic testing to be absolutely sure you know what is wrong or you can spend a fortune on parts you do not need

Refueler · 16 Oct 2023

mmmm

Tone changes ... that means voltage is going somewhere - so first question is : Is the starter solenoid actually working ?

Quick way to test that and whether its the starter button .... disconnect wires from button ... touch to energise solenoid ... does it start ? If same as with button - then its solenoid or wiring to solenoid .... not uncommon. If solenoid turns engine - then its button.

The button will be a simple Press to Make inside the 'cover' ... you could wire a separate push to make button .. leaving old redundant till you sort ??

Boater Sam · 16 Oct 2023

Tone change could be the stress in the panel because you are pressing it hard.
Short it out, if it works its the switch.

VicS · 16 Oct 2023

Refueler said:
mmmm

Tone changes ... that means voltage is going somewhere - so first question is : Is the starter solenoid actually working ?

Quick way to test that and whether its the starter button .... disconnect wires from button ... touch to energise solenoid ... does it start ? If same as with button - then its solenoid or wiring to solenoid .... not uncommon. If solenoid turns engine - then its button.

The button will be a simple Press to Make inside the 'cover' ... you could wire a separate push to make button .. leaving old redundant till you sort ??

Boater Sam said:
Tone change could be the stress in the panel because you are pressing it hard.
Short it out, if it works its the switch.

If you look at the diagram of the back of the control panel you will see that the difficulty will be that all the wiring is connected to the panel and the switch module via multipin connectors. Therefore nothing is easily accessible.

If you look at the wiring diagram for the engine you will also see that there is also an intermediate relay in the wiring between the panel and the solenoid which could be faulty.

VicS · 16 Oct 2023

wiring diagram for 3YM series with B20 panel

Refueler · 16 Oct 2023

VicS said:
If you look at the diagram of the back of the control panel you will see that the difficulty will be that all the wiring is connected to the panel and the switch module via multipin connectors. Therefore nothing is easily accessible.

If you look at the wiring diagram for the engine you will also see that there is also an intermediate relay in the wiring between the panel and the solenoid which could be faulty.

OK ...

PaulRainbow · 16 Oct 2023

VicS said:
If you look at the diagram of the back of the control panel you will see that the difficulty will be that all the wiring is connected to the panel and the switch module via multipin connectors. Therefore nothing is easily accessible.

If you look at the wiring diagram for the engine you will also see that there is also an intermediate relay in the wiring between the panel and the solenoid which could be faulty.

That relay is a common point of failure, well worth checking first.

awol · 16 Oct 2023

With my 3YM20 a similar symptom was cured by remaking the earth to the engine. The ammeter showed 35amp draw when the button was pressed, the alarm tone dropped but no starter turn. The intermediate solenoid was clicking happily and the earth connection was investigated first before getting to the starter. Bolt was tight, it had worked happily for umpteen hours but a bit of emery paper sorted it.

DaveOak · 17 Oct 2023

Thanks for the many replies. I've clearly got some exploration to do. I'm pretty sure it's not the solenoid but better check.

paris · 17 Oct 2023

On my previous boat it had a 2gm20 which had a iffy starter button, i bridged across the terminals to prove and the engine started, not cheap from yanmar but had a stroke of luck when I found the exact button brand new in a bag on eBay for £20. Fault fixed

KAM · 17 Oct 2023

As others have said. Could be the relay. I had an intermittent starting problem that went on for years. Found and rectified several seemingly obvious issues. Each time I thought it was fixed. Engine would start ok for months then suddenly nothing. It would then take 4,5 or more tries to get the starter to kick in. It gradually got frequent enough to home in on the relay. Time will tell.

Mistroma · 17 Oct 2023

paris said:
On my previous boat it had a 2gm20 which had a iffy starter button, i bridged across the terminals to prove and the engine started, not cheap from yanmar but had a stroke of luck when I found the exact button brand new in a bag on eBay for £20. Fault fixed

That's what I did to check the rocker switch on my 4JH4AE. It was back in 2010 and I'd forgotten when mentioning it in an earlier post. I think I used that method to start the engine a couple of times until returning to base. The local dealer gave me a spare from a box when I explained the symptoms. The replacement worked perfectly and I never bothered to check the old switch.

awol · 17 Oct 2023

The problem with the YM cf the GM is that the heat exchanger is on the same side as the starter and there is a safety-minded cover over the alternator pulley and belt. I just can't get my hand with the old 10mm Allen key that used to start the GM into the space!

DaveOak · 18 Oct 2023

paris said:
On my previous boat it had a 2gm20 which had a iffy starter button, i bridged across the terminals to prove and the engine started, not cheap from yanmar but had a stroke of luck when I found the exact button brand new in a bag on eBay for £20. Fault fixed

The switches don't seem to come separately but I'll keep looking. The engine always starts first push of the button. That button is wonky and misaligned. The back of the panel to the switches looks to me like a sealed block that up plugs. The four switches together come to around £350 which is a bit of a blow. Thanks again for the replies.

Refueler · 18 Oct 2023

DaveOak said:
The switches don't seem to come separately but I'll keep looking. The engine always starts first push of the button. That button is wonky and misaligned. The back of the panel to the switches looks to me like a sealed block that up plugs. The four switches together come to around £350 which is a bit of a blow. Thanks again for the replies.

At that sort of price - I would consider if possible to remove the block and see if possible to replace with individual generic 'buttons' switches.

This is Practical Boat Owner !!

penfold · 18 Oct 2023

VicS said:
B20 panel

View attachment 165957

It looks as though the individual push buttons may not be available . I think you will have to replace the whole group. Its expensive but the price of the whole panel is astronomical.

Before buying anything do some diagnostic testing to be absolutely sure you know what is wrong or you can spend a fortune on parts you do not need

This kind of rubbish really irritates; products designed with unnecessarily proprietary or non-maintainable parts should be taxed punitively.

Refueler · 18 Oct 2023

penfold said:
This kind of rubbish really irritates; products designed with unnecessarily proprietary or non-maintainable parts should be taxed punitively.

Unfortunately its prevalent in all markets ....

Imagine if we could actually replace / service such ourselves by buying generic over counter ........

Its daft world.

Even when parts have same design etc. - try replacing across brands ...

Example : My Range Rover - I was coming out of fog at about 01:00 am and hit a line of wild Boar crossing the road. The plastic underbumper and parts were broken. The front cameras were damaged and need replacement.
We removed one and it has FOMOCO and Ford ID as part of the alloy case. It also has a sticker on it with the Jag Land Rover ID on it ...

You would think that when the car was built LR was part of FORD - the cameras being the ones used on Ford vehicles - that it would be a simple act of obtaining same FOMOCO cameras and fitting ? No way ... they won't work. JLR has 'tweaked' them so that only JLR work. You can imagine the price differential.

Refueler · 26 Apr 2024

Update for those interested in the RR front cameras ...

I found a seller of the cameras .. correct ID etc. Seller stated L322 RR ... so 400 euros later - I have two cameras in hand ... identical to the old ....

Body shop fits while replacing bumper ....

I switch on and check the cameras ... WHAT ???? Images are laying 90 degrees on side ... both. I ask shop if they calibrated ... no.

Shortly after - I have to put to JLR Dealer in Riga and I mention the cameras ...

They do the work and while in there - guy puts JLR computer on and tries to alter the cameras ... a) they are locked to the car they come off - need its VIN number to release coding ... b) they are for L320 - not L322 ... L320 is the Sport model where cameras are mounted 90 deg different to L322 ...

I contact seller and of course no joy ... but have found out through UK parts people I have good relations with .. L322 cameras are hard to find !! The model is too popular now.

Yanmar control panel button problem

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