Engine Electrical Panel

[Steve Ormond]

On Fathers' Day, after a wonderful sail from Cheboygan, MI to Mackinac Island and back, I went to start the engine.  It started and ran fine, but all of the gauges on the panel, including the tach registered nothing while we motored into the Duncan Bay Boat Club.  Any suggestions on how and where to begin evaluating the problem?

[sanner]

Sounds like you've got a loose wire, maybe a ground or the power from the ignition key switch.

Either that or the ignition key switch is faulty/intermittent.

My key (which control the gauges) doesn't have to be on once the motor is running, only to energize the start button.

In fact mine is intermittent (in the process of replacing it) and sometimes while motoring it does its thing and all my gauges go dark and register nothing.

... So, first try wiggling the key while on, then try tapping the panel and if that doesn't work then pull out the panel and look for loose wires, wiggle them, etc...

Good Luck

[Mike and Theresa Vaccaro]

Steve,

Either the main ground or ignition switch (ground connects to the back of the switch) is bad.  Ground could be bad at the engine.  This is a good time to check the engine harness, and if it's older (i.e., plastic trailer-type connector), replace it.  Most electrical problems are caused by a bad ground (usually caused by corrosion in a marine environment).  

Check the web site for information about the harness (there is a lot in the Project section and tech notes as well as the message board).

There is also a wiring diagram in your owners mannual that will help you trace the wiring.

Best of Luck,

Mike

[rirvine]

Steve:

I had the same problem from time to time â€" engine instruments not working.  I found that when the engine exhaust blower was running for a long period of time, the ten amp circuit breaker on the engine panel would open.  I solved the problem by putting the blower on a separate fuse.  Other than that a meter and a length of jumper wire will allow you to sort through it all.    

Ray

[Steve Ormond "Schipperke"]

Thanks for the guidance on the engine panel wiring.  I opened the panel up and the problem was simply a loose wire on the ignition switch.  I crimped it a bit more and slid it back on the connector and, voila!, problem solved.  We fully tested the fix last weekend during a screaming downwind run under the Mackinac Bridge and a series of wild upwind tacks back to Cheboygan, MI.  If that didn't work it loose, nothing will.  The next issue is finding the leaks up front, which became very apparent from bashing to windward.  Oh well, always some excuse to go out.

[Mike and Theresa Vaccaro]

Ron makes some excellent points.  We don't often stop to consider something as simple as a loose connection or bad crimp can be more than annoying--it can result in a fire.

In a perfect world, all connections would be crimped (for strength), soldered (for "juice," i.e., to maintain electrical continuity and corrosion protection) and then shrink wrapped (for strength and protection).  Using properly sized tinned wire, and proper marine or aviation-grade connectors and adhesive-lined shrink wrap will produce a connection that should last for 20 years or more with regular inspection the occasional blast of some type of protectant (e.g., Boeing T-9 or an equivalent product).  

In fact, most marine connections are simply crimped, which is only adequate assuming the proper size connectors and hardware are used.  In many cases, they are not even shrink wrapped or sealed.  Often, inexpensive hardware store quality connectors (i.e., prone to rapid corrosion) are used.  Compound this with the fact that older boats don't have tinned wire and there's no doubt that most connections and, in many cases, whole systems have hit their operational life limit.  This life limit is shortened and maintenance problems compounded in a salt water environment.

Even a brand new connection can cause problems if you forget to tighten a screw, or use an improperly sized connector while doing maintenance.  This loose connection will produce a high resistance that may not trip the breaker prior to the insulation starting to melt or burn.  This is evidenced by damage to the wire at the loose connection, usually right at the fuse, circuit breaker or appliance.

Cheers,

Mike