open ground for cabin lighting. schematic help please?

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gwp

May 24, 2015, 09:13:45 AM
Sorry to wear you guys out but Lightning strike caused an open ground for cabin lights. The only lights working are head and nav station. I have checked all ground terminals and they are all grounded but no ground at lights. Anyone who is capable of reading schematic? It shows a mast ground but I can't locate it. Thanks!

gwp

#1
May 24, 2015, 09:28:05 AM
Sorry.... Can't reduce photo size below 180kb. Oh well

Stu Jackson

#2
May 24, 2015, 10:26:31 AM
gwp,

Try this

Posting Photos 101  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,3701.0.html
Stu Jackson, C34 IA Secretary, #224 1986, "Aquavite"  Cowichan Bay, BC  Maple Bay Marina  SR/FK, M25, Rocna 10 (22#) (NZ model)

"There is no problem so great that it can't be solved."

gwp

#3
May 24, 2015, 12:24:54 PM
It is with great joy to report problem solved. Think the ground wire evaporated as it is nowhere to be seen. Ran a new one and all's well

KWKloeber

#4
May 24, 2015, 01:00:28 PM
Twenty years from now you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do, than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the tradewinds in your sails.
Explore.  Dream.  Discover.   -Mark Twain

KWKloeber

#5
May 24, 2015, 01:08:04 PM Last Edit: May 24, 2015, 01:10:38 PM by KWKloeber
Quote from: gwp on May 24, 2015, 12:24:54 PM
It is with great joy to report problem solved. Think the ground wire evaporated as it is nowhere to be seen. Ran a new one and all's well

I would think you would see some remains?  Burn spots?  An odor of grilled insulation?  
Where did you tap into the ground to run a new one to the panel?  The ground runs to the panel negative buss -- there is nothing left all the way from the mast base to the panel?

If it evaporated the ground conductor and insulation, please be VERY CAUTIOUS about other hidden wiring damage - the bolt could have partially-fried a positive lead inside the mast and possibly melted some insulation -- while the current could still be flowing in the conductor and 'appear' to be fine (until a bare conductor gets shorted out).   I would recommend a qualified marine electrician look at the remains, but as always YBYC.

I fried my ground wire from the battery neg to the panel buss (don't ask) and it left the bare conductor exposed (very burnt and ugly, but intact except for the insulation!)

Ken
Twenty years from now you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do, than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the tradewinds in your sails.
Explore.  Dream.  Discover.   -Mark Twain

gwp

#6
May 24, 2015, 02:13:18 PM
If the mast ground is red with green tracer (schematic reads red with "ground" tracer) then it is grounded to buss bar. All the cabin lights were not grounded following the strike.  I tapped onto a #14 ground wire in the lighting circuit and went to ground and it's all back on. I found a spade terminal on the ground buss bar which was crimped but no wire.... and inside was what looked like a freshly severed burn. You are right.... I can't imagine there being no evidence left behind but the ground for that circuit is not there. I never did locate the ground terminal on the mast.... Guess it's on the masthead??? Thanks again

KWKloeber

#7
May 24, 2015, 02:46:03 PM
MK-I or MK-II?

MK-I sch reads - (no wire # designated); 16-awg; "ground (green??) stripe" but no color (don't see red??)
MK-II c\sch reads - wire #14; 14-awg; black

The "mast ground" doesn't really ground (bond) the mast; it should just be the neg return from each fixture (each fixture's negative wire is spliced to the 'ground' wire).

So it wasn't the mast "ground" that was fried? It was where the lighting negative loop is run back to the panel negative bussbar?

kk
Twenty years from now you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do, than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the tradewinds in your sails.
Explore.  Dream.  Discover.   -Mark Twain

gwp

#8
May 25, 2015, 05:51:16 AM
1988 Mk I... All I know is the lighting circuit lost its ground and it happened after the strike. Just can't get the burned spade terminal out of my mind. The circuit was grounded.... Then it wasn't and there is no unconnected wire behind panel.... Just a burned terminal.... Bizarre. Thanks

KWKloeber

#9
May 25, 2015, 08:58:53 AM
Quote from: gwp on May 25, 2015, 05:51:16 AM
1988 Mk I... All I know is the lighting circuit lost its ground and it happened after the strike. Just can't get the burned spade terminal out of my mind. The circuit was grounded.... Then it wasn't and there is no unconnected wire behind panel.... Just a burned terminal.... Bizarre. Thanks

Ok, thanks for the update. 

I guess I was just confused after you had asked about the mast 'ground' -- so I thought that wire was the one that got BBQ'd

Ken
Twenty years from now you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do, than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the tradewinds in your sails.
Explore.  Dream.  Discover.   -Mark Twain

Ron Hill

#10
May 25, 2015, 01:50:54 PM
gwp : I think I finally figured it out what's going on  - you have an early 1988 with either a diagram of the 1987 C34, or you might even have the 1987 wiring  - not the 1988 wiring!!   A 1988 has no BUSS bar diagram or BUSS bar shown!!

They are both page 30 in the owners manual and both are diagram # 4.2.2   !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope this helps?

Ron, Apache #788
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