boat wiring help??

[Guest agt.dealer]

my boat ran great a few years ago!!but now something in the electrical system is messed up!,no gauges work and when i flip the pump/blower switches the gauges freak out!!wtf!!!!i am a electrician by trade but i think thats making this worse for me!!!!anyone know boat or d.c wiring?1987 starline sierra 150 w/120hp 2.5l alfaone 15' v hull open bow.im really hoping this dosnt end up as a shooting target!!!!please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wewoapsiak]

I'm betting a critter decided to munch on some wires. Something similar happened to my neighbors boat. That's as much help as I have though, don't know a lot on the TS&R of boats. Sorry.

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-5

[laktrash]

Let me start by I know nothing about electrics on a boat but last year i had similar problems when I hit the trim button on my boat. Two trips to the dealer and nothing finally had someone else look and it was as simply as a bad ground. It was in the negative battery cable. The corresion is terrible on boats because of all the moistiure. Wewoapsiak is probably on to something with the critter thing. I had mice one year that got a lifejacket. Looks like I had a snake last year from the snakeskin in the bottom of boat

Edited April 16, 2012 by laktrash

[Jonnin]

we work with boats, and about all I know is you have this thingy called a wiring harness that connects all the engine stuff to the all the user stuff, including ignition and gauges and such. It could be loose, it could be fried, it could be chewed, but you may need a new one. It could be something else, but it sounds like that.

This is a time to call the experts. Go to a boat place and they will hook it up to a computer, just like your car, and tell you what you need to have done. If you need a new harness, they can help you figure out which one and install it (you may can do it, but they are complicated).

It could be ground. Boats are grounded with a hunk of metal under the water, and over time, it is dissolved by electrical annode/cathode magic. (I really never did understand this stuff). If that hunk of metal is too small or gone, all sorts of stuff goes wrong.

Edited April 16, 2012 by Jonnin

[10-Ring]

Check all of your connections. You are dealing with a corrosive rich environment. Most of the time on smaller boats the ground will run back to the battery, so make sure your post and terminals are very clean, clean them good then apply dielectric grease to the connections. If that doesn't help start tracing your wiring, any time you get to a connection clean and replace it. I'd be willing to bet you either have a short or a bad connection. It's probably something really simple that if you spend a little time on won't cost much.

[Guest agt.dealer]

I think its a ground issue,but can't find it!thinking of redoing all the grounds and hope for the best,,still won't start!!

[Grunt67]

Sounds like a bad ground to me as well. They can be a real pain in the butt to find. Keep digging. These

things will drive you nuts, whether it's a boat or something else.

[hornett22]

I can look at it if you can bring it to Maryville.

865-206-8482

Steve

[Guest agt.dealer]

Sweet!thanks Steve!got to get the power trim up so ill give you a call in a few days.

[laktrash]

Out of curiosity,let us know what you find

[tnhawk]

Good luck! The only time I had to trace a wiring problem on a boat wasn't fun.

[hornett22]

A lot of folks get frustrated with boats beacsuse of ground issues. Especially if they're fiberglass.

[Guest agt.dealer]

Just a heads up,I gave up!I dropped the boat off to hornet22 aka Steve on Sunday,I really hope he has better luck,lol he should!he really knows what he's doing!I will keep everyone posted on what it was!

[hornett22]

I fixed it.

Took it to the lake and shot holes in it until it sank.

Just kidding!

Still working on it.

[Guest agt.dealer]

Rofl!!

[Guest dubaholic2]

Steve, do you do mechanical work on boats? I need to have the engine on my pontoon checked out. Not meaning to hijack your thread agt.

[Guest agt.dealer]

No worries!Steve is a great guy!I see this guy getting a lot of my work,if he wants it,the good one always stay busy from the word of mouth.

[hornett22]

I do do mechanic work on boats. I'm not a big fan of Mercury outboards though.

[gregintenn]

M-I-C-E,

In boats, they nest, poop, chew wires, and pee.