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Cuda
07-06-2004, 07:03 PM
Electrical is definetly my weakest area when it comes to fixing anything. I'd rather throw a rod in the engine than try to figure out this stuff.

When I turn my blower switch on, the nav lights, including the stern light come on. The sternlight is the gray wire in the picture. With the switch on, and the top gray wire disconnected, I read 12 volts to ground on the engine. The blower is on the yellow wires.

What do I do now?

gcarter
07-06-2004, 07:13 PM
I'd say someone mis-wired the two applications. Try moving the yellow lower to the left one position. Of course dis-connect the lower grey before doing so. Assuming the lower strip is the wires going to the components.
If this works, determine which wires feed power to the lights. You may have to re-arrange the clamps to give you room to do so.
Is this strip on the starboard transom?
Hope this helps.

George

Cuda
07-06-2004, 07:21 PM
Yes George, on the starboard transom.

Cuda
07-06-2004, 07:24 PM
I took the top yellow off and the top gray off, then ran a jumper from the top gray to the bottom yellow with no results. (I think)

gcarter
07-06-2004, 07:46 PM
Blowers frequently go South, you might want to to verify it's working, even out of the boat if necessary.
Also I guess I mis-understood. I didn't realize ALL the nav lights came on when the blower switch was on.
Just for fun, turn on the nav light switch on, and see if there is power at any of the upper wires. If there is, you might want to just relabel the switches for a quick fix.

George

Cuda
07-06-2004, 07:51 PM
I thought about the blower being bad, but it looks almost brand new. If the blower came on with any other switch, I would relabel them. I guess I'll check the blower. Wish I had some alligator clipped wires.

gcarter
07-06-2004, 07:57 PM
It's so much easier to work on this end of the boat than under the dash.

George

JimG205
07-06-2004, 08:12 PM
Hi Joe-It's easy to trace your circuit,but first disconnect the battery juice.George was correct suggesting testing the blower-they tend to seize up when dormant.On your blower switch disconnect the two wires and tape them together,then get an ohm meter or fluke meter and touch the probes to the respective wires on the blower.If you have a reading the wire circuit is good,next touch the probes to each terminal on the back of the switch-in the on position you should get a reading,off no reading.Reattach everything and hook up your juice and hopefully if the blowers good you'll be pushin air-Good luck-e-mail me if you have a problem,Jim :boat:

Cuda
07-06-2004, 08:19 PM
Hi Joe-It's easy to trace your circuit,but first disconnect the battery juice.George was correct suggesting testing the blower-they tend to seize up when dormant.On your blower switch disconnect the two wires and tape them together,then get an ohm meter or fluke meter and touch the probes to the respective wires on the blower.If you have a reading the wire circuit is good,next touch the probes to each terminal on the back of the switch-in the on position you should get a reading,off no reading.Reattach everything and hook up your juice and hopefully if the blowers good you'll be pushin air-Good luck-e-mail me if you have a problem,Jim :boat:

I'm hard on electrical meters, I bought a new one, it was pissing me off, so I threw it across the driveway. My old one doesn't have the ohms anymore. That happens when you read 220 volts with it set on ohms. :rolleyes:

JimG205
07-06-2004, 08:28 PM
I think I should deputize your sweet wife to do this one Joe?? :jestera:

Cuda
07-06-2004, 08:46 PM
I think I should deputize your sweet wife to do this one Joe?? :jestera:


Who do you think was in the bilge with the probes?? :biggrin:

cigarette30
07-07-2004, 01:58 PM
I thought about the blower being bad, but it looks almost brand new. If the blower came on with any other switch, I would relabel them. I guess I'll check the blower. Wish I had some alligator clipped wires.


Just a suggestion, I notice on most new blowers, they come with tie straps for hose clamps ...... those that tighten to much, or those that upgrade to metal clamps can tighten the housing down on the fan blade, for an assured early failure ..... have counted over a dozen lost before this was corrected, four on my own boat.

Cuda
07-08-2004, 07:10 AM
Yesterday I went to the marine surplus place in Daytona (thanks gcarter), and bought a new blower. A freind of mine came over from St Pete to check out our new place. He's a boat nut too, and is quite the gear head. I told him about my problems. He got in the boat and replaced the blower for me. It still wouldn't work, so then he started tracing everything down. Finally, he's in the bilge and holds up a wire and asks me what it is. I said I didn't know, but I assumed it was something from the old EFI set up. He told me, he betted that if he grounded the wire, the blower would work. Yep, the main ground wire for the accessories was never connected. He hooked it up, now everything works as it should.

Here's Charlie taking over Debbie's duties. :)

ToonaFish
07-08-2004, 11:18 AM
Here's Charlie taking over Debbie's duties. :)

ALL of Debbie's duties?

mikev
07-08-2004, 12:02 PM
bad ground hardest thing to track down and fix the 12v on the ground wire is a dead give away though. if i remember correctly if you have your meter grounded you should not show a voltage on the ground side just the positive side. someone please correct me if im wrong.

gcarter
07-08-2004, 12:53 PM
I think Mike, that if all you're doing is reading voltage and you ground the negative lead, you'll read whatever voltage is available, because the meter itself is completeing the circuit.
But I'm sure no electrician! :fire: :shocking:

George :)

Cuda
07-08-2004, 07:10 PM
ALL of Debbie's duties?

Maybe, if I could get him to shave those legs. :jestera:

Cuda
07-08-2004, 07:14 PM
Now in retrospect, I should have suspected a bad ground to begin with. Whenever I have trailer light trouble, and none of them work, 9 times out of 10, it's a bad ground. What threw me off was the fact that some of the stuff seemed to work somewhat. I guess it was grounding through the equipment itself somehow.