miket
Petty Officer
Posts: 128
|
Post by miket on Jun 15, 2014 6:43:00 GMT -6
Hello all my first trip on my new to me boat yesterday and now my 1st issue.
With engine off depth finder works, with motor idling depth finder blinks and fades in and out, engine at cruise depth finder comes on but only shows a few horizontal lines. The VHF is also not working properly. All gauges and lights, except cabin lights work fine. I have not traced down the wires yet but what should I look for? Bad ground cause this?
Thanks in advance
1995 230WA 150 Evinrude 2 stroke
|
|
|
Post by freezerfiller on Jun 15, 2014 20:31:25 GMT -6
Yep. corrosion, loose connections, bad ground sounds like the issue.
|
|
yolo
Ensign
Posts: 626
Location: Back to Manasquan Inlet, NJ
|
Post by yolo on Jun 16, 2014 12:54:41 GMT -6
Yep, defiantely something loose.
When i first got my 238cc the power steering was going in and out, one time lost it while pulling into the slip with current; that was interesting LOL. After looking around at fuses and power to/away from the pump ect for about an hour i realized i didnt check the battery terminals, ground was loose and i had a smile back on my face
Like freezerfiller and souther cross said, if you have two things coming in and out like that then you most likely have a bad ground or loose connection. Dont sweat over it too badly, it will just take some time to figure out wher the wire powers and you will teach yourself alot for next time! Boat connections come loose often.
Two questions that may help you start pinpointing the problem, do you have to turn on a switch to give the sounder and VHF power? Do you have to turn on your battery switch to give these two units power?
|
|
miket
Petty Officer
Posts: 128
|
Post by miket on Jun 16, 2014 16:36:40 GMT -6
Thanks to all. Yes they are both hooked to a separate switch on dash w/built-in fuse. The previous owner had a second battery w/3 way switch installed so I will check the installation of that also.
Thanks again, I will post fix when found
|
|
yolo
Ensign
Posts: 626
Location: Back to Manasquan Inlet, NJ
|
Post by yolo on Jun 16, 2014 22:11:38 GMT -6
Start with your switch.
If its got a light on it, flip it on and if it starts flickering with your electronics then you 100% have a problem around that switch. Check the fuse and then connections, from what you said it sounds like the connection.
On these sea pros the dash switches are basically a circuit breaker bus (one of the things Sea Pro did to cut costs), the power from the battery goes to the first switch then jumps from the first to the second and so across the bank of switches. If your lights and everything are working fine, your electronics hit the acc switch for power, and the previous owner did not change the wiring then you will find the problem at the switch. My guess is the connection came loose, happens all the time.
If that does not work and you see a wire going from that switch straight down to a place where you cant get to it under the deck, then it went to the battery and check those connections.
|
|
miket
Petty Officer
Posts: 128
|
Post by miket on Jun 17, 2014 17:09:31 GMT -6
Yea it would be nice to have a schematic, but the switches are original so I will end up replacing and rewiring dash.
|
|
miket
Petty Officer
Posts: 128
|
Post by miket on Jul 6, 2014 7:59:30 GMT -6
Ok little update.
Upon further investigation I found all electronics were grounded to the back of the speedo. Ran a ground straight to the battery and depth finder works. There is no ground bar that I can see so I will add one. Should I ran a wire from batt to batt then to bar or from the ground on the selector switch, assuming there is one,to the bar?
What size wire? VHF, depth finder, couple 12 volt outlets, CB radio, with room to grow. Looking at a 10 gang 150 amp ground bar.
Thanks for the help
|
|
fraydknot
Master Chief
Life is a collection of Memories.
Posts: 384
|
Post by fraydknot on Jul 17, 2014 22:40:07 GMT -6
I did from bat to bar. No issues. just my .02
|
|
miket
Petty Officer
Posts: 128
|
Post by miket on Aug 2, 2014 7:16:31 GMT -6
OK. Ran wire from battery to a ground bar and VHF and FF grounded to bar. Now when the FF is on I get a clicking noise in the VHF. Any ideas?
Thanks again
|
|
yolo
Ensign
Posts: 626
Location: Back to Manasquan Inlet, NJ
|
Post by yolo on Aug 2, 2014 8:55:21 GMT -6
check the fuse on the VHF
Also check the connections on the bus bar and the batter are tight.
|
|
miket
Petty Officer
Posts: 128
|
Post by miket on Aug 5, 2014 16:49:22 GMT -6
The VHF is working but it has an audible click when the FF is on and the reception gets a little worse. Back in the day we used to put noise filters on our stereo systems to keep engine noise out. Think this would help? All connections are clean and tight, all wire and ground block are new.
|
|
yolo
Ensign
Posts: 626
Location: Back to Manasquan Inlet, NJ
|
Post by yolo on Aug 6, 2014 12:08:53 GMT -6
Ahhhh okok got it. I wasn’t reading right.
That’s the signal from he depth sounder to the fish finder that’s causing the interference, it’s a constant pulse. Interference come from openings in wire and wire insulation.
Disconnect the coax from the socket and turn both components on. If the interference is gone then the problem is with the connection and socket, if its still there then you have a problem with the power leads to the radio. They make adapters for both that you can buy to get rid of this.
On a humor note. Normally, to my next sentence, one would say “I cant tell you how many times I” and then their story. Here I can, but will not out of fear of embarrassment lol. When I said check the connections I meant the ones you put on, I’ve put stuff together and back together and forgotten to tighten down the connection with a wrench or screwdriver and after m-f-ing myself I check the connections and they were loose. But, again I read you wrong there.
|
|
miket
Petty Officer
Posts: 128
|
Post by miket on Aug 9, 2014 13:55:42 GMT -6
I have never ever forgotten to tighten anything up during installation. rofl I tried to say it with a straight face. But I double checked this time. By coax do you mean the antennae wire on the VHF? As you probably already know all the dash switches are powered from 1 wire so I may try a separate feed for each and go from there.
Thanks for the input
|
|
yolo
Ensign
Posts: 626
Location: Back to Manasquan Inlet, NJ
|
Post by yolo on Aug 18, 2014 11:02:36 GMT -6
Anyone who can publically say they have never forgotten to tighten something when putting something back together has not worked on that much in their life time LOLOL. Another good one is "your not a real captain until you have fallen in the water."
I am talking about the wire that comes from the antenna, should now have a screw plug on the end of it, and screws into the back of the VHF.
This is most likely where the interruption is and you can go to a RadioShack or like store to find the adapter.
|
|
miket
Petty Officer
Posts: 128
|
Post by miket on Aug 18, 2014 15:16:14 GMT -6
Ok gotcha.
|
|
yolo
Ensign
Posts: 626
Location: Back to Manasquan Inlet, NJ
|
Post by yolo on Aug 24, 2014 21:13:11 GMT -6
i put a second radio on mine and the two were crossing some interference. Put those adapters on the coax pin connecter and it works great now.
|
|
miket
Petty Officer
Posts: 128
|
Post by miket on Aug 25, 2014 16:13:40 GMT -6
Ok went to Radio Shack and they said I need a ground loop isolator. Is this what you mean by adapter? Of course they only had the smaller ones. Where did you get yours? I have the big end on mine. They told me to try a CB Radio shop.??
|
|
miket
Petty Officer
Posts: 128
|
Post by miket on Sept 10, 2014 16:55:52 GMT -6
Update Went out Sunday and took my handheld VHF and the FF noise interfered with it. FF does not show anything but depth. Guess I need a new FF.
|
|
yolo
Ensign
Posts: 626
Location: Back to Manasquan Inlet, NJ
|
Post by yolo on Sept 11, 2014 9:42:58 GMT -6
Mike, apologies i never saw the last post. I threw away the box, but ill try and run to Radio Shack today to get the exact name of it, i cannot remember off the top of my head. You can get the adapter and should stop the problem, but a new electronic is nnever a bad thing either Are all the connections on the fishfinder good? (going back to what i said earlier, the break in the connect lets that siganl in or out, usually in tho).
|
|
miket
Petty Officer
Posts: 128
|
Post by miket on Sept 16, 2014 15:56:59 GMT -6
All connections are good. Ran all new wires straight from battery to FF and it is better but I still get a clicking noise in the VHF. Turn the squelch up and it goes away. Ground loop isolator?
|
|