Perfect Pass and ignition switches

My perfect pass does pretty much the same thing. I usually get a few beeps after the motor is started before it will settle down. If I just turn the key to "on" without cranking the starter, it will beep for longer sometimes forever until I just hit "off" on the perfect pass.

I think it's because when the alternator is putting out, then and only then, is it getting all the voltage it needs.

I think this could have as much do do with voltage drop when the starter is cranking as it does withe key cutting power. Have you checked that your key (ignition switch) is actually doing this? Usually you'd have to have your Ignition circuit energized at the same time as your starter or you wouldn't get spark.

Joel (M3Fan) put his perfect pass on a little relay, so it could get power direct from the battery, but still be switched on by the key.

Another option I've thought of is putting my Perfect Pass on on an unused accessory breaker instead of the key. Then, I would wait till the motor is started up to turn on the perfect pass.

I also need to run a new positive wire from my 50amp breaker to my dash, so I'll see if that helps matters.

Like I said, thinking back on it the only thing that changed was the new ignition switch. I don't mind the initial wait when I first start the boat, it just that it clicks on and off when the key is turned so I have to wait again for the servo to catch before I'm able to move the throttle and that's only an issue in the winter.

I've got a couple of ideas on a way to rewire it, but if it's just a part change then that's certainly easier. I'm kind of thinking about just running it to the stereo batteries which would get it completely off the dash.

I happened to have this video of my boat starting up before I added by piggy back ground. This is a view directly at the Perfect Pass. It has gotten way better, but I still have a little bit of what Don is describing.

I ran mine most of the first season I owned the boat without the Perfect Pass working at all. Lifting the dog house and turning that little manual tensioner thing, had become part of the routine. I'd just hit off as soon as it started beeping at me.

My boat just came with it and I didn't know much about it or see the use for it until we were doing more wakeboarding and realized what a good tool it was for holding low speeds.

At one point, I did some minor wire clean up, and at that point, if I shut off the blower just before cranking it over, the perfect pass would do it's start up routine successfully and be usable.

Then, after adding the ground, it would work all the time.

When it does its start up, the servo motor goes through a sequence that takes the slack out of the throttle cable. I still had throttle when it wasn't working, I just had a lot of slop and didn't have full throttle. And, if I hit off, without letting it finish, you couldn't use the PP.

It sounds like your ignition switch really is the issue then. I was just wondering about voltage drop, because you just added a new distributor retro kit, right? I was thinking that maybe that put more of a draw on things or maybe something else had maybe changed. Of course, Protec probably demanded just as much juice as a traditional ignition.

It does seem like the PP systems are fairly hungry for power though.

Bri892001 wrote: I happened to have this video of my boat starting up before I added by piggy back ground.

did you just run an extra ground wire in addition to whats in the harness? is that what you mean?

Yep that's the easiest thing to do. For good measure you can run duplex wire with a hot and upgrade both sides. Mine are tied in almost in the same spot at the dash and about 6in apart at the motor so it's not much extra to do them both. The wire is a little more, but having them together means there is only one pull through the bildge, a real good thing with a Vdrive.

^^Agreed on the duplex wire. I'll likely be adding a wire to do my positive the same way this summer. The main reason I didn't do it the first time was that I was unsure about where to tie into the breaker. The ground is a little simpler.

The other thing I would consider doing, is getting a little ground bus bar to tie every ground behind the dash into. The whole "daisy chain" ground thing provides too many opportunities for bad connections.

I do have the 4 way switch. I haven't had time to get out and check, weather has been awful and I hate fiddling around dressed in multiple layers. Today is nice, but I'm working, tommorow I'm off, and it's raining with a chance it may turn to snow.

Got around to looking at this yesterday, the switch doesn't cut power to the accessories when I turn it to start. The voltage drops below where the PP is happy. So I cleaned up some contacts and replaced a few questionable connections that the PO did. It's getting better, but still dips down when the key is turned. I've got a few more things to replace and trying to figure out how many connections there are in the daisy chain from the ignition breaker to the starter, I think there are 5, but it gets a little hard to see around the breaker panel.

Undecided about wheather I want to run a new wire from the ignition breaker to the key, or move the PP power wire to the breaker panel.