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Troubleshooting Engine Kill Switch / Breaker |
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8122pbrainard 
Grand Poobah 
Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41045 |
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 Topic: Troubleshooting Engine Kill Switch / BreakerPosted: May-05-2014 at 8:24pm |
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Jason,
You are correct. The connectors are simply a convenience item. They are known problems. I've opened them up and found nothing but green oxidation inside as well as a decent voltage drop. |
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Jason O
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Joined: August-18-2011 Location: Kirkland, WA Status: Offline Points: 12 |
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Posted: May-05-2014 at 7:21pm |
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Cont...
I'm sure the plug would be useful when the engine needs to be completely removed (or installed at the factory). If that's the main purpose I can live with having to snip wires in that case and eliminating contact points for salt air/moisture to get into. |
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-Jason
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Jason O
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Joined: August-18-2011 Location: Kirkland, WA Status: Offline Points: 12 |
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Posted: May-05-2014 at 7:02pm |
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Thanks for all the response guys. When I looked at it this weekend It seemed the plugs were adding two additional connections which were potential failure points and I couldn't think of a scenario when the plug would come in handy. (I'm a novice and I realize this might be short-sighted but I figured I could always add the plug back in if there is a purpose I don't know of.)
So, I used heat shrink slicer/connectors and reconnected everything. Cleaned a couple other terminals that were dirty and the issue seems to be solved. (Amps stabilized/decreased, voltage increased, kill switch stopped tripping) Next I'm going to launch and run the boat to see if the fix is still good under normal operating conditions. If anyone knows if the plug serves a specific purpose I'm all ears. |
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-Jason
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MustangMadness
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Joined: April-15-2014 Location: Seacoast NH Status: Offline Points: 114 |
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Posted: May-04-2014 at 9:25am |
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I use a multimeter daily in my business. You should see 14+ volts across your battery above idle. If you see way more than that your voltage regulator is over taxing your alternator. There's nothing wrong with using a wire nut for a temp repair to see if the problem subsides. You could use a solderless crimp connector with shrink wrap like those used in well connections, but you will not have the luxury of separation at a later date .
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8122pbrainard
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Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41045 |
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Posted: May-04-2014 at 12:44am |
Terry, What is this "wire cap" connector you mention? Hopefully not what is referred in our area as a wire nut. If so, even though temporary, that is a back yard hack suggestion!! I NEVER recommend a "temporary" fix because 9 out of 10 times it becomes permanent. What's the problem with getting the voltage drop or resistance across the connection first before cutting the connector off?????? Do you have and use a VOM or DMM at your "service center"?? |
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MustangMadness
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Joined: April-15-2014 Location: Seacoast NH Status: Offline Points: 114 |
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Posted: May-03-2014 at 11:12pm |
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I would snip those 4 wires, strip them back and use a wire cap connector for that wire gauge and reconnect them back together to temporarily see if the plug was the problem. Then repair it more permanently later.
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8122pbrainard
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Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41045 |
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Posted: May-03-2014 at 6:33pm |
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Jason,
I'd say Paul ^^^ is correct that you need to check the connector. Get the VOM out and see if you have a voltage loss after the connector. A voltage loss will cause a higher amp requirement (Ohms law). It's not a spike as you mentioned. |
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gun-driver
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Joined: July-18-2008 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Status: Offline Points: 4127 |
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Posted: May-02-2014 at 11:49pm |
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Looking at your picture I would say your problem is the melted plug which was probably cause by the corrosion.
Just a guess. 
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Orlando76
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Joined: May-21-2013 Location: Mount Dora, FL Status: Offline Points: 3108 |
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Posted: May-02-2014 at 10:19pm |
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Saltwater is a nasty, nasty environment. I have an offshore fishing boat and I have to replace every connection below deck annually. To start; cut and cleanly splice and coat connections then see if it clears up the problem before any further diagnosis. Saltwater corrosion will aggravate any problem every time.
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Jason O
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Joined: August-18-2011 Location: Kirkland, WA Status: Offline Points: 12 |
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Posted: May-02-2014 at 9:47pm |
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Hi Everyone,
I'm looking for some advice on figuring out why my engine kill switch / breaker is tripping. Here's the scoop: The master engine breaker/kill switch trips when the boat is running. It seems to trip related to engine RPM (sorry my tac isn't working so can't tell you the specific RPM) but it typically trips around 15-20 mph. I run the boat in salt (with plenty of rinsing and flushing) and fresh. Upon initial troubleshooting I found the wire harness plug had some pretty nasty corrosion on two of the plugs. I suspect the breaker is tripping because of a current spike due to the corroded plugs. However, what I'm not sure about is if the plug corrosion is the primary cause of the current spike, or if the plug is corroding because of an upstream electrical issue. My boat is in storage right now so writing this off memory and limited pictures. I'm pretty sure the corroded plug is on the alternator side of the pigtail. I'm also pretty sure the two corroded plugs lead back to the alternator. How do I check the current coming from the alternator? What range should I be seeing? Lastly. For replacing the plug I plan on buying this pigtail (SkiDim Pigtail),cutting it and splicing in the new plugs with waterproof marine connectors. I realize it would be better to replace the entire harness but that's a lot of work just to replace the plug. Thoughts?  |
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-Jason
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MustangMadness wrote: