Electrical problem on '81 ski nautique

quinner wrote: 8122pbrainard wrote: It would be a good idea to consider a new set of battery cables. There you go suggestion just replacing parts without testing first, lmao!!

Chris,
Aren't you supposed to be working on some clients project??

8122pbrainard wrote: It would be a good idea to consider a new set of battery cables.

There you go suggestion just replacing parts without testing first, lmao!!

Agree with PD the clamp style battery terminals are garbage, if the cables all look fine otherwise NAPA has soldier style replacement terminals available with the solder already in them. If you do replace this way just be sure you get the correct + and - terminals as they are different sizes.

I'll set a reminder to have Brian remind me in 4 years.

Electrical connections rarely "look" bad. You really gotta get in there closer.

hughman wrote: She is one of those 14 year old's...

I'll have Siri remind me to recheck this thread in 4 years

That's battery connection is a relatively odd one, so no need to feel bad you didn't think of it first. Just good you found it and fixed it

sorry, my 83 has amp meter set up.   Could have been upgrade. volt meter set up is way cheaper.

im keeping it as an amp meter as well.   

Hollywood wrote: hughman wrote: and when the boys see her, it is easy to get a tow back! pics

Kevin,
Didn't you just get married?

Ok, I checked the fuses, they were fine. Went back to the beginning with all the suggestions I had gotten on here, starting at the beginning. with all the electrical connections. So I rechecked the clamps on the battery terminals, they were tight. But this time I noticed the connection of the wire to the clamp was loose.on the positive terminal. So I took them all off, wire brushed all of it and reassembled. Now when I turn the key, the gauges come on an stay on. So that was my problem. I will now slink away with my tail between my legs. Thanks for all your help, everyone!

shierh wrote: if its an amp meter then ck connections. i believe everything runs through it.

By 81, I'm 99% sure CC had gone to volt meters. Besides, there's not much that will go wrong with an Amp meter. It's simply has a heavy conductor from terminal to terminal with a current transformer wrapped around it. When they fail, it will stop reading the amps but will still carry the current through it. If you have an old one around, take it apart and see what's inside.

if its an amp meter then ck connections. i believe everything runs through it.   

Hugh - I am not familiar with the '81 dash but from your picture it looks like there are fuses just to the left of the helm (round caps). One of them is specifically for the ignition circuit & I would focus on the wires coming to & from that one. Your fuse could be corroded or the contact inside the holder for that matter.

If you can't make heads or tails of it, then this may be a case where a boat mechanic would be money well spent. You don't want to be out on a great lake with a marginal electrical system.

is boat set up with volt meter or Amp Meter?

Hugh,
Have your battery load tested at the auto supply. Hopefully it isn't a deep cycle! It also would be a good idea to have the alternator and regulator tested. It looks like your fusing is in the dash to the left of the helm wheel.

I guess I would tend to be somewhat suspicious of the add on electrical accessories. Especially since the basic dash wiring of these boats tends to be just robust enough to do what it has to do. Not much room for anything extra.

Of course, if this problem is just turning up now, after 7-8 years, I guess those things are less suspicious.

Now, do those accessories rely on the key switch in order to be able to turn on?

Hugh,
Something tripped the main breaker. Are any of the fuses at the helm blown? Yes, the tripped breaker does indicate a problem since they don't trip by themselves. Now, the issue will be to find out what did trip it. What condition is your battery in? The main breaker typically is between the alternator and the battery. Has anyone done any changes to the wiring?

One thing to keep in mind, when you are dealing with the key switch, you are dealing will all positive side voltage.

-Switch your voltmeter to 12 volts DC,
-Put the black wire in the ground side on the meter, and
-Put the red wire in the positive side on the meter. Use the red hole one designated for 12 volt dc testing, sometimes they go in different places depending on what you're testing.
-This is where either alligator clip test leads, or a helper come in handy. (Also, why I prefer a test light for quick and dirty basic testing, they come with an alligator clip.) You want to solidly attach, or have the helper firmly probe the negative terminal on the battery, or other known good ground with the black probe and hold it.
-Now, use your red wire to basically poke around the key switch. The wires going in, and the wires coming out. You can't hurt anything, unless you actually puncture a gauge with the sharp probe
-One of the posts should always show voltage, whether the key is off or on. This is the battery input post
-One of the posts should consistently show voltage with the key on, and none with the key off. This is your ignition post.
-One of the posts should show voltage only when the key is turned to the start.
-Now, back to the always live post. See if you can hold the red probe there, and start giggling your suspect connections. If the voltage reading waivers, you are getting close to finding a problem.