98 SN 60A breaker trips

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   HI, I am a newbie to the site and would appreciate some help.  I'm having a problem with my 98 SN that just started.  I've owned the boat for 4 years.  It was a Gulf Coast of TX boat for 20 years and now is a seasonal NH boat.  It has 796 hrs and has run fine since I bought it.  I got COVID in July and the boat sat at my dock for just over a month.  During that time it was very hot and humid (for NH...😊) and a fair amount of rain.  Boat is always covered when not in use.  I went to use it again last week and upon turning the ignition key to the run position, everything seemed fine.  The dash came on, the Perfect Pass fired up and all seemed good except I saw that it appeared the bilge pump had not been working as the water in the bilge was above the pump.  I turned the key to start and all I got was a click from the back.  I checked and found the 60A breaker tripped.  I reset it and tried again with the same result.
Since then I have done the following:

1.  Removed the bilge pump as I had not previously noticed that it was wired with standard crimp connectors with no shrink tube or other waterproofing and the connectors were in the water.  After I removed the pump and disconnected the wires and made sure the power and ground wires were not in the water or touching anything, I tried again with same result, everything on the dash and PP fired up but the 60A breaker immediately tripped when I turned the key to start.

2.  Checked the battery and found only 7.8V across the terminals with both connectors removed.  It is the battery I got with the boat 4 years ago so got a new one and installed it.  Same result, 60A breaker immediately tripped when I turned the key to the start position.

3.  Read as many posts here and on planetnautique as I could find about electrical problems and have removed all 3 of the engine grounds and cleaned all the contacts.  Nothing seemed really bad but I know grounds can be problematic.  I removed the 60A breaker and, unfortunately, the plastic housing broke while I was trying to remove it so I've ordered a new one from nautiqueparts.com and hope to have it by the weekend so can't try it again until I get the new breaker.

4.  I pulled the dashboard and checked all the grounds I can find to all the instruments and everything seems OK there, too.  It appears that the dash grounds all go into the harness that goes from the back of the dashboard down under the floor and into the main harness that then is grounded to one of the 3 big round points I found on the engine block?

5.  I put a socket wrench on the engine lower pulley and I can turn the engine over.  I had the battery disconnected.

So, if you've read this far...😊, is there anything else I should be looking at once I get the new 60A breaker if it doesn't work?  I've read on here and planetnautique that a couple pf people have had problems with the 60A breaker and just replacing it solved the problem.  Although I'd be happy if it does, that doesn't sound like a satisfying solution as something is causing the breaker to trip.

Any help for a newbie will be greatly appreciated and I will definitely post the results and what does solve my problem..😊

Thanks, Ken   (for those who might wonder at my username, I had a NH vanity plate in the late 90s.  I wanted it to be FLAT H20 but NH only allowed 6 characters so I asked for FLT H20 but they wouldn't give me the space and it came out FLTH20...😊)

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flth20 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: August-15-2022 Location: NH Status: Offline Points: 11	Post Options Post Reply Quote flth20 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: 98 SN 60A breaker trips Posted: August-17-2022 at 9:25am
	HI, I am a newbie to the site and would appreciate some help. I'm having a problem with my 98 SN that just started. I've owned the boat for 4 years. It was a Gulf Coast of TX boat for 20 years and now is a seasonal NH boat. It has 796 hrs and has run fine since I bought it. I got COVID in July and the boat sat at my dock for just over a month. During that time it was very hot and humid (for NH...😊) and a fair amount of rain. Boat is always covered when not in use. I went to use it again last week and upon turning the ignition key to the run position, everything seemed fine. The dash came on, the Perfect Pass fired up and all seemed good except I saw that it appeared the bilge pump had not been working as the water in the bilge was above the pump. I turned the key to start and all I got was a click from the back. I checked and found the 60A breaker tripped. I reset it and tried again with the same result. Since then I have done the following: 1. Removed the bilge pump as I had not previously noticed that it was wired with standard crimp connectors with no shrink tube or other waterproofing and the connectors were in the water. After I removed the pump and disconnected the wires and made sure the power and ground wires were not in the water or touching anything, I tried again with same result, everything on the dash and PP fired up but the 60A breaker immediately tripped when I turned the key to start. 2. Checked the battery and found only 7.8V across the terminals with both connectors removed. It is the battery I got with the boat 4 years ago so got a new one and installed it. Same result, 60A breaker immediately tripped when I turned the key to the start position. 3. Read as many posts here and on planetnautique as I could find about electrical problems and have removed all 3 of the engine grounds and cleaned all the contacts. Nothing seemed really bad but I know grounds can be problematic. I removed the 60A breaker and, unfortunately, the plastic housing broke while I was trying to remove it so I've ordered a new one from nautiqueparts.com and hope to have it by the weekend so can't try it again until I get the new breaker. 4. I pulled the dashboard and checked all the grounds I can find to all the instruments and everything seems OK there, too. It appears that the dash grounds all go into the harness that goes from the back of the dashboard down under the floor and into the main harness that then is grounded to one of the 3 big round points I found on the engine block? 5. I put a socket wrench on the engine lower pulley and I can turn the engine over. I had the battery disconnected. So, if you've read this far...😊, is there anything else I should be looking at once I get the new 60A breaker if it doesn't work? I've read on here and planetnautique that a couple pf people have had problems with the 60A breaker and just replacing it solved the problem. Although I'd be happy if it does, that doesn't sound like a satisfying solution as something is causing the breaker to trip. Any help for a newbie will be greatly appreciated and I will definitely post the results and what does solve my problem..😊 Thanks, Ken (for those who might wonder at my username, I had a NH vanity plate in the late 90s. I wanted it to be FLAT H20 but NH only allowed 6 characters so I asked for FLT H20 but they wouldn't give me the space and it came out FLTH20...😊)
	FLTH20

gun-driver Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Grand Poobah Joined: July-18-2008 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Status: Offline Points: 4127	Post Options Post Reply Quote gun-driver Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August-17-2022 at 5:30pm
	How deep was the water in the bilge could the starter have been under water or gotten wet?

flth20 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: August-15-2022 Location: NH Status: Offline Points: 11	Post Options Post Reply Quote flth20 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August-17-2022 at 7:55pm
	Thanks for the reply. The water was about an inch above the top of the bilge pump but just below the bottom of the starter housing so it was not submerged. As it had been hot and humid everything was damp under the engine cover but the starter was definitely not in the water. If the starter got wet, is it possible it would be OK if/when it dried out?
	FLTH20

KENO Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Grand Poobah Joined: June-06-2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 11112	Post Options Post Reply Quote KENO Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August-18-2022 at 6:30am
	Power to your starter doesn't go through the 60 amp breaker. it doesn't go through any breaker at all. The starter on your 98 draws at least a few hundred amps initially When you turn the key, power goes from the "S" terminal on the keyswitch, back to the neutral Safety Switch on the transmission and then to the remote starter solenoid on the back of the engine. Energizing the solenoid lets power go from the battery to the starter through the solenoid with no breakers involved. Since the breaker trips when you go to Start with the key I'd be looking at those things, along with the breaker replacement. You also have a 20 amp Ignition breaker on the dash that should have tripped before the 60 amp main breaker tripped You also should mention whether this is a carbureted or fuel injected engine, most likely a Ford or maybe a stray Chevy

flth20 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: August-15-2022 Location: NH Status: Offline Points: 11	Post Options Post Reply Quote flth20 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August-19-2022 at 8:24am
	Hi KENO, Thanks for the info on the start circuit. I should have said the engine is a Ford. I'm pretty sure everything, including the dash, went off as soon as I turned the key to the start position, but I'm 73 and having a bit of a health issue so may not be remembering correctly...😊🤔. I ordered a new 20A breaker as well as a 60A as the 20A has felt a bit funky for a while but everything worked fine up until this incident. The new 20A & 60A breakers will only be delivered Saturday earliest so won't be able to check anything live again until I get them. I will remove all the connections on the starter solenoid and clean them beforehand. I checked and they are all tight but will remove and clean anyway. I'll also check the connections on the NSS. I'll post again after I get the new parts and test. Again, thanks very much for your assistance.
	FLTH20

flth20 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: August-15-2022 Location: NH Status: Offline Points: 11	Post Options Post Reply Quote flth20 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August-19-2022 at 6:54pm
	Hi KENO, I got my 60A & 20A breakers a day early and installed them and everything seems fine now. My boat starts fine. Ultimately, what I did was: 1. New battery (old one was dead) 2. Cleaned all terminals and connectors for the three engine block grounds 3. Cleaned all terminals and connectors on the starter relay 4. Cleaned the battery cable ends on both the positive and negative cables at the battery and starter relay (for the positive) and the battery and engine ground point for the negative 5. Replaced the 20A ignition breaker in the dashboard 6. Replaced the 60A breaker at the back of the engine near the ECU I think the last one, the 60A breaker was probably the real culprit although I know dirty/corroded connectors can cause lots of problems. Thanks for your help with the starter circuit info. Tomorrow should be out on the water again...😊
	FLTH20

KENO Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Grand Poobah Joined: June-06-2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 11112	Post Options Post Reply Quote KENO Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: August-19-2022 at 8:14pm
	I think that I think what you think...........probably a bad 60 amp breaker. Glad it's fixed.

98 SN 60A breaker trips

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