Wiring radio on 1994 sport nautique
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URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=39433
Printed Date: November-27-2024 at 3:09am
Topic: Wiring radio on 1994 sport nautique
Posted By: drekeith
Subject: Wiring radio on 1994 sport nautique
Date Posted: July-22-2016 at 12:32pm
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Hello, need a suggestion. The current wiring configuration to power my radio is exactly like the original way it was done in this boat, except i have a bew stereo unit. The hot wire os powered from the clock with andnthe clock is powered from the ignition. Two problems with this. Every time cut the boat off out in the water, say picking up a skiier, the radio cuts off to and it takes a minute or so for the bluetooth signals and all that to straighten back out etc. very annoying. Secondly, the wire powering the unit , coming from the clock is very small and when i am about 3/4 volume on the radio, It cuts my stereo off...some sort of overload protection i guess. What i want to do is power the stereo from a spare acc circuit breaker and maybe even reground it somewhere. I can make my way around ok electrically, i just am not sure how to tie to one of the breakers, and what to do aboutbthe grounf etc. can anyone provide some guidance? ------------- KD |
Replies:
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: July-22-2016 at 12:54pm
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Keith, What you are experiencing is a classic case of undersized wiring up to the dash causing a large voltage drop. In the maintenance section there's a FAQ thread with links to just about anything. http://www.correctcraftfan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=21901&title=added-new-dash-ground-to-93-with-pics" rel="nofollow - Here's one of the thread out of the FAQ's that explains running heavier wire. BTW, if you can't find and answer in the FAQ's we are always around to help out. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: 63 Skier
Date Posted: July-22-2016 at 1:16pm
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The approach depends a bit on how much juice your stereo pulls, if it's just using the stock speakers you can power it from available dash power (after upgrading per Pete's comment above), but if you are running a stereo with lots of power needs you'll want a dedicated feed. You probably have one or two available accessory breakers as you mentioned, power it from one of those. If the stereo pulls a lot of power I'd pull a dedicated power feed and ground from the battery feeding a relay, and power the relay from the accessory breaker. That way you have full power to the stereo all the time but still only power it up when wanted from the accessory breaker. Sounds complicated, but really very simple, a relay will have 4 (or sometimes 5) connectors, two are the battery power and ground, two are for the switch. Your ignition breaker will kill power to all other breakers so no worries about draining the battery when on the trailer. As to how to connect to the breaker, look at the others and should be clear. ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: drekeith
Date Posted: July-22-2016 at 4:03pm
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My stereo is a clarion m303 18 watt with 45x4 output. Running 4 6.5-inch speakers. I also have a powered subwoofer hooked up whih has its own dedicated power that I ran from battery. I think that i am probably ok with connecting to one of the circuit breakers without needing to run a dedicated supply to it and going throuh a relay. Im not sure how to do that anyway. ......Does anyone know exactly which color wire to splice to on the circuit breaker...say ACCY 2...someone may be very familiar with the wire color configs in a 90's nautique? (Mine is 1994). Would I need to mess with the existing ground to the stereo or just worry about the power supply from the breaker? ------------- KD |
Posted By: Dreaming
Date Posted: July-22-2016 at 5:26pm
| all of the wires under my dash are red... Mine is a 94 as well. I would suggest that you need to find power into accy 2 by measuring the voltage of both sides of the ckt breaker with the breaker in the off position. the side that has 12v is the in side. the side that has 0v is the out side. You sound like you're maybe not familiar with electrical things? not trying to insult you, but I want to be sure you don't let the smoke out of something important. |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: July-22-2016 at 5:34pm
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Keith, Wiring your existing sound system to an alternate existing source under the dash is NOT going to cure the voltage drop that's causing the cutting out. As mentioned, you need to upgrade the wiring for the power to and from the dash. Read the thread I linked and see if it's something you feel comfortable doing. But, as Kris mentioned, if you need help get some. . ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: drekeith
Date Posted: July-22-2016 at 6:43pm
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upstate SC, let me know we will get together in late fall and figure this out. Im not jumping on it this summer. I will but you and your crew a steak or 10! seriousley. ------------- KD |
Posted By: drekeith
Date Posted: July-28-2016 at 9:43pm
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Guys. After thinking about it,What would be wrong with running a dedicated hot wire and dedicated ground wire straight from my battery just for the radio and forget about the switch and only worry about the power button on the radio. I could still leave the yellow wire from the radio that keeps all the memory stuff powered just like it is now. I know it is a simplictic approach but what is wrong with that? ------------- KD |
Posted By: drekeith
Date Posted: July-28-2016 at 10:00pm
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Guys. After thinking about it,What would be wrong with running a dedicated hot wire and dedicated ground wire straight from my battery just for the radio and forget about the switch and only worry about the power button on the radio. I could still leave the yellow wire from the radio that keeps all the memory stuff powered just like it is now. I know it is a simplictic approach but what is wrong with that? ------------- KD |
Posted By: Blamey
Date Posted: July-29-2016 at 12:59am
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You will get a higher amp draw off the battery if the radio has power but is just turned off. I have mine wired on all the time and take the faceplate off which lowers the amp draw. I'll probably wire it to a breaker over the winter. ------------- 96 Super Sport Previously: 95 Sport Nautique, 1980 Ski Supreme |
Posted By: 63 Skier
Date Posted: July-29-2016 at 2:33am
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Keith, here's how I look at it. I've had older trucks that have "stuff" done to them, not the right way, but the easier way, and to some extent in boats too. What I've found is a few wiring shortcuts later you have a truck or boat that requires a bunch of explanation before someone else can run them, since there are so many non-conventional, non-intuitive things going on. You may say that only you will run the boat and it won't matter, but I've come around over the years to wanting things to work the way they should. So, I'll stand by my recommendation above, run the radio off an available breaker, with power from a relay if needed (there's no downside to doing this). The wiring is EASY and you can spend 10 minutes on google and/or youtube to see how a relay works and how to wire it. ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: Blamey
Date Posted: July-29-2016 at 11:12am
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David, where do find the correct type of relay. I've tried to search for it before but get all kinds of results and not sure exactly what I should be using. ------------- 96 Super Sport Previously: 95 Sport Nautique, 1980 Ski Supreme |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: July-29-2016 at 12:08pm
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Paul, It's simply one of these:  Even Autozone has them!!  ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: drekeith
Date Posted: July-29-2016 at 12:26pm
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Good information. Let me be sure I understand. See attached picture for what I am asking. I run a dedicated hot wire from the battery (say 8 ga?) with in line fuse and a dedicated ground wire from battery (8 ga?), .....both to the relay. Run one wire from the switched side (the side that is not hot when the switch is off) of my spare ACCY breaker over to the "switched power" side of the relay. Then run a power wire form the relay over to the hot wire of my stereo. Seems simple enough....Correct me if I am wrong. However, can I leave my ground wire on the stereo as is or do I need to run a ground back to somewhere else? Thanks, Keith  ------------- KD |
Posted By: 63 Skier
Date Posted: July-30-2016 at 11:02am
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Keith, I think you've got it right. As for stereo ground, if you are running a dedicated ground to the relay then better to ground the stereo to that same dedicated ground, rather than forcing it through the likely overloaded dash ground. Even better idea, when you run that dedicated ground from the battery, add it to the existing dash ground so you've got a really good ground for all dash power. That's part of the dash wiring upgrade Pete recommended, and gave a link to, in the 2nd post of this thread. 8 gauge may be overkill, but certainly can't hurt to have a larger ground. ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: drekeith
Date Posted: August-01-2016 at 5:28pm
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I think I will do a "grounding block" from an 8 gauge, maybe run the ground straight from the engine block if you agree., then re do my existing grounds in the dash to the same block and also attach the radio ground and relay ground to the same "grounding block". While at it, I may as well have a separate "power block" and attach the new 8 ga hot wire over to my hot side on the ignition and beef the whole thing up. My biggest problem is capturing all the existing ground wires in the dash where they connect. I looked at the original link posted where the gentleman daisy chained all his grounds with "piggy back spade connectors" and then later went back and did a central grounding block. I can tell you everything in the 1994 dash is original and unmodified except for my new stereo (which is wired the same way as the factor radio.....One thing I have contemplated is how to physically make that hot connection to the ignition and to the ACCY breaker I want to use. My thought is to put a insulated spade connector with the built in "piggy back" and connect to the breakers that way.? Is that a good idea or what would you use? ------------- KD |
Posted By: 63 Skier
Date Posted: August-01-2016 at 8:43pm
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Sounds like you are getting a good plan together. Most battery connectors have the stud and wingnut or regular nut to easily add ring connectors, so I'd suggest running the ground directly to the battery. I'm sure the engine block would be fine as well, but seems just as easy to go to the battery directly. On the under dash wiring - to be honest I probably wouldn't bother to try to hit every ground wire. The weak point is running a bunch of individual grounds into one long undersized wire going to the battery, if you correct that I don't feel that you really need to connect to every ground. If they are daisy chained from breaker to breaker and gauge to gauge, look at the sequence and at a couple of easy spots connect your new larger ground and I feel that will get the job done. Others may disagree, not sure. The piggy back spade connectors are fine if you are careful they can't short out against anything else. Why will you have 2 hot wires to that breaker, won't it just be the switching feed from the relay? ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: drekeith
Date Posted: August-01-2016 at 10:31pm
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63 Skier, Regarding your last paragraph....what I was intending to explain is that I plan to run the 8 ga wire from battery to a terminal block , then power the relay from that block with a smaller wire (say 10). The spare ACCY breaker would then be wired from the open side of the ACCY breaker over to the relay switch port so when the ACCY breaker is closed it will close the relay switch and power the stereo.. Okay, now the second feed I spoke of would also come from the new hot terminal block to the hot side if the ignition breaker (say 10 ga) ....this would in effect boost power to the ignition breaker and everything else when the ignition breaker is closed. That breaker would then have a dual feed in actuality...the existing feed and a new “beefier” one. (Any problem with that...duel feed?) I would also implement the ”tying” together of as many ground wires as I can over to the new and separate ground block I mentioned....Does this make sense? ------------- KD |
Posted By: 63 Skier
Date Posted: August-03-2016 at 1:11am
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Sorry, thought I had already replied. I see no problem with the dual feed to the ignition breaker. Probably not needed, the new large feed should be enough, but as long as you have good clean connections it can't hurt. Yes, if you can locate those various grounds on the ground block that is ideal. I think you'll have a lot of too-short wires that you'll need to replace to do so. Like I said, I have a feeling that if you find the several daisy-chains of grounds, and run a wire from the ground block to somewhere in the middle of each of those chains, you'll probably be fine. ------------- '63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique |
Posted By: cadunkle
Date Posted: August-03-2016 at 10:48am
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I think you guys are over thinking this for a typical head unit. I would not be adding relays for this purpose, it doesn't make sense in this application. Most head units will have a larger gauge wire intended to be constantly hot. They will then have another smaller gauge that switches the head unit on. Either run a new ground and hot bus bar (using 8ga-4ga wire) under the dash, splice into your existing ground and hot wires in the dash, then run the head unit always hot wire and ground wire to the bus bar, use the factory wiring/switch for the switched on/off wire. Fuse/breaker where appropriate. I did this on mine and fixed my cutting out issue among other low dash voltage issues. I used 4ga to the bus bars, 8ga power and ground into existing dash wiring at main junctions, and then put my other accessories (Perfect Pass) to the bus bar. Sounds like more or less what Keith is thinking of doing at this point. Using the jumper/multiple spade connectors should be fine. My boat is a Supra and this is how the factory dash is wired, just a huge jumble of those multiple spades piggy backed on each breaker/switch/etc. Maybe not how I'd do it if starting from scratch, but it works. well enough. |
Posted By: drekeith
Date Posted: October-31-2016 at 5:46pm
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Finished my project over the weekend and all works beautifully. Thanks for the earlier advise guys. Beefed up all my instrument grounds with new 10 ga wires to a bus bar. Ran new 8 gauge ground from bus bar to engine block. Ran new 10 gauge hot wire to a hot bus bar from battery where I powered the relay and hence stereo from. Installed relay and Ran switch on relay from close side of ACCY 1 breaker. Also ran a new 10 ga wire form hot bus bar to splice into ignition hot side breaker just to beef main ignition power up even more. Cranked radio up loud as she would go (as far as I could without risking blowing speakers) with all other accessories on and no cut out and nothing burned up!. This is with engine off (as I have already winterized it anyway) and obviously No power from alternator showing about 12 V on dash voltmeter. Only question I have now is should I cut in an in line fuse on my new hot wire near the battery for any reason? Assume my circuit breaker will take care of that unless I have a crazy short develop somewhere. If so, what size breaker? ------------- KD |
Posted By: desertskier
Date Posted: October-31-2016 at 5:53pm
It sounds like you have essentially bypassed the 50 Amp breaker on the engine. I would put a 50Amp fuse or breaker between the battery and the buss bar, |
drekeith wrote: