Help Electrical Issues

[BillSnook]

Ok.....I put the boat in the water start it up fine--just like in my driveway before I left for the lake. As I'm pulling up to the dock to pick up the wife, the boat dies. Won't turn over or anything, but all the accessories work fine--only one battery, which I charged fully before I left the house anyway. So I rule out the battery. After a bunch of wiggling of stuff, it finally turns over, but all the dash gauges except for the hour gauge don't work. No whine from the fuel injector when you turn the switch, no vibrating from the gauges. The boat runs perfect, just no gauges. After a bit I have the same motor dying behavior, but when I try and restart it the gauges all work again--for about 10 minutes, then die. Now that I'm home, everything seems normal again.

I've checked all the grounds at the bar on drivers side, but nothing appears loose. All the connections at the ignition are tight. Anyone know where I should start with this one? A bad MDC would explain the gauges, but it wouldn't cause the engine to not start/cut out would it? Thanks guys for any of your wisdom.

[electricjohn]

Check your safety lanyard kill switch.

[BillSnook]

Check your safety lanyard kill switch.

Sorry, should have included that in the things I've tried. The kill switch seems to be working correctly.

[skier92]

Check the connections of the pins in the cannon plug (connects engine wiring to boat cable, located rear of drivers side valve cover). mark it first before you take it apart.

[BillSnook]

Check the connections of the pins in the cannon plug (connects engine wiring to boat cable, located rear of drivers side valve cover). mark it first before you take it apart.

Is it a 4 prong connector, black and grey? Or am I looking at the wrong thing? Thanks.

[electricjohn]

It's a round, cannon shaped plug, black in color. It can have as many as 12 wires to it. Follow the bundle of wires from the floor of the engine room up to the motor. It will lead you to the plug.

[LS-One]

A short more often than not will blow fuses. You are probably in search of an open.

[BillSnook]

Ah...ok. I see it. It's stuffed on there pretty tight. I'll check the connections.

Sometime in all my fooling around I noticed the 5 amp light fuse needed to be reset. This has been since I got home. Would a bad ground between the bus bar and the battery explain that with all my other problems? I've read about some people adding a dedicated 9 gauge wire from the bar to the negative term on the battery. Worth doing?

[BillSnook]

Hrm...I suck. I checked the cannon plug. Everything looked fine. Connections all clean, etc. Put it back like I found it. The boat would turn over and start fine. All the gauges worked, just like yesterday after I got home. I go to the store and come back, and now nothing. The only power I have at the dash is to the radio, running lights and blower. Doesn't even try to turn over. Can this be the MDC going bad? I'd almost take that at this point. Neutral safety switch, maybe? Would that mess with the gauges? Arghh.... It's the rare 80 degree day and my boat's in the driveway:(

Oh, I pulled the speedo tubes, no water at the MDC that I could see.

Edited July 1, 2009 by BillSnook

[BillSnook]

The red 50 amp button/breaker is extended about 1/4 out--i.e., not sitting flush. It doesn't push to reset...should it?

[skier92]

The red button on my 502 Amp breaker sticks out 3/8" in closed position. Re-reading your original post, "After a bunch of wiggling of stuff, it turns over..." I'd continue looking for loose connections, bad grounds. To really eliminate possible bad grounds, you need to take connections apart, scape away corrosion. Verify really clean battery connections. Work from the bigger wiring connectios down to the smaller ones. Yes, a bad ground can adversely affect the MDC.

[rivrat]

I had almost the same sounding problem on a 01 moomba. If you have an indmar motor, I called the factory and he talked me all the way thru possible problem. On my moomba there were 3 relays, one for the ignition, one for the fuel pumps, and i forgot the other. it could be one of your relays acting up. My whole problem was a 15 amp fuse. I was pissed after 9 hrs of frustration it ended up being a fuse, but happy thats all it was.

[BillSnook]

Checked the fuses on the relays yesterday, they all looked fine. By-passed the kill switch and the neutral safety switches with no luck. Have cleaned and checked the connections everywhere I can think of. I went ahead and ordered a new ignition switch, but the volts on mine look ok. It's the horn, ignition and computer, which are all on the same circuit, so it's got to be a bad connection.....grrrrr. Has anyone had experience with that 20 amp breaker going bad. The pop out one?

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

[BillSnook]

Must have finally tightened/cleaned the right wire, 18 hours of trouble free boating in the last two days. Thanks guys.