Category Archives: Ground issues

Crazy!

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Hello Kevin,

I have a 2000 Bennington 2050 LX with a Mercury 50hp 4-stroke Bigfoot engine.

Yesterday the marine electrical system went kind of crazy. The motor kept running but the gauges all started to bouncing the indicator needles around then the control panel went dead.

The battery is fine (tested) and there is power to all the accessories but the ignition switch seems dead….the motor will not turn over and the tilt will not work either. I checked the two main fuses at the battery and they seemed fine.Bennington Pontoon Boats

What would make those gauges go crazy then everything goes dead? Luckily I did not turn the engine off and we made it back to shore.

Thank you,

Rob

Hi Rob,

You have a blown fuse on the engine. It will be near the starter solenoid. Remove the engine hood and follow your positive battery cable to the connection point. The in-line fuse will be within 6″ of this connection point.

Something non-repeatable such as a voltage spike may have caused the fuse to blow. Make sure your battery connections are good and that you do not rotate a battery switch to off while the engine is running. If the fuse blows again, trace the power lead from the fuse up to the helm and out to components.

You should be able to find the problem in your boat wiring by the process of elimination.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Kevin,

I just wanted to let you know you were correct. It was the fuse after all.

When I first looked it seemed good, but I finally replaced it just on a chance and it worked just fine. The bad fuse had a hairline fracture in it and when I held it up to the sun – sure enough I could see it.

Thank you very much for your good boat wiring advice!!!

Rob

Pump switch replacement

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Hello Kevin,

I appreciate any boat wiring help you can give me!

I have an older I/O pontoon (1977) with a lighted switch that turns on and off the livewell pump. The switch broke, and I need to replace it.

Pulling the switch out of the panel, I was surprised to find that all three wires connected to the switch are black, and the boat wiring to which they connect doesn’t help me to figure which wire is which and where to connect them to the new switch. I’m not an electrician, but I know enough that just connecting wires to the new switch by guessing could cause a good bit of additional trouble.

Here is a picture of the current broken switch. The switch is a Carling. I noticed the 1, 2, and 3 at the bottom of the switch where the wires are inserted. How do I know which is Earth, which is Load, and which is Supply?

Thanks!

Dane

Hi Dave,

The easiest way to sort out your boat wiring is which is with a voltmeter / ohm meter.

On a DC volt setting, connect your negative meter lead to a known ground. Probe each of the three wires to determine which is constant power (probably the center one).

On an OHM setting, keep you negative meter lead on ground an probe the other two wires. One will have nearly a 0 ohm reading (the switch light ground) and one will not (the blower). My guess is that the blower wire will be on the opposite the side that the toggle is switched to turn the blower on. If the switch clicks to the right to turn the blower on, the blower tab is probably the left.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Hot Toon!

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Kevin,

I have a pontoon boat that I use for fishing. The boat wiring includes a trolling motor, electric start motor, fish finder – all powered by one battery.

My throttle cables and bounding strips burned up. I replaced all the cables, strips, everything – and within a half an hour, they got hot and burned up again!

Can you tell me what or where to look? The boat wiring is pretty simple and connections all look fine – seems to be hunting ground through the wrong conductors. Ouch

Thanks for any suggestions,

Tony

Hi Tony,

I would start by tracing power feeds that don’t have circuit protection.

In marine electrical, the usual suspects are positive battery cables with shorts to ground and negative battery connections that are accidentally connected to the positive battery terminal.

Look to see if the shift cable has chafed a hole in the is positive battery cable.

Let me know what you find,

Kevin

Kevin,

We think it was the battery, which we replaced and everything is working fine.

Think it may have shorted out or wouldn’t except a charge I don’t know but seems to have solved the problem.

Thanks for getting back to us.

Tony

Twin 24v Bank Bus

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Hello Kevin,

I hope you can help verify something for me.

I am trying to help a friend with his pontoon boat wiring.

He has:

  • 2 x 24v battery banks of 2 x 12v batteries each bank wired in series
  • 1 manual battery switch; 1, 2 both, or off positions
  • Battery switch is wired correctly with positive leads from each bank

Can you please confirm that if I had a common ground block, all I need to do is wire the negative from each 24v battery bank to the block and then connect the trolling motor negative to the block?

Thank you.Ground bus

Gene

Hi Gene,

You are correct.

The battery selector switch only connects to the positive leads.

The negatives for both battery banks will connect together at a common ground block. Keep in mind that not all four battery negatives connect to the ground block, only the two that are the actual 0v position for your 24v volt systems.

Kevin

Kevin,

Thanks man. I appreciate your help. I understand the series ground connection from each bank.

Take care,

Gene

Three on a switch

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Kevin

On my fishing pontoon boat there is a single outboard and  three batteries.

Here’s my boat wiring question:EzAcDc offers complete battery switch systems for your boat wiring project

What is the easiest way to charge all three boat batteries from the outboard’s alternator? Also how do I switch the batteries, most battery switches are only for two?

Mike

Hi Mike,

If two of your batteries are connected in series to create a 24 volt system, there is no great way to charge them from your engine alternator.

Depending on what you want in the end, some boat wiring setups use a two battery switch combined with a single ON/OFF battery switch and other applications simply parallel batteries 2 and 3 together and use a regular 2 battery switch. Battery 2 is basically the combination of your battery #2 and battery #3.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Toon Tunes

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Hello,

I have a 2004 Manitou Legacy.

I recently attached my Kenwood (KME-440U) receiver faceplate to my stereo for the season and I was not getting power to the deck.

  • I have power from battery wire (yellow) as well as a working ground (Black).
  • I hooked the Kenwood unit directly to a battery and it works, so I know the deck itself is OK.
  • The unit/stereo system worked just fine the last day I used it last year.
  • The fuse in the back of the Kenwood unit was OK as well.
  • I checked all of the boat wiring from the stereo unit, Ignition (RED), Battery (Yellow), Ground (Black), ALL are OK.

CD
The “Stereo” switch located with the rest of the Accessory (ACC) switches is not fully lit when turned on. The red light is very dim. When the switch is turned to “ON” the Kenwood unit does not turn on..

  • Is there an additional fuse that corresponds the ACC switches themselves?
  • Are the wires coming directly from the back of the “Stereo” switch loose, faulty?
  • Can I follow the Ignition (RED) wire coming from the Kenwood unit directly to the back of the “Stereo” switch?

Thanks so much for all your help,

Chris

Hi Chris,

There will be a separate fuse/breaker that is connected to the Stereo switch. It is either blown or the wire has come loose. As soon as this is replaced, the red light will illuminate correctly and the stereo will have the power it needs to turn on.

Good luck,

Kevin

Ear Shift

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Kevin,

I have an 2008 pontoon boat and I have recently replaced the radio and speakers.

With the engine off or running it works great. But, as soon as I put the motor in gear it the radio cuts out and you can just barely hear music mixed with a lot of popping noises. When I shift back to neutral the radio works fine.

Any suggestions as to how I should troubleshoot the boat wiring?Alpine Radio

Justin

Hi Justin,

What happens when you shift the engine while it is not running? If the radio still cuts out, I would look at the boat wiring for the speaker that is routed near the shifter.

If not:

Check the power supply to the radio. Connect a DC meter to the radio power supply, shift the engine into gear, and watch the voltage. If it drops, check your connections.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Mystery Fuse?

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Hello Kevin

I can’t seem to solve an electrical issue with my 2003 Smokercraft Pontoon boat wiring. The motor is a 2004 90hp Mercury 2-stroke.

I recently installed a new radio/CD player under the dash which I wired to power on with the ignition in the accessory position. That worked fine. fuse

After cycling the ignition switch between ‘off’ and ‘accessory’ several times the gauge panel and ignition switch lost power. I checked various connections with a voltmeter. There is no electricity making it to the switch.

Am I not seeing a fuse somewhere?

The battery and terminal connections seem okay and I have power to the panel that controls the livewell pump, horn, etc.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

Hi Mike,

There is a fuse under the engine hood that supplies power to your ignition switch. It should be near the battery cable connection on the starter solenoid.

Thanks for writing,

Kevin

DC Outlet Testing

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Hi Kevin:

I’m stuck troubleshooting the DC outlets on a recently acquired pontoon boat, and I’m hoping you can help. Here’s what’s going on:

  1. With one exception, none of the appliances I’ve tried (GPS, USB/DC adapter, AC converter from Radio Shack, etc.) work; that is, they behave as if they are not plugged in. The one exception is the USB adapter; it works very intermittently, I’d say once in 50 attempts.
  2. Two DC outlets are wired into the same switch on the panel. Neither one functions.
  3. Using a voltmeter, I tested the voltage of both outlets, and they both match the voltage on the battery meter, so the circuit seems okay.
  4. I tried installing new outlets; no effect.
  5. I’ve tested two of the appliances in my car to test the appliances themselves are working, and they are.

With very little boat wiring experience, I’m now stuck as to what could be the problem, or what else I might test. Any thoughts?

Many thanks,

Tim

Hi Tim,

The best way to find your boat wiring problem is to have your voltmeter connected to the receptacle and then plug in a device.

If the voltage starts normal and then drops when you plug in your device, there is a bad connection/corroded wire in the system. Search connections until you eliminate the drop. The voltage drop across the bad connection (high resistance point) increases with current. Since the meter draws very little, the drop is not noticed on the meter. AS soon as you increase the draw, the drop increases, and your device will not turn on.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Adding AC to Houseboat

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Hi Kevin,

I have an old houseboat that was made by the Crest Pontoon people. I’m considering adding a Shore Power System from Boat Wiring Store.

It appears to be a relatively easy DIY project, but could you please recommend a battery charger to go along with the AC power system.The complete shore power system is a relatively easy boat wiring project

Also, would these changes to my marine electrical system necessitate adding galvanic isolation as well?

Thanks.

George

Hi George,

The Easy Install AC kits on our partner site are perfect for DIY. They are easy to install and will save you a bundle on appliances, since you will no longer need to buy expensive 12 volt lights, mixers, etc.

The Shore Power Systems come complete with the AC panel and shore power inlet and depending on the model; one or two extra outlets. On the back side of every AC panel enclosure are two more outlets to allow you to connect a battery charger, refrigerator, or other built in items that you do not want to have plugged into your other outlets.

Boat Wiring Store doesn’t sell battery chargers, but the system is all ready to have one connected to it. If you buy a charger like this one from Marinco, your connection will be as simple as plug the AC plug on the charger into the back of the AC panel before you mount it into your cabinet and connect the DC leads to your batteries.

If your marina is known for galvanic corrosion, I would recommend a galvanic isolator. The latest product on the market is know as the “fail safe” version. Marinco and several other companies are marketing them. They are simple and safe. To install, simply cut the green AC grounding wire between the shore power inlet and the AC panel, install 1/4″ ring terminals on both wires, and connect them to the studs on the galvanic isolator.

I hope that this is helpful. Please let me know if you have any other questions,

Kevin

Locating light switches

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Hello Kevin,

I need advice on multiple switching locations for 12 volt lighting applications. Specifically, I want to be able to control the on/off function of bow mounted lights that are used for both docking and landing/netting of fish, that is to be able to control from console and/or from bow deck on a 28 foot Manitou pontoon boat with 6′ of bow deck that is used as primary fishing location. Attwood is the world's top manufacturer of LED docking lights

The boat’s docking lights are currently switched from console only. How can I change the boat wiring to add the ability to activate these bow mounted lights when landing fish at night, without running back to console. Solo fishing makes this difficult on a 28 foot boat.

I thought that maybe switched on ground would work, similar to multiple door switches for interior lighting on vehicles, but wasn’t sure if this was a good option.

Got any advice or a diagram for using multiple switches on a lighting circuit. Need the equivalency of a 3-way household, but with 12 volt DC switches.

Thanks,

Bill

Hi Bill,

Three-way circuits in DC work the same way as in AC. Usually, the most difficult part of the boat wiring project is finding a switch that is configured as a three-way (on/on with no center off) that matches your existing switch.

If you cannot find DC switches that match your current switches, AC ones from Home Depot will work fine. Please keep in mind that they really don’t like to be exposed to the elements and are not ignition protected if they are mounted in an engine room or near gasoline storage.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Don’t touch me there

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Kevin,

My electric pontoon boat wiring has a current problem.

My set up is as follows :

Torqeedo, the leader in clean outboards
When I stand on the transom to lift the motor out of the water using the motor handle, I get a shock.

When I test the rail and the positive terminal on one of the batteries, I read 52 Volts of DC.

I know very little about electricity, but enough to know that I shouldn’t be getting zapped from the aluminum rails.

I suspect a grounding problem, but all the battery wires check good.

Any suggestions?

John

Hi John,

If you are reading 52 volt DC on the rail, the positive lead of your 48 volt system is making a connection to the frame or rail of you boat.

Trace the positive cable from the battery to the motor. Trace the positive battery charger lead connected to the same positive lead.

If you cannot find the problem, it may be a wiring problem with your Torqeedo.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Adding An Extra Battery

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Kevin,

Can you help me with the boat wiring plan needed to add an additional battery and charging system to my older 28′ Manitou Pontoon Boat?

I am planning on

  • Connecting the ships (+) to the boat battery selector switch
  • Connecting the ships (-) to the number one battery
  • Connect the ships (-) to battery two and then
  • Jumping the #1 and #2 battery (-) together using 2 AWG battery cable
  • Connect the battery selector switch (+’s) to #1 and #2 batteries using 2 AWG.

There are two field spots on the selector switch but I’m not for sure if my alternator needs this or needs this or not?

Then finally directly connecting the Guest battery charger’s cables to #1 and #2 batteries (+) and (-) post.

Is this logical? Should I use a ground bus? If so how? My plan is to have one battery for starting and the other for the house items and as a backup for starting.

Thanks Manitou Pontoons feature underdeck lighting as seen on our partner site EzAcDc

Bryan

Hi Bryan,

The field wires are for externally regulated alternator. Here is a link to the wiring instructions if you have an externally regulated alternator. These are not very common.

Your battery and charger boat wiring is correct. I prefer using a ground bus to eliminate the need for extra wires connected to the battery. Smaller gauge ring terminals connected with larger ones usually lead to loose connections. At bare minimum, get rid of the wing nuts on the battery connection and replace them with some form of lock nut.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Dead Battery Cause?

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Hello Kevin

I spoke with y’all several times last spring and bought a bunch of stuff from your partners at EzAcDc for my 28′ double decker party barge restoration project.

I got their boat wiring harness, marine electrical switch panel, battery cables, and smart battery switch system. I installed all new LED navigation lighting on the boat with new wiring for everything, and I have a 4-speaker stereo system.28 Double Decker

The only thing that really draws any power is the stereo….well, that and the tiny water pump that we turn on for a few minutes every now and then to pump water up to the swimming pool slide. The pump uses 7.5 amps at startup and 5 amps continuously, but like I said, we don’t use it but a few minutes at a time. I installed all of this and put in two brand new “dual purpose” batteries that I purchased at Academy Sports. My thought was that the dual purpose batteries would give me more power for running accessories and still be more than enough to start the 1996 120hp Johnson 2-stroke outboard.

However, things didn’t work out quite like I expected. Before the summer was over, I was already having trouble keeping the batteries charged. I guess the Johnson motor’s alternator isn’t strong enough, or the motor being slow to crank and warm up takes too much out of the batteries. Anyway, I’ve gotten myself stranded with a dead battery twice already.

Question #1:

Given this setup, do you think that I would have better luck using two “starting” batteries rather than the “dual purpose” batteries?

Question #2:

Is it a bad idea to have different types of batteries running together on that smart switch system, i.e. one starting battery and one dual-purpose or deep cycle?

Thanks for your help. I’m sending a picture of the boat so you’ll know better what we’re talking about.

Paul

Hi Paul,

If everything is working correctly, the water pump, stereo, and DC accessories should not be able to draw your engine battery down below 12.7 volts and cause you to not start.

A have a few questions:

  • When you run your boat, what position do you put the battery switch in? It should be in the ON. If you run in the COMBINE position, your house systems will be able to draw down you engine battery.
  • Are any components connected to the engine battery? Either on the battery itself or on the back of the battery switch?

If you run the switch in the ON position and no components are connected to the engine battery besides your engine, it is possible that even though the engine is charging while running, it may be discharging when the engine is turned off and causing your engine battery to become flat.

The one battery should have plenty of reserve capacity to start your engine. To a certain extent, the engine alternator doesn’t really care what type of battery (starting / deep cycle) it is connected to. Problems arise when you mix and match battery types like AGM and lead acid. They both have unique charging characteristics are really don’t like to be forced to charge together.

Kevin

One switch to light them all

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Hi KevinAttwood is the marine industry's top manufacturer of navigation lights

I am redoing my pontoon boat wiring and would like to have one toggle switch turn on only the bow lights or turn on the bow and all-round bimini lights.

How do I wire this? I’ve seen it done on other boat, but am not sure how.

Thanks.

Mel

Hi Mel,

This is fairly simple to connect. It all depends on what type of toggle switch you have.

Check out these instructions for the panel rewire kit offered by our partners at EzAcDc. The section on Navigation/Anchor light switch wiring on the second page will explain it all.

Hope this helps,

Kevin