Need Help Wiring!!!! PLEASE!

[bmozz]

Was just out for 3'rd time of the season and 6 time since owning 175 osprey.
A little history, I rewired seperate from the wiring harness the: stereo, vhf, 1 bilge pump with float aka the necessities. So i was out and turned on the courtesy lights and tried the horn they worked perfect. About an hour later i went and tried the livewell pump which didn't work, so i tried the horn and second bilge pump all on the factory console and all failed to work and all of which are wired through the factory wiring harness.
I checked all fuses nothing blown. I know the navigation/anchor light switch is not working and i need to replace it. What would cause this to occur? I've never taken the console apart but i'm very capable with wiring i'm facitlies engineer aka sort of mechanical engineer. Are there any resistor's that could fail?

Please Help!. I don't feel like rewiring the entire boat tomorrow. Thanks in advance

[Mark Sr]

I'm no expert but I would heck all my connections to make sure I have power.If that's not it I would check to see If I have a good ground.I'm sure SeaBob will help you out.Good Luck!

[bmozz]

i'm going to check all my connections, I love how the boat rides and the lay out but.....   the bad thing about aquasport is that a lot of the wiring from the factory is cheap and has jack connections which can get dirty. i was actually hoping for seabob to chip in. i know there are a lot of aquasport experts on here that could help. thanks

[gran398]

bmozz, welcome

No biggee. No worries. Bob will be along shortly.

In the interim....check fuses/breakers on the panel, they are linked/piggybacked.

The wiring from the factory isn't "cheap". It is factory wiring. Better than decent. Rest assured, unless the boat was sunk...the factory wiring will carry current of some sort, if allowed to carry current. A short/blown fuse stops current, failing to complete the circuit.

Don't be hasty in judgment. Your boat's electrical problems stem from ownership/lack of upkeep. Don't ask for a diagnosis....then give one.

[Capt. Bob]

OK,
SB will walk you through this but after reading your post, you make no mention that anything that doesn't work now, worked before.

Just sayin.

I'm guessin' your craft is newer than mine and all my factory wiring works fine. Again,

Just sayin'

I've worked with a lot of engineers in my lifetime but....

Just sayin'.

Let's get to the heart of the matter.
Did the things you state that don't work now, ever work?
If the nav. switch is bad, is it possible the live well and bilge are bad too?

Two words.

Connections
Ground

Check all.

Good luck.

[seabob4]

Well...good evening.  It's been a long day...wiring a boat.  But in a console a little larger than yours...

So, what we have is a failure of the entire helm panel.  The panel is fed from a 40A breaker or fuse to the first fuse holder/breaker in line, then daisy chains down the line to each breaker/fuse holder.  Since the whole panel basically went dead, that says either the main feed was interruped, or something has come loose under there whereas it interrupts power to each breaker/fuse holder/switch.  I don't know if you have breakers or fuses, that's why I keep typing the way I do!

It's basic trouble shooting, and there are no resistors.  Determine the source of power to the helm switch panel (should be at least a 10GA red), then follow that wire, using your multimeter, and see where you lose voltage.  BUT REMEMBER, THIS COULD BE A GROUND ISSUE AS WELL! Make certain the main ground feed to the ground bus is "good", in other words, ring it out to a known good ground to see if you have continuity...

[gran398]

Good news. Both offered great advice.

Go forward with confidence, and,  best wishes.

[bmozz]

Seabob, Thank you for you help. I do remember seeing the 10 gauge wire while rewiring the other stuff. I guess it's going to be a "fun day" checking connections. Also in my boat there is blade fuses.

And to everyone else I didn't mean it was cheap but that it just wasn't up to what I think is quality work. For example I wouldn't put the grounding bar under the console and then put the fuse block under the starboard stern compartment. Also everything on the panel was working perfectly like I mentioned before I used the horn and courtesy lights earlier.

Thanks everyone for the help/comments.

[seabob4]

For example I wouldn't put the grounding bar under the console and then put the fuse block under the starboard stern compartment. Also everything on the panel was working perfectly like I mentioned before I used the horn and courtesy lights earlier.

Thanks everyone for the help/comments.

If your battery is located in the aft compartment, the reason the fuse block is located there is per ABYC requirements, "Circuit protection must be with 7" of the source of power (either the battery or a battery switch), unless encased in conduit or sheathing, in that case must be located with 40" of the source of power..."

[daydreamer]

1. Check your ground. Run an ohmage check on your ground buss. Ive done a lot of boat re-wires, and 9 time out of 10 the ground system is the problem.  Make sure the ground feed is a large enough gauge to support everything running. Too often the ground buss is nothing more than a splice from the gauges.... Also check to make sure its not corroded.
2. Often push breakers etc, go bad. This will create an open circuit. When breakers go bad they do not necessarily pop.
 Good luck.