Dead electronics?!

[adidaswolf2]

I recently got my hands on a 1983 SSV-151 and it runs fantasic but I can not seem to get ANY of the elctronics to work (horn, lights and fishfinder). I am thinking there is just something simple I am missing but do not know. It does start right up so I know the battery is OK. I have tried all the dash switches (all factory)to no avail. The spedo works. I checked a fuse back mounted in the transom near the motor (it was good) as well as a fuseable link under the dash and it was good as well but still can't seem to get anything to work?<br />Any suggestions? Like I said, I am hoping there is just someting super simple I am over looking. Thanks in advance for your advice and hints!

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Dead electronics?!

Welcome to the iboats board!<br /> <br /><br />A Fuse or lack of gnd seems to be the cause most often. The prob can be anywhere.<br /><br />If you have a single bat on a off/1/both/2 switch, start there.<br /><br />If you have any signs of corrosion anywhere, you should tour your whole boat and look at every connection, everywhere. Not unusual for corrosion to take out the path to gnd. And you’ll probably find other corrosion, might as well fix it now.<br /><br />With power to the switches, probe any one, [+] at the switch and [-] anywhere else. If nothing, start working backward to the bat for both the [+] and the [-].<br /><br />For probing, I prefer a meter, but you can use a light bulb.<br /><br />A couple of people have posted here and gotten help with a blown fuse in their motor that was preventing the whole boat from seeing pwr. You may have a similar problem. Maybe you should post the make/model of your motor, just in case. Sorry, someone with more outboard exp will need to offer help in that area.

 

[adidaswolf2]

Re: Dead electronics?!

Thanks.... <br /><br />Its a 1983 GLastron SSV 151 with an Outboard 50hp Meccury Thunderbolt Ign. No tilt/trim. Very Basic stuff here.<br /><br />I did some basic exploring with the wiring and found no signs of corrosion. Everything looks rather clean. I guess I will need to break out the old testing light but it seems like there is NO power past the motor. Like I said, wondering if there is some switch near the battery I missed.

 

[Mo.CrappieFisherman]

Re: Dead electronics?!

You may have a short. I boat a 82 Champion that had the same problem, no horn nothing on dash worked nothing. I took a volt reader and tested all of my positive or hot wires and checked how many volts were running through them. It should be 12 volts. If you have a wire that is not reading 12 make a jump wire that runs directly from the battery to what ever horn etc. and if it works then you have a short in that power wire. Try it out it might help I hope.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Dead electronics?!

Shorts result in blown fuses or smoke if there is no fuse in the circuit. An "Open" circuit is more likely the problem. Check near the battery - there should be a fuse holder in a wire red wire near the POS terminal. If a circuit breaker is attached to the POS terminal it may be bad. Make sure those connections are clean and tight. With the ignition in the RUN position, 12V should be present on the fuel gauge, tach, voltmeter should show about 12v if one is installed in the dash. If not, 12V is not reaching the ignition switch. That puts you back at the engine.

 

[adidaswolf2]

Re: Dead electronics?!

Thanks for all the replies!!!!<br />I found a wire that had just come off the terminal where the fuse is. Plugged it in and everything came on except the horn. Still no horn? I am going to check to see if there is anything going on at the switch but I found an old hand held air horn behind the seat the other day which tells me that the horn is prolly dead!

 

[Mo.CrappieFisherman]

Re: Dead electronics?!

Try running one jump wire to the horn hot wire if it works you have a short some where and the horn is ok. This is how I figured out my dead electronics issue. Just take a wire and attach it to the battery and run it up to were your horn live wire runs and put the jump wire to the point were the horn wire touchs and try the horn. If it works then you know where the problem is if it does not you may have a bad horn like you say. It is really easy to do.