how to test blower?

[imraan47]

Re: how to test blower?

Andy,
Is it really critical for me to have the isolator? anyway to avoid that? Because i dont mind having the battery on at all times...i have a really good expensive battery (deep cycle) with warranty and has never died..yet.
So anyway to not have the isolator switch because as i look at this, the wiring to starter is confusing me and getting into an area i really dont want to mess with. i dont even know where the starter is and what connections are on that.

suggestion: can one use a circuit breaker between the positive bus bar and battery and omit the isolator? what kind of circuit breaker do i need?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: how to test blower?

Yes you can use a circuit breaker and no you don't have to have a battery switch.... I'm not gonna reread this thread to see if you stated what engine/drive you have but every mercruiser I have come across so far has a circuit breaker already and decently heavy positive and negative running to the console in the engine harness.... If that is the case for you you can omit the whole battery end of the above diagram.....

As far as hooking the battery switch to the starter you simply take the heavy cable that now goes to your battery and hook it to the switch instead... Then you run a new battery cable to the starter....
As for a fuse on the battery cable, if you were to run one it would need to carry VERY high current.... There is a reason we have 1000 cranking amp batteries.... 100 amps won't do it... I am certain that it is VERY possible to run one but I have never seen any fused battery to starter cable.... fuses that size are very pricey and I imagine that the holders aren't cheap either....

Andy I didn't mean to come off as coarse on the subject but rather was just funnin... I figured it was a simple mistake and again otheerwise it's a nice looking diagram..... nice of you to take the time to draw it up

 

[underwurlde]

Re: how to test blower?

Andy I didn't mean to come off as coarse on the subject but rather was just funnin... I figured it was a simple mistake and again otheerwise it's a nice looking diagram..... nice of you to take the time to draw it up

Oh no you did not come across like that at all! If there is a question to ask, ask it, if there is an error, point it out!

OK, the isolator switch is there, well, to totally isolate the battery. This is good for 3 reasons:

1) IF you did get a battery short somewhere, then you have a quick & simple method of effectively disconnecting the battery. So, in a nutshell, USE ONE!

2) When you're not on the boat it's simple, you turn the key off, the battery is isolated and it does not then have the possiblity of draining flat while you're away.

3) Security - when you're not with the boat, the turn key can be phystically removed from these switches, hence it will not be easy to start the engine.

Unless you've got some massive diesel engine in there, I doubt the cranking will be anywhere near 1000A - you'd have to have some special batteries for that. If we're talking a 100HP outboard petrol engine then I don't see the cranking current being any more than 100A. 100A at 12V is a LOT of juice! That would be enough energy to lift 2 18Stone men off the ground to a height of 5ft in under 1 minute.

The battery you have there will probably have a break-out current of the order of about 250A - this will be the absolute maximum current from a new, fully charged battery under short-circuit conditions. This is the current that I'm suggesting that you protect your cabling from because at this level of enery, any thick cables (i.e. those that go to your engine to start it) WILL get stinky hot, probably melt, probably get red hot and start fires, espcially if the short occurs inside the engine itself.

OK, so you don't HAVE to have it, and yes it will not be cheap, but I'd rather draw it in and explain it's purpose and allow you then to make an informed decision as to whether you want to use it or not.

Again this is just how I'D do it, purely as a guide and a good starting point for a nice discussion / possibilites etc.

 

[imraan47]

Re: how to test blower?

oh i do have a circuit breaker where the engine is so i assume this is linked to starter already.

question: can i just put a 30amp fuse between +battery terminal and the positive bus bar? the fuse will be as close to the battery as possible. this should mean that it will cut out first if there is a surge and not go as far as the next set of fuses for the devices.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: how to test blower?

the circuit breaker is between the starter and the heavy guage (awg 8 or 10?) wire that is already run up to your console in the engine harness... this wire is there specifically to power the accessories on your boat and the circuit breaker is there to protect that wire.... No reason at all to replace it or add any fuses in the engine compartment.... You ALSO already have a heavy negative wire running to the console.... Your better plan is to repair what you have than to replace it.... It reallly isn't as hard as it sounds

 

[bruceb58]

Re: how to test blower?

It's an 'oo gorr blimey fuse' really - the last in the chain of safety features. So, OK, make it 100A then (or what ever, after all I don't know what the engine is!) as long as it is large enough NOT to go pop when the engine is turned but smaller than the amp rating of the thick wires from battery -> Large fuse -> engine. It should be as close to the battery as possible with the bolts done up so tightly you think you're gunna break something.

You never have a fuse or breaker between the battery and the starter!

 

[Black as]

Re: how to test blower?

Blower looks like it works but the tubing (whatever that is called) are torn in some area's so should i replace it or not?

Should i be concerned about this..its all looks milky frothy yellow discharge. boat was winterized still is.

That is an accident waiting to happen

 

[imraan47]

Re: how to test blower?

That is an accident waiting to happen

haha..i know...i'm getting great help on this site. thanks to underwurlde and smokeonthewater and iboats

i haven't gotten to the boat yet to work on this but hopefully i can go down tomorrow and open the panel on the side to get to all the wiring and start to arrange it all up and label things.

oh another thing i never mention but i always open the top cover for the engine area before i start the engine and i dont close it until i am underway so that helps even if my blower isn't doing anything. this is why i haven't blown up yet like last season

 

[imraan47]

Re: how to test blower?

the circuit breaker is between the starter and the heavy guage (awg 8 or 10?) wire that is already run up to your console in the engine harness... this wire is there specifically to power the accessories on your boat and the circuit breaker is there to protect that wire.... No reason at all to replace it or add any fuses in the engine compartment.... You ALSO already have a heavy negative wire running to the console.... Your better plan is to repair what you have than to replace it.... It reallly isn't as hard as it sounds

well yea but none of the accessories were working when i got this boat...thus i had to pull new wires and i did them wrong of course but it was just temporary.
the boat doesnt even have any busbars so i'd rather have that and its so much easier once that is in because i can just pull things from there. also fuses need to be placed for the devices so they dont blow up and these weren't there or working at

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: how to test blower?

well yea but none of the accessories were working when i got this boat...thus i had to pull new wires and i did them wrong of course but it was just temporary.
the boat doesnt even have any busbars so i'd rather have that and its so much easier once that is in because i can just pull things from there. also fuses need to be placed for the devices so they dont blow up and these weren't there or working at

STILL build from what you have.... Get under the dash and track down the wiring that's already there.... That doesn't mean you can't install fuse panels and bussbars if they aren't there already.

 

[imraan47]

Re: how to test blower?

After pulling the guages out, i noticed they are bulbs inside to light them up. none of those work! how can i figure this out? how are the lights supposed to work interms of wiring guages?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: how to test blower?

They are hooked up to come on when your navigation lights come on.

 

[imraan47]

Re: how to test blower?

oh oh...not another trouble for me now.
is it just as simple as grouding the guages to the bus for them to work or its more work that that?
is there a wiring for how the guage lights work somewhere here?
i cant see it in my merc manual

 

[bruceb58]

Re: how to test blower?

Your gauges already have a ground. If not, the gauges themselves won't work. There is only one additional wire for the light.

 

[imraan47]

Re: how to test blower?

yes the guages to have ground i remember. so how do u wire them to get the lights to work is the next question.

here is a picture of the tach at the (top righ corner as u see it in the pic)
the bulb is in also as you can see but none work...the filament is fine so its hasnt blown up ...yet

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: how to test blower?

in the picture the blue is your illumination wire..... follow it untill you find an end that should be connected to the running light switch

 

[imraan47]

Re: how to test blower?

in the picture the blue is your illumination wire..... follow it untill you find an end that should be connected to the running light switch

NICE! thanks...that makes sense to me.
i can figure out how to connect that to my new switches
Thanks

 

[mrksem454]

Re: how to test blower?

Well, It is very frustrating to get in your car on a cold winter's morning, turn on the heater and hear no blower. Or turn on the air conditioner on a 90-degree day and hear no fan. There are several possible causes for a non-functioning blower motor; it takes some detective work to determine which possible cause is the culprit.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: how to test blower?

looks like someone missed the boat LOL

 

[bkwapisz]

Re: how to test blower?

looks like someone missed the boat LOL

Yeah, he's still WAY away from addressing his air conditioning problem...