No power to switches

[scott5555]

my 2001 240 Sea Ray Sundeck has a touch pad for lights, bilge, horn, blower, etc fed from a small fuse panel behind the helm. Last week the touch pad stopped working, I checked the fuse panel and the bilge pump fuse was blown, so replaced it. Nothing on the touch pad works except the horn. I pushed the check light on the panel and all light up. The ignition fuse is fed from this panel and works fine. I ordered a new touch pad from Sea Ray and plugged it in and still nothing. Sea Ray dealer says fuse panel may be bad. However horn and igintion work. I plugged the new touch panel in several times and one time everything on the touch pad lit up, blower, wipers, lights, bilge, etc all came on. I turned off the battery switch and unplugged the touch pad, plugged it back in and nothing. Suggestions.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: No power to switches

Mating connector issues????? When you wiggle wires and things work sometimes and at other times it doesn't it points to an intermittent connection. I'm not talking about the connector on the panel, I'm talking about the other half of the connection.

 

[scott5555]

Re: No power to switches

I plan to check that tonight by putting a meter on the connector coming from the fuse panel. I should have power there correct?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: No power to switches

Thats only one of the connections in the plug. There is obviously ground and host of other signals coming and going through that connector.

 

[scott5555]

Re: No power to switches

You are correct there are several wires connectors coming from the fuse panel. One set of wires goes to the ignition, this set of 5 wires and a ground feed the receiving connector which feeds the touch panel, horn, bilge, blower, a lights, nav lights and water pump.

 

[scott5555]

Re: No power to switches

Okay, checked voltage output from the 6 pin female connector coming from the fuse panel feeding the touch panel (switches). One of them had full voltage, I assume the horn as it is working. All others only had 4 volts or less, help????? I then went to the fuse panel and pulled the fuses and checked the hot side and all pegged full voltage. I am really confused now......please help!!!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: No power to switches

I think you are looking at this from the wrong perspective. There should be but ONE single +12 volt line going INTO the panel. There shoujld be but ONE single ground connection on the panel. The other wires are +12 feeds TO whatever the various buttons control. So attach the ground lead of the meter to a ground point NOT associated with the panel. Then make sure you have +12 volts into the panel. Then one by one, probe the other terminals as you push each button. Each button you push should produce +12 volts on the line to that accessory. But remember, you cannot measure +12 volts unless that connector is making good contact. I'm guessing that the boat side connector (not the panel connector) has some terminals that are pushed back into the housing and therefore not making proper contact with the pins in the panel side connector.

I'm also guessing, but I would think the fuses for each accessory are AFTER the switch panel, not before it so those would not impact the readings you get OUT of the panel.