BAD mistake,

[tashasdaddy]

wiring the boat today, connected to battery to check on an item, forget to disconnect, some how the 2 leads got grounded, and i smelled smoke, turned around and the complete harness was melted. oh, well i started over.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: BAD mistake,

Don't feel bad. On boats stuff happens. several years ago I unwrapped the boat for the season, drained the antifreeze, hooked up the muffs, turned on the water and ran the boat up to operating temp. I checked everything, and was ready for the season. Turned off the motor and water, started hooking the boat to the car to launch, and noticed smoke pouring out of the motor. One of the alternator diodes decided to short and the alternator caught fire. Just like that.:'(

The local automotive shop had a rebuilt marine alternator in stock.d Only a bump in the road to launching. 8) I was a bit worried that that might happen out on the water one day, but it never did!

 

[stevieray]

Re: BAD mistake,

Yeah, once you let the smoke out, electrical stuff never seems to work right for some reason. :|

 

[SuperNova]

Re: BAD mistake,

The factory put that smoke in there for a reason, you know!

 

[OhioLowell]

Re: BAD mistake,

A few summers ago a good buddy of mine and scavenged up an old john boat and a dinosaur or a trollin motor. We were headed across the lake when I looked back and told him the trollin motor was smoking bad. He tried to rip the wires off of the motor and torched his fingers. OUCH!!

It was a long row back across the lake! lol

Lowell

 

[SuperNova]

Re: BAD mistake,

I think that the smoke is coolant, because when you let it out the wires seem to overheat. I'll have to check with an electrical engineer.

 

[iwombat]

Re: BAD mistake,

The smoke is a plasma inside the wire that transports the electrons. Once the smoke comes out there's no medium to transport electrons anymore. You'll have to find a way to put some more smoke in and then seal it all back up. I think OhioLowell borrowed my left handed smoke shifter last. You'll need one of those to put smoke into the wires on the starboard side. I'd be okay with you borrowing it from him.

 

[mikesea]

Re: BAD mistake,

Smoke On The Water,and fire in the sky. Smoke is the stuff that is put in things so if there's a fire,it can tellthe smoke detector to go off.Thats if you have a new battery. Perhaps there was to much smoke ???

 

[Gabby]

Re: BAD mistake,

First car was a 68 Mustang. Remember, in 79 it was just an old Mustang, not a classic. I had a bad habit of wrapping those blown fuses in Reynolds Wrap (aluminum foil) since I couldn't afford the 5 pack of fuses from NAPA.

In about 81 or so I took the 8 track out to replace it with a high tech cassette player. ALL THE WIRES visable had LONG ago melted their insulation. THAT explained the smoke and smell for the previous 2 years.

Too bad Reynolds Wrap isn't rated for 5, 10 or 15 amps...

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: BAD mistake,

:/ I think i done worse or at least as bad, after 8 month's of a almost total rebuild in my excitement to see how she would perform i made a big one.

I forgot to check the lube in the leg took her out and it ran beautiful for 2 mile's......and then, well let's just say i no longer had and gear's left......:}

 

[bilgeboy]

Re: BAD mistake,

I like the post, wombat.

It reads like the real "old school" scientists, made me laugh. Sounds like Aristotle reasoning about the world. Made sense back in his day!

d

Mike

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: BAD mistake,

tail gunner, that was really, really bad.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: BAD mistake,

tail gunner, that was really, really bad.

Umm yep, every time i see a leg now i get a tick in the neck. It has left me with a compulsion to check every leg i see.....:/

Anyway there was a silver lining to that ordeal, while @ the marina crying on a old freind's shoulder trying to get a break on labor, he told me of some of his problem's.

He had found a boat in his inventory that had been lost for 4 years and had no ideal on how to deal with it.....:$ Today it is my therapy for that incident,

but Gunner is no longer allowd to go to the marina without the mrs..........