continuity tester

[torcano]

I am trying to replace my AFI brand windshield wiper motor. I hooked it up but it is not working. My dash switch has a light which goes on when the switch is turned on. The light came on so I have power going to the switch and I assume that means the fuse is OK. I have a continuity tester and I was going to check if current is reaching the contacts on the motor. The tester has a metal probe and an alligator clam attached to a wire coming from the base. Is this clamp used for grounding the probe? Where would I attach it up in the dash area? The boat is up on blocks.
Thanks

 

[Don S]

Re: continuity tester

The light came on so I have power going to the switch and I assume that means the fuse is OK

That only means the light in the switch is working. Check the wires where they attach to the motor. Do you have power and ground "AT the motor"?

Also, you do not use a continuity tester with power on, or you will damage the tester.

Which type AFI motor do you have? They have a lot of different ones. A picture of it would help.

 

[torcano]

Re: continuity tester

Thanks Don, especially the information about not having the power on during testing. The unit is an AFI-1000. I'm goiing to try to attach the picture. I was trying to test if there was current at the motor. I thought that what the continuity tester was for. I suppose I need one of those circuit testers with the needle on them.
I am trying to attach this from photobucket.com but I get a message invalid file. I'll continue to try, but hopefully the model number is sufficient.




It looks like it worked.

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Re: continuity tester

You want to use a voltmeter or test light, rather than a continuity tester for this job.

Go buy yourself a digital meter, even a radio shack, home depot or harbor freight unit will work. Every handy boater should have one.

Test Power at Switch:
1)Set the meter to "DC Volts"
2) Start at the electrical panel. With the wiper switch ON, place the red test lead on the output of the switch, and the black lead on the buss bar where the negative leads connect (wires should be black or yellow)
3) If you get a reading of 12ish volts, the switch is good, and supplying power.
4) If you don't get a reading, the switch is not supplying power.

Test Power at motor:
1) Leave the switch on.
2) At the wiper motor, touch the meter's red lead to the positive lead from the switch (should be red) and the meter's black lead to the black wire from the motor. Color here isn't too important, most meters will just display a negative "-" sign ahead of the voltage number if the leads are backwards.
3) If you are getting a reading of 12 volts, you have power up to the motor, and it's bad. If no voltage, check your connections/wires.

This assumes your motor is single speed - just on or off.

 

[torcano]

Re: continuity tester

Thanks Arron. I'll pick up a voltmeter. I have feeling there is no power going to the motor. This summer I repalced the dash guage surround and I disconnected a male/female type electrical connection that went to the wiper motor. I suspect I did not plug them back together properly. I'll check it with the voltmeter before I pull the dash apart again. Hopefully, it'll start warming up around here to keep my fingers from freezing.
Bob

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Re: continuity tester

Thanks Arron. I'll pick up a voltmeter. I have feeling there is no power going to the motor. This summer I repalced the dash guage surround and I disconnected a male/female type electrical connection that went to the wiper motor. I suspect I did not plug them back together properly. I'll check it with the voltmeter before I pull the dash apart again. Hopefully, it'll start warming up around here to keep my fingers from freezing.
Bob

The motor may be sensitive to polarity, even if 12v is present. The digital meter can help you figure out with wire is pos and neg if the colors aren't standard.

 

[torcano]

Re: continuity tester

The motor has 3 connectors, red, black, and blue. The wires coming from the dash are orange with a black stripe, orange with a red stripe, and yellow. I drew a diagram before I removed the old motor and it was hooked up as follows: orange/black to red, orange/red to blue, and yellow to black. If I understand correctly, I should try to identfy the hot wire by placing the black probe of the voltmeter to each wire after the switch has been turned on. Does it matter where I place the red probe? If by chance the hot wire was not hooked up to the black contact on the motor, how do I figure out where the other 2 wires should go?

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Re: continuity tester

Seems like you have a 2-speed motor, with one wire being the negative, another is positive for fast, and the third is positive for the slow speed.

So my guess is that :
MOTOR BLACK = Negative
MOTOR RED = High Speed Positive
MOTOR BLUE = Low Speed Positive

But confirm this with the manual that came with the motor...


What type of switch do you have? is it On-off or is it On-Off-On?

 

[torcano]

Re: continuity tester

I am pretty sure the switch is an off/off type. I was under the impression that the 3rd contact (blue) was for the auto park feature. There was no manual that came in the box, but I can check their webpage www.marinco.com
Thanks again.

 

[torcano]

Re: continuity tester

I just found a diagram that was in the box. It indicates Black is negative, red is S (switch?) and blue is positive. Does that make sense?

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Re: continuity tester

You might be right about the self park, and it being a 1 speed motor. In that case, try hooking the motor up as follows:

MOTOR Black = Negative
MOTOR Blue = Constant Positive
MOTOR Red = Switched Positive

To just test it temporarily, you can twist the blue and red together, and apply power. But definitely use a fuse!!!

 

[Don S]

Re: continuity tester

I just found a diagram that was in the box. It indicates Black is negative, red is S (switch?) and blue is positive. Does that make sense?

Can you post a scan of the wiring diagram? I know of one AFI motor that was self parking, that had a switched ground. Sounds real familiar to the problem you are having.

 

[torcano]

Re: continuity tester

Here is a sketch of the wiring diagram



I am not sure if you can read this. If not try this photobucket link:
http://s485.photobucket.com/albums/rr215/torcano/?action=view&current=diagram002.jpg

 

[dan t.]

Re: continuity tester

this is a auto parking motor, the blue constant power is for the park circuit. if you dont hook it up the wiper will stop in what ever position it is in when you shut it off

 

[Don S]

Re: continuity tester

Just to test the motor, hook up the black ground to the motor, then put power to both the red and blue at the same time. The motor should run.

You do have to test your wiring with a meter to verify you have 12V to the motor first, or use test leads from known good ground and power.

 

[torcano]

Re: continuity tester

I finally had a chance to test the wiper motor with a voltmeter.As I suspected, there is no power going to the motor. It used to work before I changed the dash guage surround, so that is the logical place to look. At least, I now have a voltmeter in my tool kit!