circuit breaker?!

[81 beachcomber]

1979 70hp chrysler.

every now and again the circuit breaker will blow. seems to happen when the motor is hot or when there is more load on it (getting onto a plane, fighting currents etc...)

i just pop the hood and re-set it and it fires right up. will run good when not stressing the motor too much but fighting to get to a plane and it will blow out again.

any thoughts, suggestions, opinions?

thanks

 

[john from md]

Re: circuit breaker?!

Most of the older type of circuit breakers work off of heat. They also tend to get more sensitive with age and start to break before their original design load.

That said, there is also the possiblity that you have high resistance in your wiring, i.e. corrosion at terminal ends and grounds. Or, you could have a wire that is shorting due to vibration, hence the popping at higher power settings.

I would take a good look at your wiring to make sure you don't have any shorts. Then I would replace the breaker and watch it. If it still pops, then I would start replacing wires and cleaning connections.

Regards,

John

 

[81 beachcomber]

Re: circuit breaker?!

wiring looks reallly good and connections look clean. is there any way to test the breaker or should i just replace it?

thanks

 

[chitownborn]

Re: circuit breaker?!

replace it , if its original it could of gottin weak over the years, and if it continues then you got a problem,like john from md said then you got to trouble shoot to find the cause good luck Don

 

[chitownborn]

Re: circuit breaker?!

beachcomber, just a thought for test purposes just pick up a cheap in line fuse and holder for what ever amp it is i believe 20, and try that in place of the cc breaker and if that blows chances are the cc breaker is ok just a thought to try to narrow down the problem good luck Don

 

[81 beachcomber]

Re: circuit breaker?!

ok thanks for the help guys. i guess ill just replace it. probably pretty cheap, ill see if that works out.

thanks a lot

 

[81 beachcomber]

Re: circuit breaker?!

so i put in a new breaker and it happens but a lot less often. still at higher rpms and when more load is on it. It mostly happens when ploughing through another boats wake.

I can now tell when its about to happen as the tach will drop in rpms but you can hear the motor still running at the same speed. then when the tach bottoms out to 0 rpm the motor shuts off instantly.

all the connections are clean but there is a wire that is not connected to anything at the dash. it is a purple wire (labeled as generator) it is hanging loose and i dont know where it should be connected. could this be causing it?

also could a high motor temp cause this? my temp gauge does not work ( i have a temp sensor on order)

the motor is a 1979 chrysler 70hp skier

thanks in advance for the help

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: circuit breaker?!

I'm going out on a limb here. Just a thought:

Since you have an unused purple wire, that tells me the engine is distributor, Motorola Magna-Power ignition.

No matter the load or engine speed, the ignition and CD box take essentially the same power.

Check alternator output and the the rectifier. You describe the problem as happening at high loads like when trying to get onto plane or when busting through a wake. These conditions slow the engine by putting additional load on it. When the engine slows, if the alternator or rectifier are not up to snuff, the power needs to come from somewhere: the battery.

SO: if if at slower speeds the rectifier is not delivering enough alternator voltage or if the alternator itself is not delivering full amperage, then the battery is going to surge into the circuit and perhaps pop the breaker.

The purple wire is unused. It is tachometer signal on Prestolite 20 pole alternator ignition systems.

 

[81 beachcomber]

Re: circuit breaker?!

yes the motor is "Magna-Power ignition" (it has a distributer)

how do i go about testing the alternator or rectifier? this sounds like it could very well be the problem. thanks

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: circuit breaker?!

With the engine running, the red wire should have 14 volts or better. If it shows only 12 volts, then the alternator is not delivering sufficient power or the rectifier is not passing it on tho the battery. --Gotta go---Dancing with the stars is on.