1990 Four Winns Electrical Issue

[ou18]

Hi All,
This is my first post so Ill try to explain as thorough as i can. Im having an issue with the following boat

1990
Four Winns
Horizon 180
OMC 4.3L Engine with Cobra Outdrive

Recently i went to put the boat in the water and noticed that none of my gauges worked, my stereo didnt work, none of the dash switches worked, (bilge, nav lights, blower, etc). Boat starts and runs strong. But none of the other electronics seem to be working. Battery is good. I have not added anything to the boat. I checked the fuse panel under the dash, all fuses are good. I even pulled them out and wiped the off with a dry cloth to make sure there was no corrosion on them.

I guess my question is, where to look next. Im not an electrician but I am mechanically inclined. I do own the actual OMC factory manual. Should i be looking toward the engine area on this. Are there any other fuses not under the dash i should be looking for...

Any help in getting my instrument cluster and switches working again is greatly appreciated...

Thanks

 

[tysonnathan]

Re: 1990 Four Winns Electrical Issue

i think there are some main fuses in the back of the boat... not particularly sure on the omc setup... someone on here should be able to tell you the exact location... you could always trace the wiring starting at the battery, and follow it until you find the break... just test it w/ a light tester or volt meter all along until you lose power... this will identify the break.

 

[ou18]

Re: 1990 Four Winns Electrical Issue

TysonNathan,
Thanks for you quick reply. I was curious if there was a fuse in the back of the boat somewhere. I appreciate the help, Ill stop at the boat this evening and give it a quick once over to see if there is one there. It just seemed odd that the boat turns over and starts up, but no other electronics worked.

Thanks for the direction...

Regards

 

[tysonnathan]

Re: 1990 Four Winns Electrical Issue

should b a wire from the battery to the cylanoid switch, then the other side of cylanoid to the starter. somewhere in that area a wire shoud connect that goes off to the main wiring harness that powers the dash accessories. there is a fuse or circuit breaker somewhere in there, but im not sure where.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: 1990 Four Winns Electrical Issue

If it isn't a fuse I would check to make sure that you have a good ground at the dash. Many times the steering cable is used as the ground to the battery. It could be that the wire attaching to the steering cable at the back is broken or corroded.

 

[ou18]

Re: 1990 Four Winns Electrical Issue

Hi all,

First thanks for the advice from everyone that replied. Second, fixed the boat on Sunday morning, only thing is not sure which resolved the problem. Usually Im pretty good about the step by step and test after each step to see if the problem is fixed. This time due to heat and rain, I was in a hurry.

I found the two 50 AMP fuses by the engine. Unplugged those, niether were bad.
Found the main wire harness for all the instruments and what not. I gave that a good push together, i didnt feel it budge much but it could have with out me knowing.
Also found a busted wire on the Bilge pump float switch, so corrected that issue. So even with the switch off, the float switch will kick on if need be.

Only thing that isnt working is the Nav Lights. That may be a faulty switch, not sure though, being i dont boat much in the evening, that isnt crucial for me..

Thanks again for all your suggestions, I greatly appreciate it..

Regards