200hp Venom electrical trouble..

jstutz101

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
36
So, I went to start the boat in the driveway. It hasnt been run in a month or so. I left a switch on a month ago which of coarse killed the battery. :facepalm:

So, I grabbed a trolling battery and jump started it. It started and all was well. I disconnected the jumper cables and for kicks grabbed a voltmeter and check to see if the engine was charging the battery, it wasnt. So, I turned the engine off and noticed the tilt/trim wouldnt work. Pulled the hood and found a 20 amp fuse tucked under a red cover that was blown. Replaced the fuse and got tilt/trim back. For kicks I turned the key to on and noticed no alarms or lights. Check the fuse - Its blown again... :faint2:

Replaced the fuse again tilt/trim yes, turn key to "on" - no alarms,blown fuse, and no tilt/trim. (Yea, it takes me awhile to catch on) Any idea where to start? Odd that everything started out fine and now I'm blowing fuses.

Any help is appreciated!

Jeff
 
Joined
Feb 17, 2012
Messages
2,906
Re: 200hp Venom electrical trouble..

don't turn the key on when connected to a flat battery. Replace the battery then see what happens
 
Joined
Feb 17, 2012
Messages
2,906
Re: 200hp Venom electrical trouble..

V=I*R. R (resistance) is constant so when V (volts) drops I (amps) increases. 3amps at 12v = 6amps at 6v = 12 amps at 3 volts.

So you really need 12v or the trim system will pull a massive amount of current at low voltage

Im not saying this is your only problem but you can not test until you replace/full charge the battery
 

daselbee

Commander
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Messages
2,765
Re: 200hp Venom electrical trouble..

V=I*R. R (resistance) is constant so when V (volts) drops I (amps) increases. 3amps at 12v = 6amps at 6v = 12 amps at 3 volts.
Glenn buddy...I am sorry, but that is just not right. If voltage drops, current drops too. Nothing says that your V=I*R equation must remain constant. Absolutely true....V=I*R, so therefore solving for I gives I=V/R. So, now take the values of say 10 ohms and 12 volts, plug it in solving for I and you get 1.2 amps. Now, just change V to 6 volts, and you get what? 0.6 amps for I. His problem is NOT as you have assumed regarding some sort of Ohms law that describes a constant. Ohms law does not. Secondly, the current drawn by the T&T motor is not fused. The switching that controls the relays is, but the actual motor current is not. The fact he has no T&T when fuse is blown is because the relays will not pick. To debug this, I would wire in a 12v automotive bulb in place of the fuse. Then when key ON, if there is a short, the bulb will glow bright. Trace the red/purple wires thru harness, and the purple wire at the key switch looking for shorts to ground, chafing, etc. Maybe right at the key switch itself.
 

jstutz101

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
36
Re: 200hp Venom electrical trouble..

Is there a way to bench test my voltage regulator/rectifier? I've got a mulitmeter. I've tried figuring out the shop manual but the electrical section is confusing.
 

jstutz101

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
36
Re: 200hp Venom electrical trouble..

FIXED!!!! A few hours and 8 or so fuses later I isolated my short to a bad Tach. Whats a good brand of tach to get??
 
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