95 Lowes 1930 (Sea Nymph?) no power to switches

[viscern]

I have power to ignition. Power to trolling motor. No power to switches on console. Found powder wire that comes under the console for the rocker switches. There is no power to it, check with circuit tester. Power is fine with tester to the ignition.

It appears a group of wires that includes power wire comes in from the back of the boat on the starboard side. But I can’t tell for certain, I’m guess by lying underneath console and watching the direction the wires seem to go with I pull on them. However, this doesn’t make sense to me as the battery wires from the 2 27’s for the trolling motor go up the port side. I assume this is where the rocker switches would get their power?

if the power for the switches come in on the starboard side, where to they originate? There are no extra wires attached to any of the three batteries. And yes, I’ve triple checked the tightness of the connections on all batteries. I’ve also tested the voltage on each battery.

I’m at a loss where the power wire comes from for the rocker switches. BTW, this includes the horn, lights, bilge, live well pump.
Ignition works fine.

any help would be appreciated.

 

[Mark ofs]

Could be in the switch. On mine (i.e., 1986 Sea Nympth version), the trolling motor wires run from the battery, under the deck, along the keel to the front, completely seperate from the key switch. Again, on mine, none of the toggle switches have power unless the switch is in the run position. The only thing that runs in the off position on the control is the tilt trim. I needed to replace the negative power trim wire which ran from the battery direct to the tilt trim (actually replaced both after finding the one was bad, also, while decks were out replaced the trolling motor power lines...was a good thing, they were foamed in place with the floation foam) with a new one as it had cooroded inside the jacket, Again on mine, The wires running up the starboard side from the consul go to the front running light.

 

[viscern]

Good observation. I forgot to add, none of the switches have power even with the key own. The switches appear to have their own power source and separate from the key.

 

[Mark ofs]

If the switches are supposed to get thier power from the switch, you may have corroded connections at the switch, or bad wires between the switch and the toggles, or even bad toggle switches. I guess at this point, it will be manual testing/tracing the wires from the toggles back to the battery.

 

[viscern]

Been doing more research under the console. There is no power coming into the plug that is used for the switches. Again, ignition and gauges work fine as they come from a different wire.

So my question is this: the wiring harness for the switches comes in from side of the boat with 6 or 7 wires. Multiple colors. One is a bigger wire that is red w/ blue strip. The other is solid black. I’m thinking of use a jumper wire from the battery to one of these wires. Anyone know which of the wires might be the power wire?

 

[GA_Boater]

Did the switches ever work? Don't start jumping wires or you may let the smoke out and it's hard to put back in. Look around the battery for a dangling wire and look for fuses or circuit breakers.

Some of the wires in the harness are bilge pump and nav lights, plus power and ground.

Bilge pumps, nav lights and horns are never powered from the ignition switch and are powered from the battery or a power buss connected to the battery.

 

[viscern]

. Yes they did work. I just bought the boat from some friends of ours. They had it parked in a storage unit for the last year or so. The friend even came over and tried to find the issue but could not. He owned it since 2001, so he is pretty familiar with it.

we have tried to get the switches to work with and without the key turned on.
There are no other wires at the batteries other than the motor and power to front trolling motor/trim switches.

I am wondering if the rockers get their power from when the key is in the run position and I just need to look at the ignition a little closer. Maybe it needs replaced, dirty or other. I followed wires under the dash and didn’t really see where the ignition and the rockers would be connected. But I’m man enough to admit I could have missed it.

is it possible the ignition is the issue?
I hate electrical problems!!

 

[GA_Boater]

You anchor in a cove to laze and maybe doze in the shade and the boat springs a leak. The bilge pump should kick on if you have an automatic pump but it is wired to the ignition switch and is turned off. What will happen if you don't catch the sinking feeling?

That's why some electrical is wired to an unswitched power source, the battery.

Stored for a year or more? Rodents love to chew on wiring.

 

[Ahall8799]

I have power to ignition. Power to trolling motor. No power to switches on console. Found powder wire that comes under the console for the rocker switches. There is no power to it, check with circuit tester. Power is fine with tester to the ignition.

It appears a group of wires that includes power wire comes in from the back of the boat on the starboard side. But I can’t tell for certain, I’m guess by lying underneath console and watching the direction the wires seem to go with I pull on them. However, this doesn’t make sense to me as the battery wires from the 2 27’s for the trolling motor go up the port side. I assume this is where the rocker switches would get their power?

if the power for the switches come in on the starboard side, where to they originate? There are no extra wires attached to any of the three batteries. And yes, I’ve triple checked the tightness of the connections on all batteries. I’ve also tested the voltage on each battery.

I’m at a loss where the power wire comes from for the rocker switches. BTW, this includes the horn, lights, bilge, live well pump.
Ignition works fine.

any help would be appreciated.

I have power to ignition. Power to trolling motor. No power to switches on console. Found powder wire that comes under the console for the rocker switches. There is no power to it, check with circuit tester. Power is fine with tester to the ignition.

It appears a group of wires that includes power wire comes in from the back of the boat on the starboard side. But I can’t tell for certain, I’m guess by lying underneath console and watching the direction the wires seem to go with I pull on them. However, this doesn’t make sense to me as the battery wires from the 2 27’s for the trolling motor go up the port side. I assume this is where the rocker switches would get their power?

if the power for the switches come in on the starboard side, where to they originate? There are no extra wires attached to any of the three batteries. And yes, I’ve triple checked the tightness of the connections on all batteries. I’ve also tested the voltage on each battery.

I’m at a loss where the power wire comes from for the rocker switches. BTW, this includes the horn, lights, bilge, live well pump.
Ignition works fine.

any help would be appreciated.

First off check any fuses and/or breakers if you haven't already. If it wasn't any of those check the negative bus(the negative wire from the battery switch should lead to that). Make sure its not super corroded. If it is that's probably the issue in which case it should be replaced. If its still not working after that check for continuity between the positive and negative wires to the battery switch. If that's fine the check continuity from the negative wire on the battery switch to the bus and the positive wire on the battery switch to the breaker/fuse box. If its none of that its hard for me to say with out looking at it.
Side note: The ignition is most likely on a separate circuit from the electronics that's what that works and everything else doesn't.