Marine Stereo and Depth Finder not working

[BigManDan72]

I recently bought an '85 Wellcraft and the stereo and depth finder are both not working. Neither shows any signs of life at all. Both are aftermarket installations so I have no idea how old they are. I have no idea if the two issues are related but it does seem suspicious. If it's a wiring problem I'm afraid it will be a living hell to trace it down and I might be better off starting over. But maybe it's as simple as a blown fuse. There is an inline fuse in the power line to the stereo and it looks to be just fine though I have not done a continuity check on it. What other fuses are they and where am I likely to find them? In a car it's pretty easy to find the fuses and I suspect it's equally easy in a boat if you have some idea where to look.

Any other ideas on what could be causing my troubles?

 

[roffey]

Hay Dan, first off I will be sending that manual for your motor to you on Monday. Just my 2 cents worth but I would get a volt meter or circuit tester and check for power. If no power connect directly your battery and check to see if the radio even works from here it will be a matter of finding a suitable power source.

I wonder if the installer or PO connected both using the same wire or power source and now the connection has come lose.

 

[JimS123]

Turn on the ACC switch on the dashboard. That's where my stereo and depthfinder units are wired to.

 

[bruceb58]

Trace the power wires(positive and ground) of each unit to see where they go. It isn't that hard really.

 

[BigManDan72]

Thanks for the tips guys. I will poke around in the boat when I return from my work travels. I'm on vacation next week and will have lots of time to look into the issues so appreciate the quick responses.

 

[BigManDan72]

Hay Dan, first off I will be sending that manual for your motor to you on Monday.

Thanks Roffey. That's way awesome of you!!

 

[BigManDan72]

Okay, so here's an update. I got up under the dash today and traced the wires. I found that they were connected to the "wiper" switch. What on earth is a "wiper" in the context of a boat? Anyway, once I turned the wiper switch to on and the ingition switch to energized botht he depth finder and the radio started working. BUT . . . I soon smelled the distinct odor of overheated electronics. It took me a few minutes but I traced to a wire connection in the engine compartment. There was a spliced connection using one of those connectors that clamps around an existing wire and punctures the insolution to make a connection to a new wire. That connection was smoking and looked like it was melting. Thoughts? Remedies? Would it be better to get rid of the clamp and splice with a wire not? Leave it alone and do without the radio and depth finder???

 

[bruceb58]

Yes, never use those scotchlok connectors. They have no business on a boat or a boat trailer.

Now that you found that issue, I would be looking to see how your helm fuse panel is wired up. Where does it get its power from? Was it that scotchlok connection? Or does the input to the wiper switch run all that way back to that connection? The wiper switch should get its power from the helm fuse panel.

 

[BigManDan72]

Can I safely remove the offending clamp connector and wire nut the whole thing together or are there other considerations? I will definitely look at how the helm switch is wired too. I'd really like to be able to use the depth finder.

 

[GA_Boater]

Wire nuts are no better than scotchlocks and don't belong in a boat or on a trailer either.

I would look under the dash for a power source. Do you have a fuse or circuit breaker panel near the helm?

 

[BigManDan72]

So..... the connection needs to be to a screw terminal??

 

[BigManDan72]

No Title

What about something like this? It was listed as marine capable.

 

[GA_Boater]

Isn't that your fuse/circuit breaker panel to the right of the helm? That's where the radio and depth gauge should be connected to power. The tri-spice is marginally better than the scotchlock.

 

[NYBo]

That's the correct type of connector, but these devices shouldn't be wired into the ignition circuit to begin with. As noted, they should be connected to the fuse panel, which should be connected directly to the battery.

 

[bruceb58]

The fuse panel at the helm needs to go through a circuit breaker back at the battery.

 

[NYBo]

The fuse panel at the helm needs to go through a circuit breaker back at the battery.

Yes, of course. Or a fuse will do. My inadequately explained point was that it does NOT get power from the ignition circuit.

 

[bruceb58]

I figured you knew. Just need to make sure he understands how things get powered correctly.

 

[JimS123]

There are 2 items on all of my boats that I have always wired separately - depth finders and marine radios. Run a wire of adequate capacity directly from the battery to the unit. Of course there should be an in-line fuse included.

The reasoning is to eliminate the potential for engine interference.

 

[Rranger]

While we are on the subject of radios, I have a C.B. And a VHF in a boat I just finished remodelling and haven't used yet. Do those radios have built in speakers or do I need speakers. There were two speakers for the tape deck and radio that were falling out so I took them out. Would they be for the CB or Vhf

 

[GA_Boater]

While we are on the subject of radios, I have a C.B. And a VHF in a boat I just finished remodelling and haven't used yet. Do those radios have built in speakers or do I need speakers. There were two speakers for the tape deck and radio that were falling out so I took them out. Would they be for the CB or VHF?

Thread hijack. Power for the OP's radio and your speakers are two different things. Start your own thread