Newbie Electrical Question

[MontanaAardvark]

Playing around on my Starcraft, I found a red wire just lying in the bilge area. Stripped on the end - it didn't look like it pulled out of anything and didn't look like it was ever used. This is a 2005 16 DLX SC that I got last December and is still pretty new to me. I'm still learning her, inside out.

Everything on the boat seems to run, and I thought it might just be a spare wire going up to the console, in case you want to add something. It's not like a car: I don't see a single fuse panel up under the dash, just waiting to have things hooked up to it. To be honest, it's pretty messy up under the dash and following any wires is about impossible. I got really confused when I saw that the battery negative was connected to the hull - but did some reading here and realized it's probably just through the outboard engine block (Mercury 60 EFI).

Is there a way to get a "normal wiring diagram" for a Starcraft? There are things about the boat that puzzle me, and I'd like to try and understand how everything is hooked up without disconnecting every wire to trace it out. I'm not completely sure that the previous owner didn't use the hull for negative ground instead of running dual wires to the back.

My tachometer seems to be indicating 1500 RPM with the engine off, and I don't know if it's the tach or what. The weird thing is that I'd almost swear that new "pin holes" (really about the size of a #6 or #8 screw) are opening up at random around the waterline. At least, I keep finding them in places I'm not sure were there before.


Thanks,
Bob

 

[astor]

Re: Newbie Electrical Question

Bob,
I just pulled my 87 SS180 console out and I found a couple of wires not connected to anything like you described. But your tack reading 1500 doesn't sound normal, but I may be wrong. My tach reads zero when the engine is off. I bought the boat used from the original owner and I think all the wiring is original Starcraft factory wiring or boat dealer wiring, and its not too neat.

I would put a closed end rivet in those holes with a little 3M 5200 sealer.

 

[rheagler]

Re: Newbie Electrical Question

My Teleflex tach reads about 700 when the engine is off. It said in the instructions that it was normal for it not to be at zero when off. As for your orphan wire in the bilge area, could it be a power wire for a bilge pump? As far as a wiring diagram, I could be wrong but I don't think there are specific ones for older boats. I'm sure with a google or iboats search you could find a generic one. I hope this is helpful.


found it for ya!
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=186986

 

[MontanaAardvark]

Re: Newbie Electrical Question

My Teleflex tach reads about 700 when the engine is off. It said in the instructions that it was normal for it not to be at zero when off. As for your orphan wire in the bilge area, could it be a power wire for a bilge pump? As far as a wiring diagram, I could be wrong but I don't think there are specific ones for older boats. I'm sure with a google or iboats search you could find a generic one. I hope this is helpful.


found it for ya!
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=186986

That's super! Thanks a million. The second one even resembles my boat.

The bilge pump is wired, as is the bait well pump. The bilge pump looks like it's just two wires wrapped around each other - no wire nut, no solder. Seriously! It's also growing some corrosion so it really needs to be re-done.

I think that red wire is just an orphan, intended for "growth"...

I don't know how to pull the dash, so my option is to lie on the deck looking up at stuff. With luck, my glasses will let me see it.


Bob

 

[trafferty]

Re: Newbie Electrical Question

At the very least, I'd put a volt meter on it to see if it's a live wire. If so, cap it off,, don't need any sparks flying around back there.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Newbie Electrical Question

Sounds like your getting it figured out. Just to reinforce the above, the tach needle can be anywhere when key off off and that's normal, but it must return to 0 when you turn on the key if its working properly.

 

[Rainbow hunter]

Re: Newbie Electrical Question

Playing around on my Starcraft, I found a red wire just lying in the bilge area. Stripped on the end - it didn't look like it pulled out of anything and didn't look like it was ever used.

Wire color means something and in most cases red wires are usually hot. Check it with a volt meter between the wire end and battery negative (ground) with key off then with key on. Any voltage there, get a wire nut on that thing before it causes trouble. If you don't have a meter, put a wire nut on it anyway.

 

[CoffeeHound]

Re: Newbie Electrical Question

Bob ,, I am repling to paragraph 4 of your post :
[ The weird thing is that I'd almost swear that new "pin holes" (really about the size of a #6 or #8 screw) are opening up at random around the waterline. At least, I keep finding them in places I'm not sure were there before. ]

A Lonestar tinny i owned in 83 was hit by lightning while tied out at the lake, and I had to use 108 pop-rivits to repair . The holes like you mention were almost all 1/8th inch in size, perfectly round and random spaced along the water line.

 

[Captmills]

Re: Newbie Electrical Question

wondered about tin boats and lightning, now I know.

 

[MontanaAardvark]

Re: Newbie Electrical Question

Sounds like your getting it figured out. Just to reinforce the above, the tach needle can be anywhere when key off off and that's normal, but it must return to 0 when you turn on the key if its working properly.

I cut the stripped end off the wire and let it sit back there. Wanted to take the boat out this morning to test some of our fish-ability mods, and didn't want a wire hanging around there.

The red with black stripe wires appear to be used to run 12V to the console on the Starcraft (at least, mine). I'll do a bit more poking around with my voltmeter to try to understand the way it's wired.


Bob

 

[barato2]

Re: Newbie Electrical Question

Bob--

i'm guessing here but almost sure i'm right. for modern cars, the mfgrs have often found it cheaper to build one wiring harness that would cover every possible option and install it in every car rather than make up a custom harness for each car based on what options it comes with. i've successfully used this bit of info to add some options to my cars. i'll bet you're seeing the same thing in your boat....it's cheaper for them to buy a little extra wire than to wire each hull custom.

 

[MontanaAardvark]

Re: Newbie Electrical Question

Bob--

i'm guessing here but almost sure i'm right. for modern cars, the mfgrs have often found it cheaper to build one wiring harness that would cover every possible option and install it in every car rather than make up a custom harness for each car based on what options it comes with. i've successfully used this bit of info to add some options to my cars. i'll bet you're seeing the same thing in your boat....it's cheaper for them to buy a little extra wire than to wire each hull custom.

That sounds very likely, and I sure hadn't thought of it!