Took the boat out, it died!

[ZR8RIDER]

Hey guys, any input would be appreciated. My boat is a 96 Sea Ray with a 4.3 Merc. Today was my spring test. It died about 8 miles up the river. No power to the dash. Turn key and nothing. None of the dash guages come on. The horn, trim, bilge, and stereo all worked on my tow in. I did get it to start a few times, but then it would die and the guages would all go dead. What do you guys think? ZR

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Took the boat out, it died!

ign. switch,main circuit breaker,loose wires on starter,loose/corroded main harness plug at engine,bad harness plug under the dash,bad battery, bad cable end, corroded batt terminals,racoon got into the boat over the winter and ate thru the wiring harness just to name a few.

 

[ZR8RIDER]

Re: Took the boat out, it died!

Bt Doctur, <br />main circuit breaker is what I'm thinking. It says 50 on it, and wasnt popped. Going to put a test light on it tomorrow and try to trace. <br />Harness under dash looked good. Ignition switch is also new. cable ends were cleaned, battery could be bad, but plenty of juice to the accessories. no critters, thankfully. Thanks for the reply. Even under tow, I was happy to be out on the water. Saved on gas also!!

 

[ZR8RIDER]

Re: Took the boat out, it died!

Bt Doctur, <br />main circuit breaker is what I'm thinking. It says 50 on it, and wasnt popped. Going to put a test light on it tomorrow and try to trace. <br />Harness under dash looked good. Ignition switch is also new. cable ends were cleaned, battery could be bad, but plenty of juice to the accessories. no critters, thankfully. Thanks for the reply. Even under tow, I was happy to be out on the water. Saved on gas also!!

 

[Don S]

Re: Took the boat out, it died!

Looking at things like circuit breakers isn't going to tell you if it's dead inside.<br />Time for a test light or a meter. Should also be a 20amp fuse at the helm in the red/purple wire going to the ignition switch.

 

[ZR8RIDER]

Re: Took the boat out, it died!

Thanks, You guys are giving me a good starting point!! ZR

 

[ZR8RIDER]

Re: Took the boat out, it died!

Found the problem. Ignition fuse was faulty, not shorted or broken. The erratic behavior threw me. Simple test light found the problem. New fuse and back in business! ZR

 

[ZR8RIDER]

Re: Took the boat out, it died!

Found the problem. Ignition fuse was faulty, not shorted or broken. The erratic behavior threw me. Simple test light found the problem. New fuse and back in business! ZR