2002 Rinker 342 Rocker Switch

BlackWatch

There is a black rocker switch on the ignition helm panel to the very left of the keys?  Anyone know what it's for?  There is no lettering.

LaRea

From the factory, it's a blank so you can install an accessory.  

DanD2

Its probably a blower switch....That's what it is on my 2005

Liberty44140

yea on my 06 that is the blower switch

Stodge

It varies depending on the year and model of your boat.  

raybo3

On a 2002 its an extra acc switch........

Ian

On my 2003 310 it was ACC also. I took the stereo switch wire off the port key switch ACC and put it to this switch instead, no key needed for music.

reneechris14

05 its ACC. blower switch is down with the keys.

DanD2

reneechris14 said:

05 its ACC. blower switch is down with the keys.

Huh??? The OP was talking about the rocker near the keys.

reneechris14

DanD2 said:

reneechris14 said:

05 its ACC. blower switch is down with the keys.

Huh??? The OP was talking about the rocker near the keys.

My bad i was thinking right side sorry

BlackWatch

Thanks for the input everyone...I will just have to do some exploring to find what the mystery switch is attached to. 

caik01

I have a 2002 342 and ours goes to white under water lights

TonyG13

icoultha said:

On my 2003 310 it was ACC also. I took the stereo switch wire off the port key switch ACC and put it to this switch instead, no key needed for music.

@icoultha - Thinking about doing this. Is it difficult? How do I know which wire is from the stereo? Do you happen to have any pics from when you did it?

Aqua_Aura

Yes I planned on doing this as well. Very annoying having the key in as I am a little worried about bumping it and breaking it off. 

Pat310

@TonyG13 on my 03 310 it is the pink wire on port ignition switch. I had to trim the protective plastic off of the terminal and then plug it into the open spade connector on the switch. 10 minute job including changing the switch cover 

Aqua_Aura

The "switch/accessory" wire from the stereo I assume connects to the back side of the key and I think stereo switch/accessory wire is red. So take this wire and add it to one side of a switch that has 12v power to it? 

Pat310

Switch already had power to it. Just move the wire over and done!

TonyG13

Planning on going to the boat tomorrow. Thanks!

davidbrooks

on a '03  342 it is the swim platform light.

TonyG13

Found the manual for my stereo. So please let me know if I'm reading this correctly. I'm looking for a RED line on the key ACC terminal. I pull that off and put it on an open ACC switch terminal and then the radio will be on ACC switch and not the key? Do I need to do anything else?

aero3113

I might look into doing this also, with kids onboard it worries me that they can easily start an engine with the key in the ignition. Both of my girls love keys and know what they can do, LoL.

Ian

@TonyG13 yes, red of the stereo. But it may connect to another color like the pink. I have the same vessel as @Pat310 and while I can’t recall the color, looking at his photo he’s spot on - and on the need to trim the plastic cover.

Pat310

@TonyG13 if you look at my photo of the backs of the switches it is easy to identify the acc terminal by looking at the difference between the switches.  Starboard switch has an open tab and the same tab on the port side should be the stereo wire. 

TonyG13

Why is nothing ever easy on a boat?! Pulled the switch panel and I have two identical Mercury four position (Off-Acc-On-Start) key switches (#87-892336A01) -- which explains why putting either key in the ACC position will power the stereo -- with all the wires epoxied in place.

Now my problem is figuring out which wire(s) are for the ACC stereo - and possibly anything else?

A quick Google search and I can't find any wiring diagrams that look anything remotely like what I have.

The wire colors are:

Red
Black
Black/Yellow
Yellow/Red
Purple/White
Purple

Questions coming to mind -- Does the ACC typically do anything else other than the stereo? Should I worry about screwing something else up? Once I know which wire it is, can I snip just one and run it to the new ACC panel switch or do I need to do both - and can I run both to just one switch?

A few pics...

Pat310

Can’t help you on which wire is acc but to me it looks like something is already wire to the switch.  If you look my photo there are 3 wires attached and yours already has 4. Probably pre-wired for an option not installed. Sorry couldn’t be more helpful

TonyG13

@pat310 - That's my blower switch. My plan is to use an ACC switch on my main panel which is to the right of my ignition panel.

Aqua_Aura

Does each key need to be in ACC to turn the stereo on? 

TonyG13

Aqua_Aura said:

Does each key need to be in ACC to turn the stereo on? 

No. I can do either one.

TonyG13

I think what I may need to do is start from the stereo and track it back to where it connects to the helm/switch harness - which is going to be a pain in the butt.

Aqua_Aura

Ok so maybe the wire to the stereo has a split in it to go to both keys. Can you follow it back and see if it does and that may help you identify the wire. 

You could also use a test light poked into the wire insulation to see which wires get power when in ACC to help eliminate some options. 

TonyG13

After going through countless pics and sites, looks like this is my, unconfirmed / best guess, configuration:

Red - Positive
Black - Ground/Negative
Black/Yellow - Off/Kill
Yellow/Red - Start
Purple/White - Trim/Acc
Purple - On/Ignition

So based on this, it would be the Purple/White wire - but I still don't know if anything else would be affected if I snip and switch it.