2009 280ec 85 hours HELP ME (:

Sej1969

we bought it last year, it was always on shore power and the marine mechanic put in a FW cooling system, the engine hatch opened with extra charger and shore power, so we went to launch runs perfect, gauges work, we had well known mechanic with us, no one knows RINKER! just for a sea trial, we couldn't use any accessory or open engine hatch , even with shore power, surely a battery is dead? no lights in cabin no blower etc, so assuming One battery is good, alternator good ,starts beautiful, no power to dash buttons and or engine hatch to even check batteries, the engine and gauges and smart gauge works, we  used the hatch override panel with a portable charger...nada. HOW DO WE GET IN THE ENGINE!! Im so frustrated.  a few weeks ago plugged in at the place that put in FW system they had to use extra hatch charger but hatch opened. NOW nothing. HOW do we get in there? is this a fuse ? dead battery? switch? we are missing , tried everything we could think of. if we cant get in to hatch cannot fix! 

Aqua_Aura

I'm assuming a dead battery and also maybe a bad charger? You don't need to "know rinker" to understand the boat. Any good mechanic should understand the systems as they aren't necessarily brand specific. 


As far as the hatch if you open the back swim deck compartment and unscrew the vent in the floor on the starboard side you then reach your hand in and you can pull the pin from the hatch lift allowing you to manually pick up the lid. This is a two person job and have something ready to hold the hatch open. 

Sej1969

we tried that couldnt find a vent. look again tomorrow. 

Sej1969

could a 2009 have no vent? 

Sej1969

we unscrewed table mount also, it was fire proof no way could reach a pin. looked felt all over inside the transom hatch. nothing. ugh )))::::

Aqua_Aura

It's not under the table mount unless you have extremely long arms. The vent should be in the floor of that back storage area. 

Sej1969

so it doesnt even open on shore power nor does the accessories work, SO is it a fuse? it just worked. WHAT FUSE and where? Thank you so much. having hard time.. getting brain wrecked and cant think. 

Liberty44140

Agree that it sounds like the battery charger is shot. If so, batteries are probably also shot from being dead for days or weeks. You said the alternator works well and it sounds like the engine will still start? so my next move would be to start the engine and rev it up past 1000 rpm, maybe even to 1500, and see if the alternator gives the system enough juice for the engine hatch motor to work.

reneechris14

If the battery is bad it will create an open circuit. So nothing will work. When you finally get the hatch open take a picture of everything so when something like this happens you can refer to a pic. Also the over ride is polarity scenitive

Cableguy Greg

The engine hatch works off the house battery. If the house battery is dead, but you are still able to start the boat, then the starting battery is good. Go to the battery switch, which is the compartment behind the walk through door, and move the switch from ‘on’ to ‘emergency’ and that will combine the house and starting batteries. You should then be able to open the engine hatch. Also in that compartment, be sure that the helm power breaker isn’t shut off and the house battery breaker isn’t shut off. If they are, that could be some of your issues. You should be able to open the hatch with a jump pack on the two posts that are in the battery switch compartment. If all else fails, remove the table mount, cut through the sound proofing/insulation material and pull the pin on the lifting rod. It will be about a foot towards the starboard side of the boat. If you have any questions and want to talk, PM me your number and I will give you a call. My 280 is in my driveway at the moment and I can walk you through some stuff. 

Aqua_Aura

@Cableguy Greg do you not have the vent in the floor of the rear storage area? That is how I accessed my pin, there was no way I could reach it from the table mount. 

Cableguy Greg

My mistake, you have to go through the vent that is in the base of the fender locker for access. Good catch @Aqua_Aura

Sej1969

Ours is Volvo could not reach through table mount either we tried, hoping there is a vent we over looked, so we will try the emergency switch. it is currently at home has been on power all nifght. I LOVE YOU GUYS!! I am beyond grateful. Ill message you up there ! you are on it! if this does work. wish you lived next door, we also may have leak into cabin from arch or something, next.....
gosh we only have 80 hours on the whole boat! praying

Cableguy Greg

I hope that after our conversation you were able to gain some insight into your boat. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. 

Handymans342

Where are you guys located?

Cableguy Greg

Handymans342 said:

Where are you guys located?

I am in Illinois and they are in Washington state 

Handymans342

Illinois?? Thought you were in Pittsburgh

Cableguy Greg

Handymans342 said:

Illinois?? Thought you were in Pittsburgh

We moved to be closer to the admirals family. 

Aqua_Aura

I drive by their marina everytime we head to our place on the peninsula. 

Handymans342

Aqua_Aura said:

I drive by their marina everytime we head to our place on the peninsula. 

Well stop by and help them

Aqua_Aura

Not headed there this week otherwise I would and it's about 2 hours away from where I am now. 

On that not though @Sej1969 if you want me to stop by sometime on my way back and forth to help answer any questions in person I would be more than happy to. 

Sej1969

I just got on,thank you all,  Aqua that is so kind..tring to put it in Friday for 5 days off. GRRRR, we have the seriously best boat mechanic and he is pretty famous around here and Havasu as far as boats go here,  tho he doesn't do for living , he is helping us as a friend, he is like NOT used to VOLVO, metrics etc, put in all new batteries, had alternator tested,perfect, BUT  still no house. even on shore power. what switch are we missing!! battery charger inside was not on, is there another one? ACCESSORY SWITCH?? battery charger seems to be working and House batteries are the best ones newer and shows 6 V charge when off shore power, everything only works on emergency! starts right up when switch just on ON. is this some simple switch? YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME> especially cable guy, he walked us through alot, knows his stuff. 

Aqua_Aura

Kinda hard to follow, but maybe the house battery has bad connections. You said it starts the engine in the ON position but you only get power to the rest in emergency? Emergency puts the starting battery and house battery powering everything so maybe in emergency the starting battery is what's getting the house power to come on. I see you said no house power on shore power so is the cabin electrical panel set correctly? Most of the house items are 12V so they wouldn't really be powered by shore power as the shore will just charge batteries as the house uses them. 

On shore power do your AC powered appliances work such as stove, microwave, HVAC, outlets?

You are sure all the switches are set correctly in the cabin control panel and also no popped breakers at the battery switch panel? There could possibly be a bad breaker as well in the system, not hard to test but that may be a last resort or atleast towards the end of diagnostics. 

Sej1969

Yes micro works no lights the gauges  work but no dash buttons no hatch , what should the panel inside be on off ? I’ll take a picture everything else we tried Batteries house are full charge . Had to be something inside panel, we had a Ciera for 7 years same deal but all set properly and worked . I don’t know ! Huck ! 

Sej1969

When the breaker is popped is it out or in. We checked the 4 . On this panel what should be on to use house either way shore and no shore ? 

Sej1969

We have same panel 

Aqua_Aura

If a breaker is popped it will be out and for this panel I guess there isn't much for 12V other than make sure the charger is on. If you use the port side shore power you need to select that port breaker and select it on the turn knob. 

How about at the battery selector panel by the transom door are all those breakers ok. There is two types of breakers on the battery selector panel if I recall correctly. 


This isn't your panel but it shows the other style of breakers in the popped position shown by the yellow flags or whatever you want to call them. 

https://images.app.goo.gl/DBSZu4WWLhAFRmyB8

It really seems like a bad cable from the battery if you are sure that house battery is good or maybe a bad selector switch at the panel by the transom door. 

Cableguy Greg

In talking and texting with Susan, I am coming to the conclusion that there has been some rewiring of the boat. She has 4 6v batteries, two each in series, then wired in parallel on the house side of the boat. She also has 2 6 volt batteries in series on the starting side of the boat. The OEM setup for the boat was 1 starting battery and one house battery, both being on the port side of the boat between the engine and the fresh water tank. 

She is getting 6VDC on each house battery, which in series gives her 12VDC. The power isn't making it from the batteries to the switch in the battery panel. When the switch is placed into Emergency, it is combining the two battery circuits, which is giving the house side power from the starting side. 



There seems to be a disconnect between the house batteries and Position #8 on the back of the switch. I believe some wiring tracing is in order. Here is the battery charging circuit. In one of the pictures that was sent to me it looked like the isolator was removed or moved to a different location on the boat. 

Aqua_Aura

Oh ok I saw her say 6v but I thought that was a typo. Now it's interesting 🤔


So maybe the first step would be to check behind that battery panel for a lose wire or corrosion on the battery selector knob? 

GMSLITHO

I Know only 270 behind the battery panel switch  there are 2 big 30 amp fuses ,had to take the panel out to access them 

Sej1969

FUSE I have all the fuses, actually for start I have 2 big 1000 crank 12 V , 4 6 volt. OK I will show this to the guys, and or maybe after I pop panel by door I should see fuses? trying that first. where IS the rest of the FUSES on this boat? YOUR GUYS ROCK> WHEN I FIGURE THIS OUT>>> Ill return these gifts of knowledge.