No 12v Power at the helm

CaptianDan

I'm in the middle of removing my dash and replacing with a replacement from a 2004 and seem to have no 12v power from the house battery after the work.  Does anyone know how 12v power is fed to the dash from the house battery?  Is it to the breaker panel and then fed to the switch/ignition panels from there?  This has been causing me a lot of grief since I started. :-(

Any advice help would be greatly appreciated guys!

MarkB

Actually the gauges and ignition should be energized from the crank (engine) battery. The gauges normally only work when the ignition is on.  There is a breaker for the crank battery at the battery switch, and there is also a breaker on the engine itself.

The rocker switches (lights, horn, windshield wiper, engine hatch, etc.) should be powered by the house circuit. There is also a breaker for that battery by the battery switch.

CaptianDan

Thanks Mark.  I have tested the 15 and 12 way  connectors on the dash harness going to the dash switch and breaker panels but I can't find any 12 volt power.  I need to know how to get the house 12 volt up to the helm but can't find any wires.  I must be missing something.

MarkB

Dan,

What is not powered, the gauges, the switches or everything?  The gauges run off the ignition switch. The switches are powered off a bus under the switch panel. If you remove the panel the switches are on, you should see a bus probably on the left side of the helm.

CaptianDan

It's the switch panel and breaker that's not working everything else looks ok.  It seems the missing piece I have here is what wire/connection powers the power bus under the dash.  Once I get power to that bus I should be good.
Thanks so far Mark, big help!

Cableguy Greg

There is a breaker in the battery switch panel labeled "helm power". Did you check that? Might be a silly question, but worth a look.

[Deleted User]

Not sure this is your problem, but I have eliminated this connector at the helm and spliced the wires directly. I recently lost all electrical power to the ignition circuit and this was the cause. The fatter red wire was down to one strand. Corrosion in a salt air/water environment is a problem for these connectors.

Andy

CaptianDan

Hi Greg, I checked the battery switch and I can't see any feeds going to the dash through the harness or outside the harness.  Mine is a 2002 so I don't have the separate helm switch just one cabin switch for both.

CaptianDan

Hi Andy, I have replaced the harness connectors and the wiring but the problem is I don't have 12 volt of any of those wires coming to the helm so I must have another cable going to the power bus from either the dist board in the cabin or direct from the battery switch panel... 

swede

Hello
ihave same problem after changing my starter
no 12v at all in my boat.
have you solve the problem?

MarkB

Dan,

We have a battery, switch, breaker, wire, bus, dash board.
For no power, obviously one or more has to the issue, and more
than likely only 1 is the issue.

Do you have 12V at your battery?
Do you have 12V after your switch?
Is breaker on? - the breakers are located in the battery switch panel. The distribution board in the cabin is for 110V only.

Do you have 12V after breaker?
Do you have continuity on wire at bus - to access bus, pull off the helm switch mount.

Is bus working - all connections intact?

Stodge

From the Rinker 342 wire diagram:

swede

Its a breaker in the  battryswitch?
do i have take batteryswitch out?
i dont no 12v at all in my boat i dont what happened after switching starter.
is it more breakers than that on the engine?
Rinker fiesta vee 270 year 2002 .

CaptianDan

Hi guys, after spending time at the boat again yesterday I found a cut between the cabin power switch and the dash helm distribution bus. After running another cable between these and cutting the old one out I now have 12v at the dash breaker.  I have actually created a conversion harness between a 2002 model and a 2004 model.  I will post the details shortly.

MarkB

Swede, from the battery, it goes to the switch. The switch should be on for that battery. There is also a breaker for the battery, it should be close to the switch. There should also be a breaker for helm power.  I have a 2011 260EC, so I'm not 100% sure if it's the same, but that's how it is on my boat.

CaptianDan

Hi Swede, have you got a separate starter battery and house? If so have you lost both house and starter?

swede

Yes Dan i have seperate house and starter battery and ihave lost all power .
It most be an breaker at battery switch ,should more today after work.

CaptianDan

So you should have two separate 12v feeds.  One from 12v starter battery to battery switch.  If this is good you should get 12v into the switch, check here first.  Also check you have good grounding.  Check out of the switch to the breaker on the battery panel.  This then feeds the starter motor live  via a 25amp fuse on the starter live terminal, this quite often needs replacing through corrosion.

The house battery should be direct to the battery switch via a breaker on the cabin switch... must have multiple issues for both to be out.  Let us know what you find.

swede

Yes i found the problem
it was white plastic cube on the starter 
jumpt it and its work 12v in the all boat 
ididnt think that could take out all power .
thanks for all help guys.

CaptianDan

Glad you fixed it, enjoy!!

[Deleted User]

"Ground" = "Earth" - for our British Commonwealth friends

Andy

swede

Its a fuse but do need to have this ?
The breaker on the engine take careoff problems if the come.