Rinker fv 270 wiring headaches

jjcodex

Hi all,

I hope you can help.  I have recently acquired the above on a 2002 year and whilst I am happy with the boat, I am having a few gremlins which I am trying to resolve.

I am hoping you may be able to steer me in the right direction on the below 12v wiring weirdness!

Three issues have become apparent:

1. Engine hatch cover is slooooooow to operate
2. When engine hatch cover is operated, the navigation unit cuts out all together!
3. The mystery of the orange wire

What you need to know:

Our boat has the 2 battery configuration with a 2 way battery switch (batt 1, 2 or both) located on the side of the cockpit (not in engine bay).  Having traced the wires, it appears the whole of the leisure side on the boat is supplied by a solitary red wire running from a splitter on the back of the starter motor (relying on the large wire to connect from the starter to the switch).

In addition,  there doesn't appear to be a relay installed on the hatch lid and instead relies on the switch I the dash and rather small wires.  There are some dodgy bits in the wiring so I am not convinced all is how rinker intended.

We also discovered a phantom orange wire which was disconnected just behind the alternator and also severed from the same connector on the starter motor. 

It feels very much like the motor for the hatch is drawing way too much power and causing a voltage drop that the navigation unit is to sensitive to, but I am not sure. 

So here are the questions for you if you can help!

1. Do you guys know if the hatch motor had a relay originally? It would really help to know as it may be that ours has been removed. A sketch of a wiring diagram would be super helpful.
2. Are your hatches super slow too? (Sometimes ours sounds like it is going to stop!)
3. By chance, do you have an orange wire coming from the starter still, and if so, where does it go?,

For extra credit...
4. I am thinking of running a further cable directly from the battery switch to the fuse board in the dash (to improve the available current) any reason not to? (Would naturally be from the switched Side of the batt)
5. I will probably install a relay irrespective on the hatch and will share but curious to know if anybody has done similar. 

Thanks very much to all in advance, and I promise to post the outcome in due course for the benefit of others. 


Kind regards 


James 

reneechris14

The ram on the hatch does grow old(15 year's)and some do go slow.There is a grease fitting on the motor on the ram.the new ones do move much faster and use less amps.my gps would reboot when I started my motor so I ran a direct line from the battery.no relay that I found on my 2002 270,buy good idea.

jjcodex

Thanks Chris - that is very helpful.  I will check for the grease fitting, and I am still aiming to install relay to hopefully stop navigation Weirdness! 

Cableguy Greg

Here is the diagram from the 280EC. Look thru it. It isn't exact, but it will get you close.

http://rinkerboats.vanillaforums.com/discussion/3038/280-ec-wiring-diagram#latest

Willhound

And some of the Nav units are very sensitive to voltage drop. Whenever I hit the blower switch my plotter/sonar starts beeping and flashing a low voltage warning if just idling.

jjcodex

Thanks both.

Drawings ar3 very helpful and better than the rubbish rinker published in the manual

To be honest,  I can't get over the relative size of the cable feeding the domestic install - tiny!!!

Anyone have any ideas over the phantom orange cable? (On mine it is disconnected but used to be on same connector on starter as domestic supply)

aero3113

jjcodex said:

Thanks both.

Drawings ar3 very helpful and better than the rubbish rinker published in the manual

To be honest,  I can't get over the relative size of the cable feeding the domestic install - tiny!!!

Anyone have any ideas over the phantom orange cable? (On mine it is disconnected but used to be on same connector on starter as domestic supply)

I have that same orange wire on my 242,it's disconnected at the starter!? It actually looks like it was cut(has no ring terminal).

jjcodex

Ditto to be honest. Weird!!!!

jjcodex

@aero - for info, my orange cable was crimped in the same ring connector as the red cable 

CaptianDan

Orange cable is from the Alternator output and goes to the 12v terminal on the starter.  I've seen this corrode on multiple boats and lead to issues.  Once fixed just give the alternator a quick output test to make sure it's charging ok, should be around 14.4v at 1500-1800 RPM....  I think.

jjcodex

Thanks Dan

I suspect that the original orange wire therefore may have been replaced - a shame they didn't remove the old one leaving it cut both ends instead!

That mystery is at least SOLVED!!!!

J

randy56

@jjcodex I was working on my boat today, and timed the hatch. It took 32 seconds to open. Hope that helps.

CaptianDan

Have you got a non-factory isolator fitted?  This may have been the reason why the alternator output (orange) is now spare as the this would now go direct to the battery isolator now. :-)