Which bank does lighter socket run from?

Willhound

Realizing I can find out by trying the battery switch but that's at least a month away. I want to get one of those volt meters that plugs into the dash socket. But is that reading starter bank or house bank? Was there a specific set up? 2000 Ri nker FV270.

aero3113

The digital volt meter that I installed in place of the socket on my 2001 242 reads both banks.

Willhound

Is that dependant on which bank the battery switch is on? The socket is hooked to both??? Something doesn't make sense in my brain on that.
Or did you replace your socket all together and put the meter in the hole and wired both feeds to the meter? The type I'm talking about just plugs into the socket, doesn't replace it, so only reads whatever source is feeding the socket.

aero3113

Maybe I don’t have a dedicated start battery. My switch Has positions 1,2, ALL and OFF. My meter works on 1,2 and ALL.

Willhound

Usually, but not always, 1 is start, 2 is house and all or both as the name says is everything.  But if your meter or socket is wired to only one of those, then that's the only reading you're getting. That's what I'm trying to find out is which side is that socket fed from, start or house.
Edit: rereading your post, it seems it's fed on both sides? Or direct and not through the switch?

aero3113

I think its fed on both sides, I have a reading on 1,2 and all. Turn the switch off and no reading if that's what your asking?

Willhound

Yep. Interesting. Have a hard time picturing how it feeds from both banks like that. Maybe designed that way so there's always power to the dash which does make sense. Anyone else know for sure?

skennelly

Sounds to me like @aero3113 has the voltage meter hooked up to the switch so it's reading whatever battery the switch is on...be it 1, 2 or both batteries.

You will have 3 lugs on the back of the switch...battery 1 positive lead, battery 2 positive lead and output lead from switch to the engine...your meter positive wire would hood to this.  Negative still goes to negative.

If that's not how he's doing it....you could certainly do it that way to achieve what you are looking for.

aero3113

@skennelly , all I did was remove the "cigarette lighter" plug and install the volt meter. I didn't wire it to the switch unless the plug was originally wired that way.

Willhound

@aero3113 if that socket meter is reading voltage regardless of switch position the only thing I can see is that the socket is wired direct to one of the battery sources and it's just showing that battery bank all the time.

skennelly

@aero3113 - I would think you are getting the reading from just 1 of the batteries and has nothing to do with switch position.  That's just a total guess obviously.  To get the voltage of the current active battery on the switch you would have to wire to the switch.

Willhound

Hmmm. Time to start looking  at a wiring diagram. It would be neat to think Rinker wired that socket all the way back to the switch and in such a way that it supplies power all the time regardless of switch position. But I don't know if they'd go to all the trouble.

aero3113

If it was wired to the battery, wouldn’t the meter be on when in the off position??

skennelly

@aero3113 - Yes that's correct.  If it's off for you when the switch is off, then yes it's wired to the switch like I explained in my previous post.

skennelly

@Willhound - I think the hardest part is getting the access to the switch lugs...wiring it from there would be easy.

aero3113

skennelly said:

@aero3113 - Yes that's correct.  If it's off for you when the switch is off, then yes it's wired to the switch like I explained in my previous post.

The meter turns off with the battery switch turned to off.

reneechris14

On my 02 270 Every thing at the helm ran of what ever the switch was on. Switch to 1 to read that battery. Switch to 2 to read that battery. I used 2 deep cells, used 1 this week then 2 next week. 

Willhound

That does make sense. Gotta have power at the helm no matter switch position. I could see a couple of feeds to the dash and the socket running off both or all. So I guess that meter does read whatever bank us on or combined. Good. 

Spyderweb

As a test, couldn't you put battery switch on 1, check reading, then take positive cable off battery 1?  If reading goes to 0, it's reading off battery 1.  Do same with switch on battery 2.  Unhook positive cable off battery 2.  If reading again goes to 0, it's reading off battery 2.  If this happens in both cases, reading is coming through battery switch.

I remember doing this with a previous boat I had trying to figure out what was hooked to which battery (or both).

Willhound

Yep. Just can't do it for another month....