wiring delima

[Dr1532]

had this same problem last year but I figured doing the wiring under the console aswell as adding another battery the problem would be solved. My starbord motor runs great , but every now and then the volt meter jumps all around along with the tac, it gets to the point where it will read only 12 volts while running ,then go to 14 in where it should be then go to ten like if the motor was shutt off , it went to 10 the other day so i shut the motor off and went to start it and it was like a dead battery/bad connection, after it finally started it ran at 14 volts on the guage Im sure there is a bad connection somewhere but I have 1 guage pos and neg wires running to the engines aswell as all new wires from the new switches and the third battery. that I have put in. I would think if there was a green (Corroded) wire eventually it would not start at all, the key switch aswell as the alt were changed last year, When it drops to 10 no wires get hot as I have felt them all.It was stuck at 10 when I loaded the boat on the trailer and when i got back home it was reading 12 volts , I usually can figure things out but not this one thanks for any imput

[j_martin]

I have found that crimped terminals in a boat are doomed to failure. I solder all mine and then insulate them.

A loose crimped connection will often make and open, seemingly at random. High current draws, like starters, and even solenoids tend to arc over temporarily and make a connection.

hope it helps
John

[flabum1017]

Sounds like either a bad wire connection in the charging system or a regulator taking a dump. Check all the wires on the engine including all the ground connections. Make sure the battery connections are clean and tight. A lot of people rely on the wing nuts that come with the battery, but I prefer lock nuts and lock washers on mine, it makes for a more secure connection.

[gfinch]

Read this and you WILL be able to fix it. A volt drop test is one everyone should know! It will work on both the power and ground side.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/voltage_drop_testing.htm