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ok i am way intimidated by electrical issues, and I have two real basic projects to complete. hope you guys can help. I have a Parker 18, dual batteries in the stern, and a switch panel under the center console
1 with the exception of two side lights on either side of the CC, (down low, they illuminate the floor), my boat lights do not work. I am going to replace all bulbs and fuses. if this fails, what should be my next step.
2. i want to use a hand held spot powered by the boat. should I hook up a cigerette lighter, and how would I do that, or is there a better (more flexible) power option i should investigate.
Question 1: Yeah, change the fuses. It is easy and cheap to do and a corroded fuse could cause stuff not to work. New bulbs wouldn't hurt either; probably wouldn't help, but it is cheap and easy to do.
I would go bilge diving with a flashlight to trace out wires. Start near the battery switch and look for a broken, corroded wire. Maybe a wire with the terminal lug nasty green and barely making a connection.
Question 2: If you are not comfortable working with electricity, why not buy a good floating flashlight instead of fooling with wiring up a cigarette lighter outlet?
Hmmmm, the lights don'twork, huh? Well, if it makes you feel any better you're in very good company on that one. They all die from time to time and to tell the truth they are about as good a way to get comfortable with playing boat electrician as you're likely to find. I usually don't start looking for the problme at the battery end on lights, or much of anything else for that matter. There are two reasons for that. The first is there's very little to look at for me, because I would commit suicide in shame if I had my interior lights hooked up directly to my battery(s). The second is that I check my battery's electrolite level monthly and so if there is any corrosion forming at the terminals I tend to see it early on and take care of it. Hint, hint, hint.
Anyway start at the socket and here's what you're likely to find, the little solder tits on the bottom of the bulbs are oxidized to the point that they won't make contact. Just hit them with a quick scuff from emory cloth or sandpaper. Also notice that the bulb holder may be pretty crappy too. Try the sand paper trick on it as well and you may find that a pencil eraser works well to clean its contacts. After that go take a good look at the wire, then the fuese and its holder, and so on and so on until you get back to the beginning - which idealy will be at the battery switch, not the battery, and all will be well with the world.
As to that cigarette lighter plugin, do it. They are very very good to have on the console because so many hand held electronics have the ability to use them. They are also simplicity in itself to connect. Two wires, one to negative (with any sort of luck at all there will be a negative buss bar to connect to right near your fuse panel) and one positive, which should go to a spare fuse holder on your fuse panel. From there its just a matter of drilling the appropriately sized hole and sitcking it in. On that one, by the way, drill the hole in a chunk of scrap something first, just to make sure you got the right sized hole saw. Oh, one of the best outlets I've ever seen is sold at Wal Mart. Its got a black flip (spring loaded) cover and the guts are all stainless. I think the company that makes it is called Cisco or something like that. Its really very well madr; I liked them so much I put four of them in my boat a couple of years ago and all of them are still doing well, with no corrosion.
Thom
"I command thee, O fish of the ocean, rise to my bait"
Thanks for the help here. I pulle dthe bulbs and fises last night, so i could have them with me when i get to the boat store. i will have to clean some crud from both connections, and hopefully that will be it.
I have an extra fuse set up on my panel, so the cig lighter might be a go. Only quustion is, what is a negative bus bar. what should it l;ook like? will it have all the other neg loines running to it (other meaning i have 4 other fuses for varous non working things)
ive had problems a couple times over the years with the actual fuse panel.could be either coroded or burnt in a spot,id check that if none of the light on a particular circuit are working.
I have found that most running light problems are the socket/bulb connections. The bulbs generate lots of heat which quickly promotes corrosion at the connection points. Try using high-temp grease at the connections. I have had good results with some of the Teflon based greases. Regular greases like vaseline will just run-off from the heat. I also noticed that ANCOR, the elect.component guys, have come out with a grease designed for marine elect connections. I don't know if it will handle the high temps.
i would love to hear from you. i don't want to bore the board, but Im not sure how to check to see if a line is live (short of licking it) [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
I looked at a voltmeter, but I am not sure if thast what i need.
Let me tell you about the most basic of 12-volt electrical tools, just the one you need to test the lines and fuses and bulb holders, and most anything else. Its called a test light and every Wal Mart and every auto parts store in the country sells them. Real real good ones cost about $10 and all the rest cost $5. This is a thing that looks something like an awl, or a screwdriver, or an ice pick, with a pointed end sticking out of a plastic screwdriver-looking handel. Inside the handel, which will be made of clear plastic, there is a little light bulbe. Comming out of the end of the handel there is a wire a couple of feet long and it has an alligator clip on its end. You connect the alligator clip to a ground, any ground. Then you energize the circuit you're interested in (turn the key on) and probe around where you want to check for power. If there is power there the little light in the handel lights up, no power no light. Real simple. The pointy end of the thing is sharp and the reason for that is the makers of the things also sell wire (this is just speculation on my part) and they figure that you will be dumb enough to poke the pointy end through the insulation of your wires to check and see if they are hot. You can do that. What you find if you do that is if the wire is hot or not but you get even more than that for your money. A couple of months later the wire corrodes away right where you stuck that little pinhole through the insulation. At that time the folks that sold you the tool get to sell you wire too. Pretty neat? The moral here is not to be tempted to poke holes in your wire with the testor, just test at the connections.
Thom
"I command thee, O fish of the ocean, rise to my bait"
Regarding cleaning bulb connectors, I don't think sandpaper or emery paper is a good choice unless it is very fine grit. If the connector is plated the paper will scratch off the plating. If it is unplated the paper will leave scratches in the surface that may actually increase the incidence of corrosion.
A pencil eraser is a better choice; it does less damage and cleans things up pretty well in most cases. If an eraser doesn't do it then it is time to try contact cleaner and maybe some mild abrasives.
two basic electrical questions. 
