Electrical issue

[Bigedpa]

Have an ‘88 228 Seafarer. Replaced the horn and button. Horn charges but does not sound if the engine is off. Replaced the cabin light with a 12/24v led light. Does not light if engine is off

Both work if the engine is running. The horn stays “dead” for a few seconds but the works fine. The longer the engine runs the longer the horn and light work AFTER the engine is turned off.

my thought is a bad battery. (Has 2). A voltage drop from one. Both show 12 v at rest. And 13v when engine running. Mechanic says it CANT be a battery because the engine starts and runs fine. Don’t have access to a load tester.
Anybody have an issue like this or any thoughts. Much appreciated

 

[glacierbaze]

I have a "90 SF. I have seen the cabin light work at some point, but have never been able to get it to come on in the drive way. I will have to try it with engine running in the slip.
Maybe it is tapped in to a "key on" power source. Will it light with key on, engine off?
Motor is wired to the battery switch, but the light and horn go through several progressively smaller connections. If you have a multi meter, check the voltage at the light, with motor off, then on.

 

[kirk a]

With a 30 year old boat which has passed through multiple owners there is no way to accurately diagnose issue.
A detail you left out was if the horn and cabin lights worked properly prior to you installing new ones.

you need to add a multimeter to your boat tool kit if you don’t already have one. First check at the horn itself and the start tracing wires and test each connection up stream.
Very possible a previous owner connected the horn to an ignition controlled circuit.

 

[seasick]

First of all, if your voltage meter is working correctly, a reading of 12 volts is basically a dead battery but as the mechanic said, if the motor starts, the battery cant be dead.

It sounds to me that there is a wiring issue, perhaps a bad wire, connection, switch etc.

What is your main battery selector switch set to when you have the problem? Is it BOTH or a single battery?
What does it mean that the horn is charged? Do you have an air horn?
Have the batteries been removed and reinstalled recently? Have the things that don't work, ever worked while you owned the boat?

If you have the selector set to one specific battery, try setting it for now to BOTH to see if anything changes.

Bottom line is that we need more info in order to try and point you in the right direction

 

[Bigedpa]

batteries were installed from winter storage by the marina. Horn and light are being replaced because they have not worked previously, this is my second season with the boat. By charging I mean you can hear the diaphragm set or click but there is no sound produced. The battery switch is set to both batteries.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Horn sounds like a bad connection but..

first things first....

remove the 12/24v LED. put an old school bulb in there. Does it work?

take the horn back to the battery and test it directly. Does it work?

Those two things will tell you something.

 

[seasick]

The failure of the diaphram horn is a very common thing and may have nothing to do with the big issues. Since the batteries were removed and reinstalled ( or at least disconnected and reconnected) you should check that all ground cables were reconnected. There is a large gauge cable that ties the negative terminals of both batteries together. It is often left dangling at the bottom of the compartment. Verify that the cable is connected.
There is also a medium side wire that is the ground for the accessory buss. It would be connected to the negative terminal of one of the batteries.
So in general the negative terminal of at least one of the batteries should have a minimum of 3 connections, engine ground, accessory ground and tie cable to the other battery.

 

[Beyond A Wake]

On the LED light flip it as it may be that +/- are the wrong way for it to work as some are just one way working not like old incandescent bulbs.

 

[seasick]

On the LED light flip it as it may be that +/- are the wrong way for it to work as some are just one way working not like old incandescent bulbs.

It seems that the OP either swapped the bulb or the fixture. Regardless, did the old fixture work before??
If the fixture was changed, it also probably is polarity sensitive and maybe the feed wires got swapped.

 

[Bigedpa]

The failure of the diaphram horn is a very common thing and may have nothing to do with the big issues. Since the batteries were removed and reinstalled ( or at least disconnected and reconnected) you should check that all ground cables were reconnected. There is a large gauge cable that ties the negative terminals of both batteries together. It is often left dangling at the bottom of the compartment. Verify that the cable is connected.
There is also a medium side wire that is the ground for the accessory buss. It would be connected to the negative terminal of one of the batteries.
So in general the negative terminal of at least one of the batteries should have a minimum of 3 connections, engine ground, accessory ground and tie cable to the other battery.

Thanks. Have been talking to a few people. 2 issues were raised. Ground, or a bad cell in one of the batteries. Bad cell thought because both devices work as the engine runs and for a while after the engine is shut off. But after a period of time neither work again until another engine start. Battery drain/draw/discharge. Ground came up because it usually does when there seems to be connection issues. I will have to check for the 3 ground connections. Question is why are the grounds linked together?

 

[seasick]

The grounds on the batteries are tied together to provide one ground path for accessory buss as well as a common ground for engine power.
If the battery you suspect as having a bad cell will start the motor if that battery only is selected, it is less likely hat it has a bad cell.

 

[seasick]

Thanks. Have been talking to a few people. 2 issues were raised. Ground, or a bad cell in one of the batteries. Bad cell thought because both devices work as the engine runs and for a while after the engine is shut off. But after a period of time neither work again until another engine start. Battery drain/draw/discharge. Ground came up because it usually does when there seems to be connection issues. I will have to check for the 3 ground connections. Question is why are the grounds linked together?

If you have selected BOTH for the battery switch then I can explain your symptom. Using both selection when troubleshooting will lead you astray.

 

[Bigedpa]

If you have selected BOTH for the battery switch then I can explain your symptom. Using both selection when troubleshooting will lead you astray.

I have been selecting both. Is it a backfeed issue?

 

[seasick]

I have been selecting both. Is it a backfeed issue?

I suspect that there is a missing or bad ground connection.