backwards wiring

[TonyD20]

Hello..... I found another issue with my boat today, recently I had work done on the engine of my boat where they replaced the control cable. But now, with boat in the water, I am finding that my electronics (navigation lights, bilge pump) are constantly running.

So, thinking that I had the wiring on backwards at the battery connections, tried swapping around the cables, only to find that now bow bow lights won't light up (even though the dummy light on the dash says otherwise) BUT, my stern light is fine...(both on the same switch).

The other problem, my bilge won't stop running BUT, it's not pumping water out and there IS water in my bilge (and I am supposed to get downfall rains tonight and tomorrow). I checked the pump, it seems all clear I wonder if it were wired backwards, would the pump reverse itself?

All kinds of electrical problems here - anyone have a clue as to what might be going on here? I loved to bring the boat back to the mechanic but they are 2 1/2 hours of a drive and if I can locate the problem myself, I;d rather do that first...

Oh yes... boat is in a slip on thr lake, there is power there...

Tony D.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: backwards wiring

the wire for accessories pos is on the neg post, neg on pos post. bilge pump motor is DC current, and is running backwards.

 

[jtexas]

Re: backwards wiring

Float switch would explain the bilge pump running.
Swapping the cables has no effect on lights.

Is your anchor light separate from your stern nav light? If not, and if you are in the U.S., they shouldn't be on the same switch.

You said "with boat in the water, I am finding that my electronics (navigation lights, bilge pump) are constantly running"...do they stop when you trailer the boat?

 

[TonyD20]

Re: backwards wiring

the wire for accessories pos is on the neg post, neg on pos post. bilge pump motor is DC current, and is running backwards.

So that would make it run bckwards, that makes sense then...Okay, bilge is wired backwards - now I just have to find out where. My connections at the battery are correct, red wire with in-line fuse going to pos and black wire going to neg. Pretty straight forward there.

From what I can tell, the boar is wired as so: The bilge wires run from the bilge pump to somewhere into the gear case along with the control cables, etc). The at the battery, I have a red 9with inline fuse) and a black wire. When I connect these two wires up, all my electronics are connected, minus my fishfinder.
So, off of this connection, I have my bilge and running lights, cockpit light... but yet, the bilge is wired bckwards...

I have yet to open up the gear case to see where the bilge wire is being connected to but I am going to have to look, I wonder if the mechanic wired it all back up wrong? And would it then also effect my lights?

Tony D.

 

[TonyD20]

Re: backwards wiring

Float switch would explain the bilge pump running.
Swapping the cables has no effect on lights.

Is your anchor light separate from your stern nav light? If not, and if you are in the U.S., they shouldn't be on the same switch.

You said "with boat in the water, I am finding that my electronics (navigation lights, bilge pump) are constantly running"...do they stop when you trailer the boat?

well, there IS water in the bilge, so the float switch is rightfully up. The preoblem is that it's not pumpinp.. it appears that there is a backwards connection somewhere. I don't understand what you mean if they stop when on the trailer.... I've only had the boat on the trailer briefly to get the boat in the water. I didn't notice since it was daylight. The bilge wasn't going off but I imagine there wasn't any water in the bilge at the time.

 

[jtexas]

Re: backwards wiring

sorry, just wondered if being on the water had something to do with it, other than the bilge pump.

 

[TonyD20]

Re: backwards wiring

sorry, just wondered if being on the water had something to do with it, other than the bilge pump.

oh, that's OK.. thank you for your thoughts!!!

 

[TonyD20]

Re: backwards wiring

Still at a loss here... nothing at all seems to be connected backwards, everything looks to be where they should. Bilge still appears to run backwards (well, it's running but not pumping water).

I also found something new.. if I place JUST the lead accessory wire to pos, the running lights turn on, without any ground connected to the battery.

I don't know what went wrong here...

Tony D.

 

[jtexas]

Re: backwards wiring

You haven't by any chance recently re-named this boat? Have you thought about maybe making a sacrifice to Poseidon? I'm thinking half a bottle of champaign, or at least a good quality dark beer.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

The bilge pump.....common color scheme is, brown wire positive, black wire negative.

Just to be clear......you mean your accessory ground wire is unconnected. But there's other wires on the negative battery post, right? Ignition cable at least?

Obviously the lights are getting their ground from somewhere, either wired to the ignition ground wire, or a wire scraped bare in there.

We're going to need more detail on your wiring scheme. Sounds like all the devices are wired in to the helm, probably a fuse box under there, and a ground bus? Pictures would help. What boat and motor? By your use of the term "ground" I'm guessing you're in the U.S.? The boat's in a slip - do you have shore power hooked up?

 

[TonyD20]

Re: backwards wiring

haha.. no, I have not renamed it.. boat never had a name as far as I can tell - at this point, I am ready to try anything - I'll start with the dark beer!

Okay, information - the boat is an '89 Grady White Tournament, Motor is a '92 Johnson. I bought the boat 2nd hand almost about 3 years ago.

Everything does seem to go back to the helm, each with its own fuse on the dash above each toggle switch.

I do have the ignition positive and neg connected to the battery. From I can tell, the bilge wiring goes straight to the motor, the lead to the starter and the neg, somewhere on the block. Yes, I am in the U.S.

It's hard to get pictures, by the time I get home from work, I have about 15/20 minutes of light to work with and last night, it was pouring rain out, thankfully my wife siphoned out the water in the bilge so that it won't sink...

 

[PondTunes]

Re: backwards wiring

why would they have messed with your bilge or your lights?? You can be 100% sure it's hooked up backwards with a digital multi-meter If you check the connection near the pump itself by probing the positive / negative wires the meter will show -12 volts if the pump is actually hooked up in reverse. You could continue from the pump backwards to find where the pump gets it's feed (at the switch) and check it again there.

 

[TonyD20]

Re: backwards wiring

why would they have messed with your bilge or your lights?? You can be 100% sure it's hooked up backwards with a digital multi-meter If you check the connection near the pump itself by probing the positive / negative wires the meter will show -12 volts if the pump is actually hooked up in reverse. You could continue from the pump backwards to find where the pump gets it's feed (at the switch) and check it again there.

They may have needed to disconnect the wiring to install the control cable... maybe they were in the way.. is all I can think of... honestly, I wish I knew how the wiring got all funky because the last time the battery was in, everything was fine.