Confused About Navigation Lights. Help!

[yankees_man_20]

Okay, here we go. I have a 12V Deep Cycle/Strating Battery made by Everstart. The Navigation Lights are directly wired to the battery I believe. I got under the console on my boat, 1976 Ranger 1776 Bass Boat, I looked at the fuse block and noticed the fuse was corroded/rusty. I took the fuse out and sanded it, and placed it back, still no fire at switch for Nav lights. I then took the quick disconnect at the fuse block off and sanded it, then I had fire at switch. I pulled the switch then it fried the fuse. I crawled back under there, and replaced it with a greater amperage, bam blew again. I then tried a jumper wire, and everything started smoking, smoke was coming out of the sockets at the bow and stern. All this time the lights have yet to come on. I took a battery charger and place the ground on the socket, then placed the positive on the bottom of the sockets and the lights lit. I think theres too much voltage going to the lights. Please can someone correct me or tell me what to do. Do they make something to drop down voltages? The guy who i recently bought the boat from less than three weeks ago said the lights worked. All Help will be greatly appreciated. Im also having trouble with my electric anchor. I will save that for another post as it seems I have written a story on this post.
Thanks, Trey
P.S. :I have posted a couple of times before here and everyone is so hopeful answering my questions. Thanks Again!

 

[dchris]

Re: Confused About Navigation Lights. Help!

It might be time to get a ohm meter out and take some measurements. Increasing fuse sizes or by-passing them is not a good practice. With a ohm meter you can look for your short without damage to your boat. You should be able to connect one lead to ground and the other to a disc-connected battery terminal and see a low reading. (something close to 0). If this is true start disconnecting sections until you change the meter reading. When that happens you should be near your problem area.

 

[drewpster]

Re: Confused About Navigation Lights. Help!

You have a short in the Nav light circuit. It is most likely somewhere down stream after the switch. A good place to start looking is at the light sockets themselves. I would remove the bulbs and look at the contacts in each socket to start. Then I would remove each light socket from the deck to access the wires going into them. If you find one with allot of corrosion or splices ect. anything unusual, start with that one and cut the wires leading into it. Try the switch. If the fuse blows go to the next nav light and cut those wires. Try again... If you find that the fuse does not blow after you cut one of the sockets out of the circuit it is likely that the socket you removed is the problem. Replace it and move on.
If the fuse continues to blow after all the light sockets have been removed, the short is in the wiring somewhere. In that case it will be necessary to trace out the circuit starting at the switch. Find where the wire is routed through the boat from the switch to each light. You will have to pull the wires out until you find out where the short is.
If you have a meter use it before you start cutting wires. If you do not have a meter it will be necessary to go through this process of elimination to find the short.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Confused About Navigation Lights. Help!

if you wiring and fuses switches have not been upgraded since 1976, it's time. see the sticky's at the top of this forum.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Confused About Navigation Lights. Help!

You have a 12V battery and the lights operate on 12V so you cannot be feeding too much voltage to the bulbs. You also found out why a fuse is used (to protect the circuit). Using a larger fuse means the amount of current (not voltage) increases to the point where the larger fuse blows. Then using a piece of wire across the fuse terminals means you no longer any protection so full battery current can be applied to the circuit which melts the wires. You have a short in either the bow or stern lights.

 

[wajajaja02]

Re: Confused About Navigation Lights. Help!

I suggest that you get a auto electric trouble lite, cheap and it lights when you have power your questions and procedure indicate that a meter would be another whole process for you to learn.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Confused About Navigation Lights. Help!

The only problem with a test light is that you can't test anything with the battery disconnected. You'll be as just as likely to start a fire as you were with your jumper wire. Go down to wallymart and spend $25 on an autoranging digital multimeter. Plenty of online tutorials about checking continuity and measuring voltage and resistance. This is why I always advise people to make sure their fire extinguisher is charged up before substituting a larger fuse for a smaller one.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Confused About Navigation Lights. Help!

I pulled the switch then it fried the fuse. I crawled back under there, and replaced it with a greater amperage, bam blew again. I then tried a jumper wire, and everything started smoking, smoke was coming out of the sockets at the bow and stern. All this time the lights have yet to come on. I took a battery charger and place the ground on the socket, then placed the positive on the bottom of the sockets and the lights lit. I think theres too much voltage going to the lights.

Ayuh,......

I suggest you Google up some Basic 12V wiring tutorials,....

Your post says that you are Way Over your head already........
Especially when you don't know the difference between a Dead Short, Vs. the proper Voltage.....