electical interference???

[derekpfeiffer]

I just bought this boat and when the radio is on and I turn on the the aux. lights or interior lights the radio face dims for a sec. and you can here a second of static thru the speakers then it works fine...it's just initially when i turn them on...I believe it also does it when I turn the blower on as well. I'm wondering if I should be looking for a short somewhere or if maybe I should be adding another battery??? just wondering where to start looking??

NOTE this happens when the motor isn't running...it hasn't been nice enough to hook it up to the hose outside yet and try it w/ it running

Thanks in advance

 

[PondTunes]

Re: electical interference???

It sounds like the illumination wire to the radio may be connected... If you can get to the radio wiring/harness check to see if there is a (usually orange) wire connected to the same circuit as the gauge lighting... Typically the illumination circuit wants to see +12v on the illumination wire but not knowing your exact radio it is kind of hard to tell.

If there is a wire connected to the gauge lighting or an orange wire in your radio harness you could try cutting this wire to see if the problem persists. Sometimes illumination circuits can do funny things!

If there is no illumination wire connected we will have to look elsewhere, but lets start there!

 

[derekpfeiffer]

Re: electical interference???

I'll have to check that....It's an new JVC CD player...the only other thing is that the radio is in the glove box (the opposite side of the boat as the dash switches) and it does it when more than just the light switch is used which made me think that it was a problem w/ not getting enough power...but that would be a good place to start like you said...thanks for your help

Doogie

 

[PondTunes]

Re: electical interference???

if your battery is charged, turning on a few lights won't kill your radio, if it dimmed and stayed dim that could indicate a major draw or possibly a dead short somewhere, but if it recovers and resumes normal operation without ever totally shutting down it makes me think the problem lies somewhere else. New radios all have some sort of undercurrent protection and once they drop below a threshold they shut down to prevent damage to themselves, they normally power right back up once power recovers.

While you're checking for an illumination wire see if you can get a reading on battery voltage at the battery as well as at the radio (typically the yellow and red wires) are connected to the battery and should have 12-14 volts.

 

[derekpfeiffer]

Re: electical interference???

Hey...thanks I'll check that in the morning when I get off work and let you know what I find....This forum is the BEST....such knowledgable people sooo willing to help anyone through a problem. thanks again

Doogie

 

[derekpfeiffer]

Re: electical interference???

Alright I just got home and checked to see what I have....

At my battery I have 12.25V
Radio w/ nothing on 11.6V
Radio w/ billage pump on 10.6V

Where do I go from here??? any suggestions???

Thanks for any help

 

[PondTunes]

Re: electical interference???

Did you have your battery checked yet?

It also looks like you're getting a voltage drop of .65 to the radio, and then 1.65 when you switch on the bilge is current draw... Corrosion on terminals & connections is a big cause of resistance which can turn your voltage into heat. Check the connections carefully for loose or corroded connections esp with screw in terminals or spade crimp connections... Voltage Drop is a pretty serious issue when dealing with a 12 volt system, .65 volts sounds like there's a problem between the battery and the radio. I still recommend getting your battery checked out!

 

[derekpfeiffer]

Re: electical interference???

Hey thanks...will do

 

[bruceb58]

Re: electical interference???

You need to figure out where your voltage drop is.

With everything on measure across your battery, then between battery ground and the positive bus at your fuse panel. Then measure between the ground of the battery and the ground of the fuse panel. On the last one you will be measuring the voltage drop across the ground feed to the fuse panel. In the best case you will see very close to 0V. Any drop would be do to bad connections or drop in an undersized ground feed. For the two tests that you will be making at the fuse panel, make a long test lead that reaches back to your battery ground. You want to make all your measurements relative to one ground which is at your battery.