Engine Electrics

[jonlaw]

When trying to start the engine on my Volvo 2003, the panel was dead, there seemed to be no power, after a lot of investigation with no success, I ran a lead from the battery +ve to the on off push button, it all came to life !
I switched the panel on and off several times using the push button and it worked OK.
On returning to the boat two weeks later, the same thing is happening again.
Any ideas ?

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

Sounds like a dirty connection, either at the pushbutton terminals or the contacts within the button. Try shorting the external connections and see if the panel comes "live" That will prove it is the pushbutton at fault. You can then try remaking the connections and see if that works. If you can take the pushbutton apart you can also clean up the internal contacts. Otherwise you may need a new button.
Hope that helps!

 

[aluijten]

On the top of the engine there is a transparant fuse box. It looks like a square with one wire coming out on either side. On the front side there are actually four terminals you can connect the wire to. The thee free terminals act as spare fuses. The fuses actually corrode to 'death' over the years and you need to replace the whole fuse box.
I've seen this being the cause of what you describe.

Cheers,

Arno

 

[andy_wilson]

Occasionally the connection to the engine fuse strip (on top of the engine, described elswhere) can become poor. Pulling and reconnecting it can cure that.

Likewise pulling and reconnecting the relay beneath it.

Likewise with the main loom both behind the fuses and behind the instrument panel.

Lastly, or maybe firstly, it could be a faulty panel switch.

 

[macd]

Have experienced the same problem with an older Volvo. Jiggling the wires usually made everything live, but was scarcely a fix. In the end I fitted a circuit breaker in place of the fuse assembly.

 

[reeac]

[ QUOTE ]
On the top of the engine there is a transparant fuse box. It looks like a square with one wire coming out on either side. On the front side there are actually four terminals you can connect the wire to. The thee free terminals act as spare fuses. The fuses actually corrode to 'death' over the years and you need to replace the whole fuse box.
I've seen this being the cause of what you describe.

Cheers,

That's exactly what happened to my 1987 VP2002 recently. I replaced the whole fuse assembly [£16] and all is now OK. However much I've cleaned up the terminals on the old fuse assembly it remains unreliable as checked with a multimeter so I guess the fault lies within although it all looks OK.

Arno

[/ QUOTE ]

 

[DeeGee]

I dont know about the Volvo, but my engine (Beta) was wired up in the manufactory and tested. In order to do that, all the bits and bobs go to an intermediate plug. When fitted to teh boat, the wires from the panel are then hooked up by a connector to the intermediate plug. Now, this plug-socket combination got wet and the whole lot became badly corroded. I had the same sort of symptoms that you describe, and I had to redo both the plug and socket. Finally, I put the connection into an in-line 'shielding box', waterproof, and hope not to have the problem again.

So, the question is, do you have an intermediate connection between boat wiring and engine wiring?