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Thread: power wire + ground = bad... need help

  1. #1
    Duke
    we were cruising, a little over idle, and my tach wasnt working, (i bought the boat that way), and one of my friends figured he could fix it while we were driving around, so he took the unhooked open power wire behind the tach (which is why the tach wasnt working) and touched it to the ground( thinking it was where it needed to go), he says he saw a spark, and at the same time the engine died...
    now the starter wont click, the engine wont start, the bilge pump wont pump...
    where do i start?

  2. #2
    Cas
    soumds like it may have tripped the circuit breaker that is located under the wiring junction block at the rear of the engine....hopefully you have one.
    Also, check the key switch itself. If you have a little jumper wire, just jump from the battery terminal to the starter terminal.
    If you have an electronic distributor, he could have messed it up real bad on top of anything else.

  3. #3
    Danhercules
    I had a short too a month or so ago. Nothing on my dash worked, but the float for the bildge, worked. I found a fuse under my dash that goes to the key switch. I put a new fuse in and wala!!!!! She ran. I keep on poping fuses until Ifound the short. Try lookin for an inline fuse under the dash!!

  4. #4
    Duke
    Cas:
    soumds like it may have tripped the circuit breaker that is located under the wiring junction block at the rear of the engine....hopefully you have one.
    Also, check the key switch itself. If you have a little jumper wire, just jump from the battery terminal to the starter terminal.
    If you have an electronic distributor, he could have messed it up real bad on top of anything else. i got a peice of metel covering the wire junction block, guess i'll start there.. thanks.
    i'll let you know how it goes

  5. #5
    Infomaniac
    A little late but blown fuse or if the boat is fancy enough a breaker needs reset.
    Not a problem

  6. #6
    Duke
    finally got the aluminum cover off, got to the circuit breaker, its a little white button with a 35 on it
    i clicked the button, and tried to start it, still no response..

  7. #7
    Duke
    Cas:
    Also, check the key switch itself. If you have a little jumper wire, just jump from the battery terminal to the starter terminal.
    can someone explain how to do this? never really worked on an engine before

  8. #8
    quiet riot
    Duke,
    I'd be inclined to get a test light. They are just a couple bones at most any parts place. They have a gator clip on one end and a light with an ice pic pointer at the other end.
    Check the test light for function by connecting the gator clip to the neg batt terminal and touch the point to the pos batt term. Light should come on.
    Next, with the gator clip still attached to a ground (neg side of battery), check the wires going into the circuit breaker (the white button that says 35. If it has power to one wire and not the other, the circuit breaker is not resetting when you push it in (breakers go bad sometimes and don't reset) and you need to replace it.
    If you have power going into and out of the circit breaker (both wires light up the test light) then check to see if you have power at the back of the key switch on the terminal marked BATT. This is the terminal getting juice from the battery that Cas talked about touching a wire between it and the terminal marked ST (or something close to that meaning start)
    Anyhows, just check to find the part of the circuit that no longer has power to it and you should find whats bad (breaker, inline fuse from breaker to key?, key switch itself fried (juice into batt term but not going out to other terminals when you turn the switch), or maybe a burnt wire or bad connection somewhere caused by the short.)
    Should be easy to trace it down this way if you can't immediately find a bad fuse or if the breaker that the button won't stay down on when you push it down.
    jd

  9. #9
    Cheap Thrills
    I would first check to see if power was getting to the Ignition switch. depending on the type of switch it is .. some have screw lug terminals with nuts holding the wire connected . terminals on the switch are sometimes marked with B= battery, I=ignition, S= starter A= auxilary.
    shorting the B to I with a jumper wire will give you an ignition on position . while shorting the B to the S will work the starter.
    check for inline fuses ( sometimes taped up depending on who's been there before you ) as well as the fuse block if so equipted ..
    hope this helps
    T.

  10. #10
    Cas
    Since the circuit breaker didn't reset, I'd start with the basics like QR eluded to. The test light is a good way to trace things but a little volt meter will tell you exactly how many volts are getting to each part.
    With grounding the coil wire, it's possible that putting thousands of volts to ground could have shorted the battery. It could also have fried one or more of the connections including one of the battery cable connections.
    Do you know what kind of distributor you have? points or electronic?

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