Random Electrical Issue

[BurntEndz]

I am basically still a novice Bass Boat owner/operator, just about a year of experience. I have a 99 Ranger 354V and I am the third owner, previous owner is a neighbor and trustworthy and big help. Also, as a sidenote I am the coach of our High School Bass Fishing team in Southern Indiana (11 teams and a couple of subs- 25 kids total).

Yesterday was the TBF Indiana High School State Finals. I have spent the winter getting the boat in "prime" shape, swapped out the trolling motor for 36v Motor Guide 109hp Tour Pro and removed the two batteries for a 36V Energy Works Lithium. Took the Group 31 cranking battery out, had it tested and it's good, everything re-attached. Installed a Garmin Live scope and all graphs are running off of a Dakota Lithium 12V battery. The boat ran like a dream yesterday we were all over the lake caught some fish no issues UNTIL we were trailering.

Put the boat up on the trailer and as we were pulling it out it slipped a little on the trailer moved 6" or so.... went ahead pulled it out cleaned it out and then "re-launched" it to get further up the trailer. At that point we had an electrical issue, first lost trim functionality at all three locations (motor, throttle and bow switch) ...then we lost power at the ignition switch altogether. Went ahead and made the 2hr drive home stewing and contemplating what the issue could be. Put the boat on the charger (maybe a dead battery?) all night. Just went out to check, battery fully charged, switches working (lighted switches lighting up) but no ignition, trim, aerators, bilge...

Here is my diagnostic......

1. Gotta be a fuse or relay right?
2. Son who was trailering for me- his first time- said he got swamped by a houseboat with water up over the back all the way to the seat, but I saw no water in the fuel/battery compartment, something fry? Seems unlikely that water would hurt a boat?
3. Just an unlucky timing for the ignition switch to go bad/

Looking for a couple of things to check before I start swapping out parts....or paying someone else to diagnose/swap out parts.

[dean c]

With that swamp in the rear. Sounds like a moisture short. Do you a main breaker in the rigging compartment. Might have tripped.

[Mechanic Bob]

I would look for a Ground Cable error. You may have missed a ground cable connection.

[wmitch2]

Check your battery connections, master switch connections and fuses.

[BurntEndz]

So I did some sleuthing today and battery is solid, all switches, pumps and lights work. I installed a master relay between the 36v lithium to trolling motor so I feel like I know what I am looking for but I don't see any other relays. The main fuse panel was not tripped, I tested and reset it. The fuses themselves and the box were not wet and covered in a silicone grease. I checked each fuse and all are intact....EXCEPT the 10a bow panel fuse. I put a new fuse in (4x ) and that fuse would blow immediately either during insertion. I finally tripped it, put a new fuse and reset it and it blew too.

I took one of the 10a out of another slot (to see if my package of fuses was bad) and it did not blow when I put it in that slot. I put another of the new fuses in that slot and it didn't blow.

I have an issue there it seems but that doesn't seem to explain no action at ignition or trim. The only place I haven't looked yet (and sort of thought about it as typing)....is inside the cowling of the motor....maybe a fuse or relay there? The odd thing was we had 8+ hours of no issue and the issue cropped up after it was already on the trailer.

[Bill Reynolds]

I am with MechanicBob, it sounds like a ground issue. Here’s why I say that:
- this is two separate 12 volt circuits, with a common ground.
- the fact that the pumps, lights etc work means the boat circuit is ok.
- the only place that the positive side of the boat circuit enters the motor circuit is at the bow trim switch. The fact that it does not work means it cannot go to ground through the motor circuit, either under the cowling or at the negative battery connection.
- The ignition switch and motor gauges are on the motor circuit and they are dead.

I would again check the ground cables at the battery for poor or loose connection and at a battery switch if you have one. Next remove the cowling and check for presence of voltage at the motor. There is a 20 or 30 amp fuse under the cowling so check that first.

Here is a best practice for making that check:
I use a test light with a long cord so I can attach the cable end directly to the battery negative post. This ensures I have a good ground path. I use a test light instead of a volt meter because it impresses a load on the circuit. A digital volt meter can give you a false reading if there is a poor connection in the circuit whereas the test light will load that poor connection and cause it to breakdown.

If the test light lights up that tells me voltage is Present at that point in the circuit ​with a known ground path.​I then move the cable connection of the test light to the positive battery post and check again. This will test for continuity in the ground wiring.

Caution: Do not use this method with digital circuit boards. They typically have 5 volt board circuits and you don’t want to introduce a load to them. This is where the digital volt meter is to be used.

I added a ring terminal to the test light cable so I could move around the boat and not pull the alligator clip loose.

[BurntEndz]

This is really, really helpful. Thank you all. I am a 25 year employee at Grote (lighting, wiring) so I have the tools (and fuses). It just seemed so random that it happened when it did and out of the blue. Will start checking it this evening. Thanks

[paulrodbender]

I would start at the main fuse(s) under the cowling and carry spares in the boat. In the 20 years I've owned my motor, I have needed to replace them while on the water twice.

[Mechanic Bob]

I would add a couple of things:
Do not confuse Amps with voltage. Just because you have the voltage, you may not be getting the amps. (I've been hoodwinked many times by this when working on boats.)
It really doesn't take much corrosion or a thin film on your ring terminals to make a poor connection, thus limiting the amps.

[BurntEndz]

I stopped by after work today to open up the cowling. I looked all over (with it trimmed up possibly didn't get a great view) and didn't see anything like a master relay, fuse or reset. I did find two wires that weren't attached to anything but again that had to be that way all day, it didn't just magically happen after 8hrs on the water when it went to the trailer.

open wire.jpg

unattached ring.jpg

I then went back to the master fuse box that is attached the fuel/oil/battery hatch and looked at my culprit fuse....
fuse box.jpg

It's the bright red in the bottom right corner.....I went through a bunch of 10a fuses and progressed up to a 20a fuse and stopped before I melted something.

blown fuses.jpg

I took the front bow panel off and removed the switch, it's a 15a switch, three position. The grounds go to a bus bar, might be my next culprit (again not sure why, maybe fortuitous it waited until we were done for the day).

One note, the other circuit noted below doesn't work unless there is fuse in that last right spot, even if its a blown one. I did check the ground and positive battery posts and everything is tight there too.

[Bill Reynolds]

Hard to tell but that red wire in the top corner of your first pic looks like it has been hot, like a bad connection.

What component does the circuit serve that keeps blowing the fuse? It is obviously shorted to ground.
I notice this is on the boat circuit.
There is a main breaker inside the metal enclosure. The reset switch is sticking out the top.

[BurntEndz]

The circuit that is blowing is the Bow Trim switch....
The wire that you believe got hot, I think it's actually just a heat shrink connector.... I think the melted look is the connector, but I will go back and look again.

Not sure how it would do it but is it possible that my son, while trailering the boat held the trim switch on the throttle "too long" or toggled it "in between" and cause a short there? Still just dumbfounded how it came up out of the blue.

[Bill Reynolds]

This should be the wiring diagram from the owners manual on your boat.

The red/black wire on the load side of fuse 12 provides 12 volts to a terminal board in the bow panel. You will note that it goes through a 15 pin connector. This power is jumped from the terminal board to the line side of the up and down switches. These are normally open switches.

You will notice there are no ground wires anywhere near these switches. The only way this circuit can go to ground is by closing one of the switches and allowing current to flow to the trim relays under the motor cowling and go to ground there.

You say that the fuse is blowing even though the switches are not made. Only way this could be is if one of the switch contacts are stuck closed.
Let’s do this : Disconnect the blue and green wires from their switch and then replace the fuse. The fuse should hold.
Assuming the fuse holds, check for presence of voltage at each of the contacts where you removed the green and blue wire. If voltage appears on one, that switch contact is welded shut.

If the fuse blows, you are somehow getting to a ground polarity in the wiring harness or at the 15 pin connector.

Our next move will depend on the results of this test.

EDIT; sorry, I just noticed that there are ground terminals on the terminal strip where the red/black wire from the fuse terminates. It that terminal strip is faulty in some way, this is where the short could occur. Before doing any of the above tests, disconnect the black wires from that terminal board and replace the fuse.

[basser38]

I had a 99 ranger not the same model (518 vx) I had moisture get into the wire harness up near the dash where the 2 ends connected...ended up removing harness and solder splicing each wire from the harness ,that cured several issues I was having... just a thought.

[Champ 2001]

This should be the wiring diagram from the owners manual on your boat.

The red/black wire on the load side of fuse 12 provides 12 volts to a terminal board in the bow panel. You will note that it goes through a 15 pin connector. This power is jumped from the terminal board to the line side of the up and down switches. These are normally open switches.

You will notice there are no ground wires anywhere near these switches. The only way this circuit can go to ground is by closing one of the switches and allowing current to flow to the trim relays under the motor cowling and go to ground there.

You say that the fuse is blowing even though the switches are not made. Only way this could be is if one of the switch contacts are stuck closed.
Let’s do this : Disconnect the blue and green wires from their switch and then replace the fuse. The fuse should hold.
Assuming the fuse holds, check for presence of voltage at each of the contacts where you removed the green and blue wire. If voltage appears on one, that switch contact is welded shut.

If the fuse blows, you are somehow getting to a ground polarity in the wiring harness or at the 15 pin connector.

Our next move will depend on the results of this test.

EDIT; sorry, I just noticed that there are ground terminals on the terminal strip where the red/black wire from the fuse terminates. It that terminal strip is faulty in some way, this is where the short could occur. Before doing any of the above tests, disconnect the black wires from that terminal board and replace the fuse.

Great information Bill! Seriously, you should write a troubleshooting book!

[Mechanic Bob]

I agree with basser38. I would just run three wire new wires up to the bow switch. Making sure you disconnect / isolate the old wires from the source.

[jigheadworm]

You sure that's a 99 didn't think 354's where still being made.

[wareagle24]

You sure that's a 99 didn't think 354's where still being made.

I agree. 1996 was the last year.

[BurntEndz]

You guy are correct, it is a 95 not a 99.....wires crossed more ways than one.

[Bill Reynolds]

The 1995 bow panel wiring was slightly different, just enough to cause some confusion. This is the 1995 version.



It occurs to me that you just need to disconnect the red/black wire at the bow and replace the fuse. If it holds the wiring up to that point is good. If it blows there is a short to ground in the red/black wire or the 15 pin connector.

If it holds, disconnect the black wire (ground) on the terminal board and re-connect the red/black wire. This will tell us if the red/black wire is grounding through the terminal board.

This is getting lengthy, hopefully you can follow the logic to trace down the short.