Power issues...

[Stoney]

Hey Guys,
I have a Garmin 178C Sounder (GPS/Fishfinder) on my 2006 170cc. I accidentially ran into some really shallow water tonight (1.7ft) and before I could cut the engine and trim up, my power automatically cut. I think it was the depth alarm that killed the power...Thank God. It could have been bad. On my way back to the dock The engine kept cutting but only when I was in gear, with the GPS/Fishfinder on and I pressed the trim up button. As soon as I pressed the trim button the power cuts and flickers. When I disconnect or turn off the GPS/FIshfinder the boat is prefectly fine. Something is definately up with the wiring. Any ideas? Do fishfinders cut your power in shallow water to prevent damage? If that is not the case there must be an issue with the alarm. I have some troubleshooting to do tomorrow. As always any advice is much appreciated.

-Stoney-

 

[wpschaef]

Auto shut off?

Hey Stoney, if there was an auto shut off my 2007 170 would have been driving me nuts every time I hit 3ft. It hasn't and I have not heard of such a contraption,(as yet anyway). I have a Lowrance 520c with a Yamaha 75hp not a Garmin but I don't imagine there would be that kind of unannounced difference. Sounds like the start of an investigation to me. Good luck!

 

[glehav]

stoney check your battier cables at the battier and at the motor sound like you have a lose wire some where to me..and when you trim up its not makeing contact hope this helps

 

[pamarine]

Power Issues

It soundlike either a loose wire, a short, or a power supply issue. My reaction to reading your post was that there is not enough capacity in your system to be able to trim the motor and run the fishifnder simultaneously. The only problem is, the fishfinder requires so little power (<5 amps @ 12vdc), that the current draw shouldn't cause a significant drop in reserve capacity for the rest of your electrical system. In order to trouble shoot, I would do the following in the order listed:

1. As previously mentioned, check the battery cable and engine power cables for tightness. Also check the wiring under your helm to make sure the rest of your electrical connections are tight.

2. Check the battery for state of health and state of charge (Done by using a load-test).

3. If problem is not with the tightness of the wiring connections or battery, install an ammeter (permanent or temporary), in the main 12vdc power feed for your electrical system and find out what is causing the excessive current draw. Do this by starting the engine, the one at a time turning on devices.

4. If none of this works, take it to the dealership or hire a marine electrician (If you're lucky there is one near you that Has a saturday price that is measured in 6-packs not dollars)

Hope this helps.

 

[Stoney]

Update: Thanks for all of the suggestions guys. The whole event was merely a coinsidence with the fishfinder and trim. There is definately something wrong. I checked every wire and connection. Cleaned them all and tightened. Saturday around 7am I went outside and the trim worked fine and I started the motor. Around 9am the trim would only make a clicking noise and not move and the motor would not start. I had battery power, just so ignition or trim. I had to take the ego hit and bring it to the dealer in Wareham, MA. Still no word on her yet. Hopefully it is not major. Maybe the alternator??? Regardless I missed out on some good fishing this weekend

 

[Genelie]

well I hope for you it is something simple....good luck

 

[asun]

I had a problem with my garmin shutting of on rough water, I forun it qto be the main ground wire from the battery to the boat. There is a ground stud in the back in the middle by the battery that was coroded and would loose contact briefly shutting off my garmin

 

[Stoney]

I got my boat back yesterday. The motor had a short somewhere internally and it eventually killed my battery. Had the short fixed, installed a new battery, and a new battery switch while I was at it. I'm back up and running now. Thanks for all the advice guys.

-Stoney-

 

[cagrove]

Glad to hear you're back in business.

Tight lines.