www.iFourWinns.com

Well I just finished the task of installing a windlass on my 248. Terminated all wires and used the existing windlass switch on the dash. I was unable to power my solenoid pack. There are 3 wires on the dash switch. From the top down as follows. red/black, orange, black/red. The orange is the one in question. I checked the fuse it checked out ok, ohmed wire to confirm it was the proper one at the fuse panel and it was. It was getting dark so I temporarily ran 1 wire directly from the positive on the battery to the orange wire which is essentially where the existing one goes via the fuse box and the windlass operated with no issues.
Not sure why it won't work off the existing wiring. I do have 12V from the orange to the negative on the bottom of the fuse panel.
Any suggestions would be much apprietiated as I really don't fell like pulling a wire from the battery to the dash. I have a feeling there is a simplier solution

Thanks for any help given.

Mike

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

If you are sure yo are getting 12 volts using a voltmeter from power off the switch to ground, I would hook it back to the switch and back probe the connector on the power wire and see if the voltage drops off when you press the switch. A bad connection is the only thing that makes sense, if it worked with your jumper wire.

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Jeff

'14 Cruisers 380 Express "Simon Sez"
Merc 8.2 Mag MPI 380
DTS B3X, (x2) Axius Premier


(SOLD)
'08 V318
Merc 350 Mag MPI 300
DTS Seacore, B3 (x2)

Bear in mind some switches are backlit and that will require power from whatever circuit lights them up. Which wouldn't have anything to do with the switch not working, however.

On the 348 the blk/red is wired windlass down. Red/blk is windlass up. Orn/blk is 'windlass in'. Gra/grn is gauge lights with Yel being return (to that circuit ground). I'm guessing that the orange wire should be providing 12v for the windlass solenoid. It's switch to either blk/red or red/blk depending on the desired direction of the windlass. Those two wires being what goes up to the windlass solenoid. So if there's no power coming into the switch then trace it back and find out why.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Well I slept on it last night and figured the problem out. Bear in mind this was 11:30 pm when troubleshooting and tired. When I finished wiring and wanted to test the windlass out I used my spare battery that was in the garage. I brought it in the boat and never bothered to install it into the "ship systems". So all of the heavy #4 wire was powered from the one battery on the deck, and the switch was getting the 12V from battery 1 which was installed in the boat through the battery switch. So basically I was useing 2 different negatives and not completing the circuit. It's amazing what a little sleep will do for you.

Now off to the next project....Installing a newer VHF.

Thanks for the help

Mike

_________________
2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike