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 Post subject: battery switch
PostPosted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 6:22 pm 
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Tadpole

Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2013 5:54 pm
Posts: 3
Location: ct
i just picked up a 1988 four winns 200 horizon, this is the first boat ive owned after being on a family members 68' cris craft commander 31' most of life. i cant seem to be able to find the battery switch. anybody know the general area where it could be located? trying to figure out if the boat runs before i decide to spend more money on it for risers, manifolds and sterndrive. if it makes a difference for locations it is a 5.0 305 omc cobra

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1988 Four Winns 200 Horizon


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 Post subject: Re: battery switch
PostPosted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 7:12 pm 
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Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2011 8:14 am
Posts: 376
Location: Columbus ,Ohio
Have you looked under all the seats near the transom? It could be quite possible that the previous owner never had one installed in the boat? Find the battery and chase it down , starter, to the ignition , look all around. Lou or Ray will help you out once they see this thread. Good luck.

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1997 Horizon RS 180
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 Post subject: Re: battery switch
PostPosted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 7:20 pm 
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Tadpole

Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2013 5:54 pm
Posts: 3
Location: ct
Toddely wrote:
Have you looked under all the seats near the transom? It could be quite possible that the previous owner never had one installed in the boat? Find the battery and chase it down , starter, to the ignition , look all around. Lou or Ray will help you out once they see this thread. Good luck.



yea i have the rear seats removed for easy access to battery, chased both pos and neg battery cables and the pos cable goes directly to starter and the neg cable goes to block then to the starter, then a yellow/red wire coming from starter up to ignition at helm. also with battery connected the navigation lights, dash lights, and both radios turn on, though no sound from am/fm radio, probably just speakers, not concerned about that, also not hearing fuel pump kick on and no click from starter, have manually turned motor by hand so i know the motor is not ceased, also next to all dash switches there is a smallish red switch with no indication of what it controls

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 Post subject: Re: battery switch
PostPosted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 8:26 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 10:26 pm
Posts: 5688
Location: Long Island NY
I think it was an option but mine didn't have one. I put in a dual battery battery system some years back.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II


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 Post subject: Re: battery switch
PostPosted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 9:16 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 5:10 pm
Posts: 2032
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
jrmopartrt wrote:
yea i have the rear seats removed for easy access to battery, chased both pos and neg battery cables and the pos cable goes directly to starter and the neg cable goes to block then to the starter, then a yellow/red wire coming from starter up to ignition at helm...

If your positive goes directly to the starter (actually the starter solenoid) then you don't have a battery switch. What engine type is it? If it is OMC, there are two 50 amp fuses near the top/back of the engine that you need to check. Are you getting any "click" at all from the starter/solenoid?

Ray

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings


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 Post subject: Re: battery switch
PostPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 5:15 pm 
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Joined: Sun May 20, 2012 8:22 pm
Posts: 274
Location: New Carlisle, Ohio
Mine don't have one either. It is however on the checklist of things to do this winter tho.

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 Post subject: Re: battery switch
PostPosted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:08 am 
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Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 5:10 pm
Posts: 2032
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
I have a battery switch, SINGLE BATTERY ONLY, for sale. 20 years old but never been used. Looks like new except brass terminals on back are a little dark from tarnish. Orange. $8 plus shipping to a good home.
Image
Looks something like this picture I found online, except one for sale is SINGLE BATTERY, NOT DUAL.
(this is not actual picture. I can send an actual picture before purchase)

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings


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 Post subject: Re: battery switch
PostPosted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 11:38 am 
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Tadpole

Joined: Tue Sep 10, 2013 5:54 pm
Posts: 3
Location: ct
Thank you for the help, got it running last night, cleaned off starter terminals and found bad contact between the points in the distributor, cleaned and re gapped points on distributor and she fired right up, now onto rewiring my blower and bilge pump so they work

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1988 Four Winns 200 Horizon


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 Post subject: Re: battery switch
PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 5:22 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2006 10:26 pm
Posts: 5688
Location: Long Island NY
If your batt cables are original, plan on ditching them because they used nasty and cheap automotive cables on those boats, I re-did all the batt cables when I put in a dual batt system, with tinned marine wire, a Cole Hersee switch (very good quality) and cables of adequate gauge. I used 2 gauge for the short ones and 1/0 for the longer one for the batt on the port side. Make sure that the ground stud on the engine is clean and tight.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II


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