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Greetings -- I am trying to fix a few things on my 2004 268 Vista before I put her to bed for the Winter.
1. The lights in my head will not come on. I haven't replaced the bulbs yet, but that seems like the easiest thing to do first. Before I do, is there a fuse I can look at first? The switch itself work or at least lights up when in the on position. I checked the GFC in the electrical outlet as well. It did not trip.
The cabin lights work fine so I guess the are on a separate breaker/fuse. If I do have to replace the lights, does any one no the size/part number?

2. The Guest search light stopped working. It won't turn or light. I checked the fuse at the helm and it is fine. From reading on the forum there seems to be an inline fuse behind the switch console? Has anyone with a 268 Vista had to replace this fuse? Is there an easy way to get to the back of the console where all the wiring is located? This is the console where the steering wheel is connected and all the switches are located.

Thanks in advance.

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2004 268 Vista "Satisfy My Sol"

I would recommend pulling a bulb, putting a couple pins in the connectors and using a volt meter to see if you are getting power to the bulb. Just make sure you don't short circuit anything. You could also use that volt-ohm meter to check the bulbs for continuity. I changed the lights in my cabin and head to LEDs a couple years ago to reduce power draw and heat in the cabin. Several others have done this also. Do a search for LED cabin lights. The OEM bulb is a "G4" base meaning it has 2 exposed pins. I'm not sure of the exact bulb number, but you will probably want 150 to 170 lumens. Some prefer "warm white" which is a little more in the yellow-white side of the color spectrum. Others prefer "cool white" which is a bit more on the blue-white side.

The lens cover on these light fixtures can be removed by prying down. The OEM halogen bulbs get very hot, so handle with care. Many LED bulbs are polarity sensitive, and some of the light fixtures may have been wired backwards. If an LED bulb does not work, try turning the bulb half a turn.

There are a couple in-line fuses hidden behind the dash. I don't recall exactly what each one is for. The cup holders can be removed to tease you just enough to maybe be able to see them. The dash switch panel can be unscrewed and pulled back from the dash, but it does take some clever jockeying around the steering column to move it back a couple inches. While you have it open, take a few minutes to look things over. You just might find other issues that you can fix before they get out of control.

Sorry I don't have better answers for you. My 268 went to storage a couple days ago.

Gary

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Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon

Thank you for the response. I'll take a look tonight and tinker around with it. If I find the answers I will post back here.

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2004 268 Vista "Satisfy My Sol"

I found the issue with the searchlight. It wasn't an the inline fuse near the console. I electrical lines became unplugged (somehow). Here are some pix.

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2004 268 Vista "Satisfy My Sol"

That's a relief!

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2001 328 Vista

Previous Boats:
2004 Sea Ray 220 Select