330 SR Sundancer Battery Switches. How Wired?

[dpmulvey]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Saint Max has two switches in a compartment aft of the helm seat. They are on / off only. I'll be damned if I can figure out how they are wired.

Turn them both off and nothing works. So far so good.

Turn either / or on and everything works regardless.

I anticipated the starboard switch may cut power to the starboard engine and the port switch cut power to the port / house bank. Not so. Turn the port switch on / leave the stbd switch off and I get power to both engines and the 12VDC panel. Turn the stbd switch on / leave the port switch off and I get power to both engines and the 12VDC panel.

I don't intend to mess with it if that is the way it is suppose to be, but it makes no sense to me at all. It's as if the "On" on either switch is acting like a "Both" on a combining switch.

TIA[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]

 

[fc3]

Mine are wired such that the port battery bank is wired though the port switch and the starboard battery is wired though the starboard switch. Only the starboard engine runs from the starboard battery. Everything else runs of the port bank. If you have a cross feed problem, check your battery charger, charge isolator (if equipped, it was an option) and emergency start system. You have a problem.

Best regards,
Frank

 

[dpmulvey]

Mine are wired such that the port battery bank is wired though the port switch and the starboard battery is wired though the starboard switch. Only the starboard engine runs from the starboard battery. Everything else runs of the port bank. If you have a cross feed problem, check your battery charger, charge isolator (if equipped, it was an option) and emergency start system. You have a problem.

Best regards,
Frank

Frank:

How could I trace this?

 

[Creekwood]

Frank, how does the emergency cross over switch work on our boats? If the solenoid was frozen "on" would that be the symptom? Does the switch parallel the batteries to just the engine starters or to all systems?

 

[Alegria]

I am interested in this too as it does not sound normal and well I am in the same boat as you all!!!

The emergency cross over switch is where I would go first, easiest to check with a voltmeter. There are two red leads and mine is tucked up on the port side of the forward bulkhead. I would check for continuity across the switch. Should be open when the switch is not pressed and closed with a click when the switch is pressed and should show as closed on the voltmeter.....

If not, could be the crossover charger which is the big gold block on the forward bulkhead. That I am not sure how to test.

My thoughts are be careful as you don't want to run things with only one switch on as you will I bet overload something. What I mean is that if you look at the wiring for engine starting they are a much heavier gauge then the ones you see at the gold crossover block. But if you leave starboard switch off and then start the starboard engine with the port switch on you are drawing a lot of current and a good voltage drop which motors don't like... So I would be careful as far as that goes....

 

[fc3]

Test the solenoid with an ohmmeter on the Rx1 scale. Should read infinity when connected to the two big terminals. Near zero ohms would be internally shorted.

Test the cross-over charging system with an ohm meter on Rx1 scale except digital DVMs. Digital units must be set to the diode test position. Connect the positive lead from the meter to one of the alternator terminals. Connect the negative lead to one of the battery terminals. Should read nearly zero ohms. Reverse the leads. Should read near infinity. Repeat by moving the positive lead back to alt term. Connect the negative lead to the other battery terminal. Repeat as before. Then repeat all for the other alternator terminal.

Test the battery charger by turning off the charger. Set the ohmmeter to Rx1 or diode test if a digital meter. Connect the positive lead to port battery's positive lead connect the negative lead to the starboard battery's positive lead. Should get nearly infinity. Reverse the leads. Still should read infinity.

Best regards,
Frank