Loud Buzzing Instrument Panel 330 Sundancer

[rs330]

I was enjoying a peaceful summer evening on my boat when it was interrupted by a sudden loud buzzing coming from my instrument panel. Nothing happened to precipitate the event (flipping switches, starting engines or anything like that). It just randomly started out of nowhere and was quite loud.

I unscrewed the instrument panel (lower panel with switches on it) and looked in with a flashlight. It appears the sound is coming from one of two small square metal boxes (I think probably relays of some sort) screwed into the upper back right side of the panel area. (Should have taken a picture to attach here but didn't think about it at the time). This is really just a best guess since the sound was so loud and the area is so loaded with wires, etc. that it was difficult to isolate the sound specifically.

I shut down shore power and disconnected the cables and the sound continued. I then turned both battery switches off and still the sound continued. I disconnected the two batteries under the rear seating arrangement and still the sound continued. I opened the engine hatch and disconnected the starboard side, single battery and finally the noise went away. I reconnected everything except that battery and there was no noise.

I quickly flipped on and then off (for < one second) the AC converter switch (with the starboard battery disconnected) and the buzzing returned when the switch was on.

Has anyone ever had this happen and do you know what might cause this? Is it relatively simple to find and replace the relays (assuming that is what they are and that they are the source of the problem). The boat is 15 years old so I am never surprised when something wears out. I had a similar issue with my hot tub last year (same type of sound) and it was a switch relay that had gone bad. Cost a few bucks to buy a new one on the web and took me five minutes to replace it.

I am a very handy individual and do most all my boat, car and house maintenance myself, so I don't mind getting my hands dirty. I am also very aware of all the dangers associated with working with electrical systems and take great care to exercise caution when doing electrical work.

If anyone has any advice it would be appreciated. Will continue working on this after work tonight as I don't want to drain my batteries and not have bilges working (though I have dripless seals and rarely get water in my bilge). Also, does anyone know if running the AC converter with the one battery bank disconnected could damage the AC converter?

Thanks in advance for any advice. Leaving for Block Island Wednesday so I want to resolve this ASAP without having to pay the Marina a billion dollars to fix it.

 

[rs330]

Figured out noise source. It is a small gold 12 volt relay, part number 2694. Hopefully swapping it out solves the problem. Will see if any local marine stores have one tomorrow.

 

[rs330]

The relay is not a relay, it is a mechanical buzzer. I have an electrical engineer at work that looked at the 12Volt unit and it is functioning fine but he said it is a mechanical buzzer so that means it is a warning for something. Here is the frustrating part, I have all the original manuals, etc. from Sea Ray but there is no mention anywhere of an audible alarm outside of the whistle alarm when starting each of the engines. This is a mechanical buzzer with no documentation as to what it is sensing. Does anyone know where I might find info on what it is sensing and trying to warn me about? The engines were not running when it went off so I assume it is something like a bilge pump or perhaps low battery current or something like that. It could also be a faulty sensor somewhere. Any ideas?

 

[bport]

I had thought you might get a response from one of the master mechanics on the board...but since you have not...here is my two cents.

The only device I know of that is wired around the battery switches is your bilge pump. Given that the sound continued after you turned off the batteries, seems to me like this is your warning buzzer for your high water bilge pump.

Good luck.

 

[rs330]

Thanks for the reply bport.

I was thinking it might be something like that. I will do a complete engine, water, electrical, etc. inspection this afternoon. The odd thing is that there is virtually no water in the bilge so if it is for the high water pump then maybe the sensor or pump itself has gone bad or it has a short in its circuit. I will check that out too.

Perhaps my comment about not wanting to pay "a billion dollars" to fix the problem offended some of the professionals on the boards. Did not mean it to be insulting, was just trying to inject some humor.

Thanks again.

 

[LTD.330]

Good luck getting your problem resolved and let us know what you find. Some of us may find ourselves in your position one day. :thumbsup:

As bport mentioned, it's obviously and alarm for something, I was thinking possibly HW bilge pump or there may be an alarm on the Halon system if you have it.

In case you didn't know, the starboard side battery under the cockpit seat is for your genny, the port side battery under the cockpit seat is for your starboard engine, and the battery(s) in the port side bilge are for the port engine and house electrical system.

 

[georgelbenson]

I am reading this late but in case you are still having the "buzzing" problem, I had the same situation. It was the emergency bilge pump coming on after the sump pump failed. The EBP is located in the aft cabin of my 340

 

[Boatingnut]

Had the same problem once. I tracked it to a loose connection, on the common negative/black wires block. Cleaned and tightened the connection, and that was it. I cannot explain why that set off the alarm.......

 

[Whitenights]

Sort of a hijack but still about buzzers. My ignition buzzer sounds as soon as the key is turned on, and lasts until the engine starts. It is so freakin loud I can't hear the engine turning over, or even tell it is running until the exhausts sound. I wrapped a rag around it to muffle the sound which helps some.

My other boats, I/O's didn't sound right right, do all inboards buzz as soon as the key is turned on?

 

[rs330]

Thanks everyone for all the advice and comments. I never posted the final outcome of this.

It turns out the circuit breaker for my shower sump pump had popped and that the air conditioner drip pan also runs into the sump. That sump is not a sealed unit as it has a small vent hole in the top so the water was overflowing the sump pump and filling the center bilge area. Once it got high enough to set off the high water bilge that is why the alarm went off. (I was unaware that there was a third bilge in the center of the boat but now I am). The reason the buzzer did not stop was because the high water bilge pump separated so it was pumping the water in a circle. I snapped the top back on the unit and it very quickly cleared the little bit of water in that central bilge area and has been fine ever since (I tested it with a hose to be sure it would not separate again).

I have since cleaned and dried the whole area and put the buzzer back in and all is almost well. It seems at random the sump pump circuit breaker (located inconveniently under the hatch in the rear engine compartment on the 12 Volt AC converter panel area) is still popping intermittently. I can't make an event happen to cause it, seems somewhat random. I can fill and run the sump over and over or leave the boat for a few days and it is fine and then suddenly the breaker for the shower sump will be tripped. Looks like I will spend some time chasing down the wiring and doing some continuity and other tests to see if I can figure it out. I hate randomly occurring electrical problems!

As for Whitenights question: My 330 has twin inboard 7.4L gas engines. Whenever I push the ignition rocker switch partway down it makes a loud whistle until the engine turns over. It is my understanding that the whistle alarm means all gauges and warning indicators are functioning properly and if you don't hear the loud whistle then there is a failed gauge or warning indicator somewhere. I believe also that if the whistle alarm continues after start up that it is signaling a problem. Therefore the whistle at start up is there for a reason and is a good thing. Annoying yes but nice to know everything is in order and working properly. It also acts as an audible warning to everyone in the vicinity that the engines are turning over. Not a bad safety feature. I would probably argue against disabling buzzers and alarms as they are all there for a reason.

If I eventually chase down the source of my sump pump circuit breaker popping issue I will post it.

 

[tdschafer]

Thanks everyone for all the advice and comments. I never posted the final outcome of this.

It turns out the circuit breaker for my shower sump pump had popped and that the air conditioner drip pan also runs into the sump. That sump is not a sealed unit as it has a small vent hole in the top so the water was overflowing the sump pump and filling the center bilge area. Once it got high enough to set off the high water bilge that is why the alarm went off. (I was unaware that there was a third bilge in the center of the boat but now I am). The reason the buzzer did not stop was because the high water bilge pump separated so it was pumping the water in a circle. I snapped the top back on the unit and it very quickly cleared the little bit of water in that central bilge area and has been fine ever since (I tested it with a hose to be sure it would not separate again).

I have since cleaned and dried the whole area and put the buzzer back in and all is almost well. It seems at random the sump pump circuit breaker (located inconveniently under the hatch in the rear engine compartment on the 12 Volt AC converter panel area) is still popping intermittently. I can't make an event happen to cause it, seems somewhat random. I can fill and run the sump over and over or leave the boat for a few days and it is fine and then suddenly the breaker for the shower sump will be tripped. Looks like I will spend some time chasing down the wiring and doing some continuity and other tests to see if I can figure it out. I hate randomly occurring electrical problems!

As for Whitenights question: My 330 has twin inboard 7.4L gas engines. Whenever I push the ignition rocker switch partway down it makes a loud whistle until the engine turns over. It is my understanding that the whistle alarm means all gauges and warning indicators are functioning properly and if you don't hear the loud whistle then there is a failed gauge or warning indicator somewhere. I believe also that if the whistle alarm continues after start up that it is signaling a problem. Therefore the whistle at start up is there for a reason and is a good thing. Annoying yes but nice to know everything is in order and working properly. It also acts as an audible warning to everyone in the vicinity that the engines are turning over. Not a bad safety feature. I would probably argue against disabling buzzers and alarms as they are all there for a reason.

If I eventually chase down the source of my sump pump circuit breaker popping issue I will post it.

Wow, that is a frustrating problem. Glad you got a handle on it. Where was the HW pump located?
As for buzzers @ start up, I don't get any. I guess that is a bad thing from your previous post? I know that the warning panel, that looks like the outline of a boat, doesnt seem to work on my boat or the test switch is broken. Todd

 

[Creekwood]

Good luck getting your problem resolved and let us know what you find. Some of us may find ourselves in your position one day. :thumbsup:

As bport mentioned, it's obviously and alarm for something, I was thinking possibly HW bilge pump or there may be an alarm on the Halon system if you have it.

In case you didn't know, the starboard side battery under the cockpit seat is for your genny, the port side battery under the cockpit seat is for your starboard engine, and the battery(s) in the port side bilge are for the port engine and house electrical system.

Are you sure about the battery location info? I understood that on our generation 330s the house/port engine batteries are under the cockpit seat, and the starboard engine and genny ones are in the bilge?

I have put a dual golf cart battery setup in the bilge to act as my house bank (switched over the wiring at the switches) and made the under seat the starting batteries for the starboard engine.

 

[rs330]

Todd, in answer to your question regarding bilge pump locations, I have three pumps. One is right in front of the aft plug in the rear bilge and is the primary pump with no alarm. About a foot forward and four inches higher is a second pump and it has a buzzer when it runs. Inside the cabin there are two removable floor panels. In the aft compartment is the sump pump for the shower and air conditioner drip pan. If you look underneath the floor further aft you will see the third high water bilge about a foot or so in and this also has a buzzer alarm.