More Problems

M

mawyatt

New Member
Dec 13, 2007
1,001
Clearwater, Fl
Boat Info
2008 Sundancer 38DA
Engines
8.1L Mercruisers
I haven't been down to the boat in a few days and haven't checked things out in a couple weeks due to storms and travel. I go and check on the boat this past Tuesday and find the TVs don't work. Today after work is the first time I could get back. I find all the TVs & DVDs have no power, all the regular AC outlets except the gally are dead. I checked & reset the various GFI outlets and only the gally and cockpit are active (green LED indicates power), also find the cockpit frig has no AC power. I then checked the schematics and the vacumn cleaner is on the starboard AC feed that appears to be dead, and it's dead as well. The AC port and starboard switch/breakers are not tripped and appear to toggle. It looks like these two breakers are not supplying AC power, everything else, well except the fresh water (another topic) seems OK, the Air, the Microwave, the Battery Charger, the Water Pump, the Stove, the Head all work. My guess is these two breaker/switches are bad or have a loose connection to the AC hot buss. Tomorrow I plan on taking the AC panel off and checking the voltages.

Are these switches/breakers prone to break? Anyone have any issues like this??

Thanks,

Mike
 
Last edited:
odd. i've seen breakers trip too readily when they get old, but dead ones? havent ever seen that. i guess it's pretty easy to check them with a multimeter. if they are fried, they're easy to find in stores. good luck and let us know what happens!
 
Don't you have 2 power cords coming into the boat? If your 38 DA is wired like my 380 DA was, you probably do. I assume there are two voltmeters built into the panel; one for port and one for starboard. If the starboard breakers are dead, what does the starboard voltmeter read? The voltmeters are hooked directly to the bus the breakers connect to so I doubt the built-in voltmeter is also bad along with any breakers.

You may want to check the main breaker that is somewhere between the incoming power cord and the panel. On my 380, if I remember correctly, it was in the transom locker (it's been a few years). My wife would always trip that breaker with her hair dryer.

Some basic diagnostic work is good to do before calling the dealer.... regardless if it's under warranty or not. Otherwise, you end up looking like a fool if a breaker is blown on the shore power or something simple like that.
 
Remember to check the breakers on the power ploes on the dock especially if you have two power cords as Gary said. One leg could have blown during the storms you have noted .
This happened quite often 3 years ago at our marina during a storm.
With all new power poles installed I have not see any instances.
Dan
 
Daniel P Thomas said:
Remember to check the breakers on the power ploes on the dock especially if you have two power cords as Gary said. One leg could have blown during the storms you have noted .
This happened quite often 3 years ago at our marina during a storm.
With all new power poles installed I have not see any instances.
Dan
Click to expand...

Good point... switch the cords/plugs at the pole to see if the breaker on the tower is bad. Those do go bad all the time (I've owned several of them).
 
Hampton said:
Heck, let the dealer deal with it!
Click to expand...

I sent an email to MM last night, but I'm sure they won't be able to get a service guy out until next week..and I plan on taking the boat back to MM to get the bottom paint redone next week. I could wait as you suggested but would like to have the TVs working in case the admiral wants to go for a spin on her B-day!

Mike
 
I went and looked at your parts manual. Is this your panel?

36DAPanel.jpg


So you do have a power LED and voltmeter on each side...

I'll ask the stupid question. Is the power switch turned on? (#11)
 
Four Suns said:
Don't you have 2 power cords coming into the boat? If your 38 DA is wired like my 380 DA was, you probably do. I assume there are two voltmeters built into the panel; one for port and one for starboard. If the starboard breakers are dead, what does the starboard voltmeter read? The voltmeters are hooked directly to the bus the breakers connect to so I doubt the built-in voltmeter is also bad along with any breakers.

You may want to check the main breaker that is somewhere between the incoming power cord and the panel. On my 380, if I remember correctly, it was in the transom locker (it's been a few years). My wife would always trip that breaker with her hair dryer.

Some basic diagnostic work is good to do before calling the dealer.... regardless if it's under warranty or not. Otherwise, you end up looking like a fool if a breaker is blown on the shore power or something simple like that.
Click to expand...

Gary,

These breakers are not the main AC breakers. You are correct that I have 2 AC inputs and 2 AC cords to the dock power. These are referred to as line 1 and line 2 in the schematics. Both have volt and current meters. I have availabe power on both 1 and 2 lines per the voltmeters and other stuff is running off 1 and 2. The switch/breakers in question are called port and stbd (starboard) systems and are powered off line 2 which also powers the Air, water heater and stove (which I have verified have power). What is puzzeling me is that both strb and port systems appear not to have power and come from the same line 2 source which is verified with power? Two breakers failing at the same time is unlikely.

I'm an EE like you (I design analog and radio frequency integrated circuits) and traced to the common root cause which appears to be these two breakers. This morning I plan on removing the AC panel and poking around with my DVM, hopefully I'll find a loose/disconnected wire(s).

It's nice SR provides schematics and layouts which helps in tracing the problem...just wish they would provide larger versions as I can't quite read some of the smaller print. Guess it's time for the magnifing glass..getting old sucks!!

Thanks to all for the help,

Mike
 
As soon as you can, get to the boat and feel the shore power plugs where they enter the boat. If one of them is warmer (hot) than the other, unplug both and take the recepticles apart and look behind then where the wiring is attached to the back side. ON some boats, for a few years, for an unknown reason, Sea Ray did not strip the wire back enough or they over inserted the wire into the lug, either way, the clamping lug clamped partially down on insulation ang resulted in a bad connection that fails after a few years.

This is a serious fire hazzard and needs to be eliminated as a potential cause for your problem IMMEDIATELY.
 
The schematics are nice... and the wires actually are all labeled so it's easy to trace things. You'll do a better job than a SR tech will probably do with your back ground.

Good luck... Post what you find.

Oh.. I'm with you on the reading glasses thing. My eyes seem to get worse by the day.. I'm up to 2.5X on the reading glasses magnification now. I can't read my helm instruments anymore without reading glasses on.
 
Four Suns said:
I went and looked at your parts manual. Is this your panel?

36DAPanel.jpg


So you do have a power LED and voltmeter on each side...

I'll ask the stupid question. Is the power switch turned on? (#11)
Click to expand...

Gary,

Yes it's on!! The breakers in question are in the upper right corner labled strb and port systems. They toggle on/off and don't "feel" any different than the other breakers. Per the schematic these provide power from line 2 to the TVs, salon, head, cockpit, and stateroom receptacles..all of which are dead. The galley systems breaker feeds from line 1 and these receptacles are powered. Very puzzing!!

Thanks,

Mike
 
The other very simple thing may be a wire that has come loose from not being crimped correctly to the fittings screwed into the bus. I've chased a few of those down on my 480 over the years.
 
From what you stated, it probably won't help, but just for Ss and Gs I'd try running off the genie and see if anything changes.
 
Geez I get a compliment from Gary (not withstanding the picture of my Hot Water Heater in another post) and still one measly green ball?
 
I've already been dinged a couple times this morning... sh*t happens I guess...
 
Are you saying that two GFIs still don't have power? If so, the GFI outlets themselves could be bad or have a wire not making a very good connection. Unlikely that two would go at the same time, but hey, they are easy to pull and check.
 
osd9 said:
Are you saying that two GFIs still don't have power? If so, the GFI outlets themselves could be bad or have a wire not making a very good connection. Unlikely that two would go at the same time, but hey, they are easy to pull and check.
Click to expand...

Yes. The TVs and regular outlets are in series with the GFI outlets, thus they are all protected by effective GFI. I agree this is very puzzling, and will look at the individual GFI outlets and the 2 mentioned breakers/switches.

Thanks,

Mike
 
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