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| Mariner 30EL Shocking Problem |
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Message |
    
david smith
New member
Username: pirate90
Post Number: 1
Registered: 11-2009
| | Posted on Monday, November 09, 2009 - 09:50 pm: | 
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I recently acquired a used 1989 30 hp Mariner 30EL which I installed on a 16' Carolina Skiff. The motor runs great and we used it several times with no issues until we decided to go swimming.
I recently took my wife and son out and we went swimming for the first time and got pretty much everything in the boat wet with salt water. While heading in my son stuck his hand in the water and received a shock, his other hand was touching my wife's leg and she also felt the shock. I grabbed the throttle control and received a serious jolt, not a little tingle.
Once the boat dried out the problem went away. I took the boat out later and had no problems but once I got the interior wet I was unable to touch the throttle without receiving a shock
I am far from a expert on electrical matters, but here is what I have done so far. I visually examined the coil and plug wires and could find no apparent damage, I also checked the CDI unit and saw no obvious damage to the wiring. Sitting in the drive way I used a voltmeter and touched the positive lead to the shift control box and the negative to the engine, while it was running. It showed roughly 55 volts. I am now at a loss and looking for any help in identifying the source of the electricity. All help is greatly appreciated. As a side note, the ignition switch is separate from the controls and mounted in the console. |
JUST-IN-TIME
Senior Member
Username: justintime
Post Number: 7067
Registered: 09-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - 05:42 am: |
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got a bad ground |
david smith
New member
Username: pirate90
Post Number: 2
Registered: 11-2009
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - 07:57 am: |
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Thank you for the information. My next question is how should I go about troubleshooting this. Sorry to sound stupid on this, but what exactly constitutes the ground on an engine. I notice there are black wires scattered around the engine that bond different parts together. Could one of these connections be bad? |
JUST-IN-TIME
Senior Member
Username: justintime
Post Number: 7078
Registered: 09-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - 02:52 am: |
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yes
black is ground |
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