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Navigation Lights are receiving resistance, but will not turn on?

B

bobdog

New member
Hi all, this is my very first post; my father and I have admitted defeat to this electrical problem and decided to finally post for other people and see if we can receive any kind of help.

To start off with the basics, we own an 87 Ranger Outboard (refurbished engine).

We have charged the batteries so the electric should work (trolling motor finally does after charging batteries.) The only problem we seem to be having are the navigation lights not turning on. The only light that will turn on (which is a different switch is one courtesy light underneath the control panel).

We have also tested with an Ohms Meter to see if there was any resistance going to the navigation lights and there was. We thought it might be a switch problem for the navigation lights, so we got rid of the switch and bought a new one. To our dismay, that did not work as well.

Below is an album of pictures I took, just to let you all know what we're dealing with:

http://imgur.com/a/QBcbV

If anyone has anything that they can offer, we would appreciate it greatly.

Thanks and I'll be here to answer any questions about it to help further locate the problem!
 
Welcome to the forum.

I would start by finding out if 12 volts are available to the switch. With the switch in the off position probe for power on one of the connectors at a time. Make sure you have a good ground while you do this. Even if you find power on one connector, check the others. Then turn the switch on. Now you should have power on the connectors that supply your lights.

Also, (you could try this first) if you haven't done so, take out each bulb and make sure the contacts on the bulb and in the socket are clean and shiny. While you're there, turn the switch on and (carefully!) test for power on the contacts in the socket.

Dan
 
Hi Dan, thanks for the reply, we appreciate it. Sorry for the late heads up, but we were trying out your solutions and other things as well. We think now it is a problem with the 9-pin connector or the 15-pin connector underneath the console where all the wires file in to. The only one wire that works is a red one which we believe to be the 20amp circuit coming from the back of the boat. The only two things that work are the interior light and the horn. When we checked the two pin connectors (9 and 15) it was all oxidized and blackness covered in (gunky sticky). Could that be a problem; the oxidation is not letting power flow through? We are thinking about just splicing them together, would this be a good option?

Thanks so much bud!
 
Sounds like you made good progress.

Corrosion can definitely be the problem with the connectors. If it was me (and I'm just a boat owner, not a repair professional), I would unplug each connector and clean the pins and sockets that the pins slide into. For the pins, you could use some fine sandpaper. The female end you need to use something that doesn't spread the connector too much. Maybe a small screwdriver or a paperclip? The goal is to get a good metal-to-metal contact when the connector is joined back together. Lots of people use di-electric grease to prevent the corrosion from reforming.

Regarding eliminating the connectors by splicing, I would hesitate doing that, but that's just me. If you do go that route, I recommend using heat-shrink butt terminals (preferably with adhesive inside) and a good crimping tool. Be sure to give the wires a tug test after crimping, but before heat shrinking the insulator.

Dan
 
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