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fairja.
I am having issues with my 1997 basscat. it wont turn over at all. I took the cranking battery and it showed up as bad. so I went and bought a new battery for it. I still have the same issue even though the battery is fully charged. I noticed when I turn the master panel doesnt come on. I dont get any sound (no beeps when I turn the key) or any gauges move. Any ideas wounld be appreciated.
I would first check the main power fuse on the motor if you have no power to the motor. Then check the terminal located on the transom of the boat might be a loose or bad connection problem.
It sounds like you have tripped the circuit breaker on the main battery lead. There is a small button on the end of the breaker, and it is located within 6″ of the positive terminal.You also probably tripped the fuse on the engine. This is located under the cowling, usually on the right hand side of the engine about 2/3rds up and in the middle of the block. Start tracing those wires on that right side, and you should find a fuse there. Newer engines have the auto style fuses, older ones have the glass tubes. You probably tripped these either upon replacing the new battery and had the power on at that time. You could also have triggered them if you did not have the troller disconnected and the system is using the main cranking battery as a troller. Just reactivate everything and be sure you have it all wired up right. It could also be that you have the wiring replaced wrong after the new battery install. This could have tripped the systems and you will have to get the wiring right before moving forwards. DO NOT REMOVE THE CIRCUIT PROTECTION! It could cause a fire in the boat and damage the boat and more. Hope this helps! BCB
I looked for a fuse around my batteries and didnt find one. I assumed it would be by my cranking battery so I checked it first with no luck. I check the other three as well with no luck. This seems like the logical issue since I dont have power any where. Not sure where to go from here. I cant get my boat out of the garage to take to the dealer until I get my motor up. I keep it down in the garage so I have more room to get around.
Unless someone has tampered with the wiring, there should be a small black bow 1″ x 1.5″ on the red wires coming from the cranking battery. This is a 12 gauge wire and comes from the terminal block on the transom. We think since you did not find the breaker, you may not have connected that wire. The breaker is a required part. Please make sure you have this. The fuse on the engine and those leads are a different matter and you should trace down the black #6 wires for the ends to go on the terminals for the cranking battery. The Other #6 wires with blue ends are for the trolling motor. If you do not get this all unwound pretty soon, we are going to suggest a trip to the dealership. BCB
Im with Basscat on this. I usually take a wire tie and tie all the battery leads together when removing the battery to keep one of the wires from getting lost. Count the number of wires connected to the negative post and compare the number with the positive post. If you have 3 black wires to neg and 2 red wires to pos then you are missing a positive wire. If you have 3 positive wires and 2 black negative wires then you are missing the negative wire. Both numbers should match unless you have installed strange equipment. If that fails remove the battery and locate all loose wires. Im willing to bet there is a wire under the battery that got overlooked. I am pretty sure the original number of wires would have been 3 on each besides the heavy battery cables. 1 goes to the onboard charger, one goes to the power bus at the transom and one goes to the motor trim and tilt wiring. From what you are describing is you dont have the wires connected for the main boat power. The circuit breaker that is being discussed at the battery is a small square item with 2 lugs with wires on them. That breaker has a tab on the side that pops out when the breaker has been tripped. If you find this all you have to do is push it back in. If you have separate trolling motor batteries you will see similar breakers on them, that should help you know what to look for at the main battery.
the problem is fixed. it was the fuse. thanks to everyone for the input and advice. I appreicate it. John fair
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