The only electrics i have on me rib are nav lights + chartplotter. The wires were a little untidy so i decided to tidy things up a bit. Went to local electric wholesalers where was told that ordinary 240v cable would suffice, so i used that to rewire + tidy things up. But now nothing works! Is it that the cable is too heavy? Ive checked battery + tried connecting to portable power but no luck. Anyone any advice?
Parm I'm no expert but the bigger the wire the easy the current flows. So 240 V wire should work but its not the most appropriate.
Out of all my experiences with wiring the most common fault I have come across is usually a bad earth or a joint that has been compromised with moisture etc.
To go any further we need to know some details about your engine and maybe a circuit diagram.
If you can't get or don't want to buy marine cable try Halfords for some 5 amp cable for your lights. That should be plenty strong enough.
i will buy marine cable if i ned to its just that i was told the cable i got was suitable. As for the wireing its pretty basic, lights + wire direct from battery to fuse holder and then to lights and - wire direct from battery round each light and plotter much the same
do you have a multimeter? Usually possible to spot electrical problems by either measuring voltage or resistance at various points around the circuit. You can get them pretty cheap - probably best not to go to that Electronics shop for it though - as advice was pretty crap.
General advice is to use marine grade tinned cable. BUT there are people (including one marine electronics dealer not far from me) who say just to use multistrand vehicle cable.
problem solved. Basically there must be a break in the cable somewere as power going in one end but none at other end. ohh + a blown fuse. Replaced cable + fuse + all is well. Great how a little thing can cause so much grief. Thanks for al your advice + info
Thumper
War Shot
