electrical bug
 

Put a new Garmin 182C in my 382 dash at the end of the year. Power supplied by "electronics" feed as was the previous factory Raytheon unit. When I hit my trim switches, the GPS dies and needs restarted. Weird!!! Any ideas??

Ground:confused: :confused:

Not only ground but probably a voltage drop. Your GPS power should be run all the way back to the battery. My solution to that was to run a LARGE guage power/ground wire (8ga) up to the dash and I distribute the power out from there.

Jon

The Garmin 182C has less power draw than the Raytheon, which can make it more sensitive to supply voltage/ground differences. The Raytheon probably had a more stable power supply, which allowed it to function with the trim problem.

Most likely culprit is the ground connections going to your trim pump and solenoid. Clean all connections at your pump and try again. If still a problem, trace back the ground back to the battery junction posts and see if there is a loose/corroded connection there. If all connections are clean and tight, your trim motor may be drawing too many amps (but just below tripping the circuit breaker). This means that a new motor may be required, or a complete disassembly and check.

Good Luck!

-Larry

All the way back to the battery? Are you friggin nuts? !?!It's a bad ground that is being shared to the trim switches. The unit draws less than an amp. Measure the power bus behind the dash.....two big copper strips that everything is connected to.....measure while not pressing trim, and while pressing trim. This will verify the drop first.

Then....let us know.

Just traded up to the 382 in late July. Took a while to have some glass work done and install the motors, etc. Had a Garmin 220 chart plotter in my 311 and loved it. Couldn't figure out how to find my backside in the dark with the Raytheon unit, so I upgraded to the 182 just before the final run of the season when I noticed the problem. Sounds like some good possibilities you guys have suggested. It will take me awhile to check them out and get back to you ... it's about 30* here and she's tucked away in my storage building for the winter. Will repost with my findings in the future. Thanks for the help!

I had looked at his avitar when I suggested that :D:D Just re read it and realized he has the 382. They are wired better.

He could still be having a issue with voltage drop Phantom. If you have a voltage drop for a moment then the Garmin will reset. They have VERY small power supplies and need stable power to them. There may be a bad gound of course but the upgrade to the electrical is a good idea. Run your own grounds and power from the dist. pannel.

Jon

Jon....the distribution panel is in front of the helm.......inside the cabin. :)

I noticed this problem only at idle. It may be spring before I can fully check this out. A 382 with extension boxes in a 40' storage building with a 9' ceiling doesn't leave much room to work in. Again, thanks for the suggestions!

Re: electrical bug
 

And now ... the rest of the story.

While taking a run up to Detroit Saturday with the girlfriend and a buddy, the stereo quits and won't power up. Then, the GPS unit quits and won't repower. Then the K-planes and trim quit working. Of course, the gas guage goes south, too! I'm filling my drawers waiting for the motors to quit 30 miles from the ramp.

Needless to say, we turned and headed back to the trailer. The engines never sputtered or missed a beat, but nothing else was working except the temp & oil guages and tachs. There was no voltage left in the house battery that basically runs everything else on the boat.

After replacing the house battery with a new one, I found that both batteries charge while on shore power, but the house battery is not charging while underway. After a few hours of draw (i.e. poker run with the stereo going), the voltage would drop just enough to trip the GPS off when trimming the drives.

After extensive review of schematics and wiring, and conversations with both the Formula dealer and factory tech, I have found that one alternator is charging at 14.4 volts, the other at 18.6 volts (yikes!) which I believe may have cooked the battery isolator. I have replaced the house battery ($60), the voltage regulator ($35), ordered a new battery isolator ($175 retail), and will be watching the starting battery closely.

Fortunately, I believe I have figured out the problem, and I didn't blow up a battery, cook any electronics, or get stranded in the middle of the lake. All things considered, I guess it wasn't such a bad day after all!