Alan
Austin, TX
Boat Name: Catalina 22
Model/Year: 1985
Hull No.
Hailing Port: Lake Travis |
 04/09/2004 7:57 AM Pacific Time
I just recently acquired a Catalina 22 with no battery in it. When I put the battery in it and went to wire it up I slowly and methodically tried numerous configurations. Ironically, the only way it seems to work correctly at all is to have all the wires hooked up to the negative and only one wire to the positive which is diametrically opposed to what I would expect. If I did it the other way, wierd stuff would happen like the switches on the panel would all light when all were turned off accept one. Anyway, it shouldn't matter, correct? as long as I have a complete circuit? Please let me know if this is a known issue. The main reason I am writing is because I want to know if anyone knows of any reasonable solution for rewiring a 1985 Catalina 22. First off, there are no black, red and blue wires coming from the wiring harness, they are all white (which makes me wonder if someone rewired it) and secondly, I can not get my mast light to work. The strange thing here is that I get about 10 volts of potential at the the mast light plug in connector, but no light at all. All I can figure is there is a bad ground somewhere and it is getting voltage but no amperage. If I hotwire the mast light it shines brightly, if I plug it in - nothing. This has been maddening. The wiring diagrams I have found have the mast light connected with the running lights and a black wire that is supposed to come out of the wiring harness which must be the return. Once again all the wiring harness wires are white. I have an extra wire that comes out of the harness but it appears to go no where. I have checked everything for continuity with an ohm meter and I am getting no return from the mast light connector. The mystery 10 volts makes no sense at all. Is there a way to rewire a mast light without tearing up the boat?
Thanks for your time,
Alan |
R Thomas
Long Beach, CA
Boat Name:
Model/Year: C-22 1989
Hull No. 14922
Hailing Port: Long Beach |
04/10/2004 10:52 AM Pacific Time
If your battery voltage is tested at 12 volts and you are measuring the voltage at the mast light at 10 volts, you have to have high resistance at a corroded wire connection somewhere between the source and the mast light. It could even be at the switch. To test the voltage drop across a switch, use a multi-meter set to dc volts across the terminals of the switch with the switch on. The voltage drop across the terminals snould be less than .5 volts.
Bob Thomas |
R Thomas
Long Beach, CA
Boat Name:
Model/Year: C-22 1989
Hull No. 14922
Hailing Port: Long Beach |
04/10/2004 11:00 AM Pacific Time
Also you can jumper one wire at a time from the battery, testing with the mult-imeter. Doing this you can identify if the Battery+ or the ground wire is bad. |
Rich Reisner
Fayston, VT
Boat Name: Meant 2 Be
Model/Year: C-22 1985
Hull No. 13049
Hailing Port: Charlotte, VT |
04/18/2004 5:37 PM Pacific Time
Alan,
I have been crawling all over on 1985 C-22 and found in the area in front of the forward V-berth behind the panel revealed the wiring on top under the deck. The color coding was as the diagram that manual showed.
Check you boat. I am sure that no one has changed the wiring since it is imbeded in the interior shell. With effort you could rewire or test the exisiting wiring of your boat. Let me know how your are doing.
Rich Reisner |
Linda Hoffecker
Lancaster, PA
Boat Name: t/c
Model/Year: '82 Cat 22
Hull No. t/c
Hailing Port: Havre de Grace, MD |
08/06/2004 9:24 AM Pacific Time
Alan,
I am having mast light problems, too. Would you please tell me where you got your wiring diagrams? And, good luck!
Thanks!
Linda
[email protected]. |
Tom Nadeau
Port St. Lucie, FL.
Boat Name: Finalee
Model/Year: C22/ 1982
Hull No. 11178
Hailing Port: Port St. Lucie, FL. |
08/07/2004 1:11 AM Pacific Time
Linda,
Here's a link to the C22 wiring diagrams for you: http://www.fleet130.org/technotes/electrical/index.htm
|
Deb Smith
Bloomington, Indiana
Boat Name: Catalina 22
Model/Year: 1977
Hull No. 7572
Hailing Port: |
04/19/2005 12:50 PM Pacific Time
Hello. I am having a Mast light problem and I have little electrical experience, however, I am a quick learner. The mast light worked intermittently last summer and I can't determine the problem. Bulbs replaced, no luck. The light is an 'Aqua Signal' and is after market type that was added by previous owner of this '77 Catalina 22. Have blue, green, red, and white wires in light fixture, all are connected except white. I have a little electric meter with DC settings. How can I tell if power is reaching light fixture? (I know that sounds like a dumb question, sorry) Is there some way I can tell if power is getting to the 'plug' on the deck near the mast that the power cord from the mast plugs (screws) into? (another after market addition by previous owner) Any info is greatly appreciated! Deb |
Michael Smalter
Webster, NY
Boat Name: Marrakesh
Model/Year: 1986
Hull No. 13645
Hailing Port: Rochester, NY |
04/19/2005 5:34 PM Pacific Time
Mast light problems are very common, and in my experience usually related to poor contacts, either in the deck plug or the bulb holder. Use steel wool to clean the pins of the deck plug and the bulb holder.
First test your plug in the deck/cabintop. Turn on all your mast fuse switches. Stick the red and black voltmeter probes into the holes in the deck fixture You should find that one of the sockets in the deck fixture is ground, and the other 3 are hot (1 each for the anchor light, the steaming light, and the deck light if you have one).
I’ve confused myself trying to use the Ohm meter on the mast, due to the shared ground. I found a better way was to buy a continuity meter for less than $10 at the hardware store. It has an alligator clip at one end, a metal contact at the other, and contains a battery and flashlight bulb. Clip the alligator clip to the pin on the plug that corresponds to the ground wire of the deck fixture and then move the metal contact to the other pins one at a time. If the bulb in the continuity meter lights, the circuit associated with than pin is OK.
I have a 1986 and had to replace the deck plug several years ago due to erratic performance. Evidently the pins had worn and weren’t making good contact with the deck fixture. Good Luck!
|
Deb Smith
Bloomington, Indiana
Boat Name: Catalina 22
Model/Year: 1977
Hull No. 7572
Hailing Port: |
05/14/2005 12:59 PM Pacific Time
Thanks Michael for the info. I haven't purchased the Ohm meter yet but it sounds like a good investment. I did find that my problem was in that plug near the mast. Bad connections, cleaned that all up and then couldn't get the large white wire (which I think was the ground) back into the bottom part of the plug because it was just too short and wouldn't budge a bit. So I lengthened it with a 'blue' squeeze connector and another bit of wire. I don't know how the previous owner got that all together, which may have been part of the problem. I have now determined that the wiring must have been cast right into the hull of the boat. Maybe that is common, and does seem like a 'protective' sort of thing except in situations where a wire is just too short. But, for now my mast lights work great with the mast lying on sawhorses in the barn! Plan to launch tomorrow depending on the weather. Thanks again, Deb |
