Help! (again?) I'm trying to figure out my DC electrical system. The heavy red cable that is attached to the "C" (for common?) post on my main battery switch vanishes down the hole behind the elect. Panel at the Nav station. And then a whole bunch of smaller red wires come back up out of that same hole to the back of the panel. There must be a distrubution panel or buss bar somewhere where they all meet up. But I can't find it. Help!
Sam
—
Capt. Sam Murphy
1994 Catalina 36, Hull 1327
Shoal draft, two cabin model.
Panama City, Florida
According to the owners manual for the MK1 the #4 wire on the C post of the DC switch goes to the Starter Motor. Another #8 wire should also go to your DC panel where it feeds the DC circuits. I think the panel IS the Buss bar for all those red wires coming from various sources. But - as we all have seen - previous owners may have modified this arrangement. There is a wiring diagram in the owners manual that comes in handy at times. I note any changes I make or find along the way there for future reference.
Noticed as I posted this that yours is a Mk2 but the wiring is similar according to the manual. (Page 31). The large wire goes to the starter and the orange wire feeds all the DC panel circuits.
Good Luck
_____________
Harold Baker
S/V Lucky Duck
Duncan Bay Boat Club
Cheboygan Michigan - Lake Huron
1989 C-36 mkI TR/WK M25XP
Sam, while you're at it, get back to the basics:
Basic Battery Wiring Diagrams This is a very good basic primer for boat system wiring: [url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,6604.0.html[/url] [added 9/21/11]
[added 1/31/2012] This is another very good basic primer for boat system wiring: The 1-2-B Switch by Maine Sail (brings together a lot of what this subject is all about)
[url]http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=137615[/url]
Stu Jackson, C34IA Secretary, C34 #224, 1986, SR/FK, M25 engine, Rocna 10 (22#)
Thanks Harold and Stu for the quick replies. I was already studying the schematic in the owner's manual but my industrious PO has apparently deviated a bit. There's only one cable attached to the "C" post where the manual shows two. I'd like to get to the bottom of this and understand what I have, before I make anymore changes.
Sam
Capt. Sam Murphy
1994 Catalina 36, Hull 1327
Shoal draft, two cabin model.
Panama City, Florida
Most likely (but not for sure since I'm not there) he removed the alternator output from the C post on the switch and routed it to the house bank. Do you have a combiner or echo charger?
That would leave the only two outputs from the C post to the starter and the distribution panel.
This is good news.
Stu Jackson, C34IA Secretary, C34 #224, 1986, SR/FK, M25 engine, Rocna 10 (22#)