running lights

[edbulmer]

I am on a 41 Silverton and my ancor light and running lights are on the same swithc which is toggles in two directions. The anchor lights work and there is power going to both ends of the switch but my running lights are not getting any power at the bulb connections. I can't find a split anywhere in the wire and I have brushed off the connections on both ends. Can anyone give me a solution, other than rewiring?

[jstevens]

Ed,
Are you saying none of your running lights are working? That is port, starboard, bow and stern lights. If that is the case and these are all separate fixtures, then you need to check the common portions of the wiring. Somewhere the positive wire from the switch splits into wires for the separate lights. Also, somewhere the negative wires from the fixtures come together to a common negative battery connection. Check those common wires and connections.

John

[Nicholson58]

I use a a50 foot length of 2-conductor with alligator clips on all four ends. Use this with a VOM meter to find the open (broken) wires and to verify hot wires anywhere. You can use this system to totally bypass any parts of the system in order to identify the section with the fault.

[donradcliffe]

There is about a 98% probability that the problem is at a connection, rather than in the wire itself, unless the wire runs through the bilge water. I agree with the suggestion to take a long wire and measure the voltage at the bulb connections--both the hot wire and the ground, with the bulbs in place.

[ranger58sb]

Put a tester on the switch terminals to see if you have power there. Or try wiring running light to the other pole (the anchor position) on the switch. If you have no power there, or if the running lights come on when connected on the other side, could just be a bad switch...

There is an on-line Silverton Owners Club, small fee but cheap advice.

-Chris

[River Cruiser]

Do you have 2 helms? I had a similar problem it turned out to be a bad connection on lower helm switch, make sure you have a good ground. Good luck