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Beta narine alarms


jmanton

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14 minutes ago, jmanton said:

I have a Beta 43 and the alarms and warning lights are continually sounding and lit when the ingnition is off and the engine not running, any ideas hiw to cure the problem.

 

Thank you.

Has it always happened?

Has it just started?

Have you been doing any work on the boat ? (not just on the engine)

Is it possible you have Kicked / knocked / trodden on a sensor when doing your 'morning engine checks' ?

Is it ALL warning lights (Overheating, oil pressure, alternator, low-fuel and anything else you may have) ?

 

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35 minutes ago, jmanton said:

I have a Beta 43 and the alarms and warning lights are continually sounding and lit when the ingnition is off and the engine not running, any ideas hiw to cure the problem.

 

Thank you.

Can you post a photo of the instrument panel?

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15 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Has it always happened?

Has it just started?

Have you been doing any work on the boat ? (not just on the engine)

Is it possible you have Kicked / knocked / trodden on a sensor when doing your 'morning engine checks' ?

Is it ALL warning lights (Overheating, oil pressure, alternator, low-fuel and anything else you may have) ?

 

This has only just started

Yes on a leaking water pump. Seals changed.

That is always possible

It is all engine alarms and lights only.

3 minutes ago, mross said:

Can you post a photo of the instrument panel?

I am currently away from the boat and it does have a ignition switch.

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1 minute ago, jmanton said:

This has only just started

Yes on a leaking water pump. Seals changed.

Did it start at the same time as you worked on the pump ? (maybe not  instantly, but within a short period ?)

Where is the pump located ?

Did you disconnect the electrics to the pump whilst working on it ?

The alarms are 'picking up' power from somewhere - have you removed the instrument panel (or looked behind it) for any poorly made connections or loose wires ?

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30 minutes ago, mross said:

Does it have an 'ignition' key?  Have you left it switched 'on'?  Might you have been able to remove key when it was still in the 'on' position (damaged switch)?

It has an ignition key and it is off and removed

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Can you get to behind the ignition switch?  If the whole switch had got loose and twisted, the wires behind may be shorting.  

Did you turn off the battery isolator when you left the boat?  Or is it still driving your neighbours insane?  :)

I don't mean to teach granny to suck eggs.

Edited by mross
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2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Did it start at the same time as you worked on the pump ? (maybe not  instantly, but within a short period ?)

Where is the pump located ?

Did you disconnect the electrics to the pump whilst working on it ?

The alarms are 'picking up' power from somewhere - have you removed the instrument panel (or looked behind it) for any poorly made connections or loose wires ?

The alarms started after I worked on the pump.

The pump was not electrically disconnected

The instrument panel was not removed before the alarms sounded, but I had a quick check behind after the fault to check it looked alright.

The pump is in the front of the cabin next to the water tank.

 

6 minutes ago, mross said:

Can you get to behind the ignition switch?  If the whole switch had got loose and twisted, the wires behind may be shorting.  

Did you turn off the battery isolator when you left the boat?  Or is it still driving your neighbours insane?  :)

I don't mean to teach granny to suck eggs.

A short could be the issue but have not fully checked the switch out.

The boat electrics are totally isolated and the boat is at peace. 

 

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What should happen is that there is a power feed from the engine battery to the ignition switch. When the ignition is off this goes no further. Turning the ignition on should send power to the various lights and the alarm. So one explanation is that there is a short circuit / wire come off behind the ignition switch, or a faulty switch.

But also, the power comes from the engine (originally, from the starter battery of course) and from the engine there is a multi-wire bundle of cables, one carrying the power feed from the engine up to the panel, and one sending power back to the engine. A short circuit between these wires anywhere in the cable run (due to chafing etc) is a possibility but it’s mostly worth checking the multi-way connector that is in that cable run somewhere. These multi way connectors have a habit of getting corroded if they are in a damp engine bay. Pull the connector apart and check the contacts for corrosion.

Finally, as a diagnostic aid, if you start the engine is everything normal?

9 minutes ago, jmanton said:

How do I check if a sender is faulty?

Can I put  on ohmmeter between the sender connection and earth and check for a reading?

It depends on the sender. But that isn’t your issue. With the ignition off, there shouldn’t be any power going to the senders. A faulty sender might manifest itself as the alarm sounding when the engine was running.

Edited by nicknorman
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3 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

What should happen is that there is a power feed from the engine battery to the ignition switch. When the ignition is off this goes no further. Turning the ignition on should send power to the various lights and the alarm. So one explanation is that there is a short circuit / wire come off behind the ignition switch, or a faulty switch.

But also, the power comes from the engine (originally, from the starter battery of course) and from the engine there is a multi-wire bundle of cables one carrying the power feed from the engine and one sending power back to the engine. A short circuit between these wires anywhere in the cable run (due to chafing etc) is a possibility but it’s mostly worth checking the multi-way connector that is in that cable run somewhere. These multi way connectors have a habit of getting corroded if they are in a damp engine bay. Pull the connector apart and check the contacts for corrosion.

Finally, as a diagnostic aid, if you start the engine is everything normal?

It depends on the sender. But that isn’t your issue. With the ignition off, there shouldn’t be any power going to the senders. A faulty sender might manifest itself as the alarm sounding when the engine was running.

What you say makes plenty of sense and I will check the multiplug and the ignition switch as best I can.  

The alarms still sound when the engine is running.

 

 

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4 minutes ago, jmanton said:

The alarms started after I worked on the pump.

The pump was not electrically disconnected

The instrument panel was not removed before the alarms sounded, but I had a quick check behind after the fault to check it looked alright.

The pump is in the front of the cabin next to the water tank.

I think you can discount the 'pump' then.

I'd suggest that you get behind (or remove) the instrument panel, witch on the power and start 'wiggling' about each wire individually and try and find something (switch, wire, fuse, connection)that could be shorting out.

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1 minute ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I think you can discount the 'pump' then.

I'd suggest that you get behind (or remove) the instrument panel, witch on the power and start 'wiggling' about each wire individually and try and find something (switch, wire, fuse, connection)that could be shorting out.

Yes there seems to be starting a consensus on the switch.

 

Thanks

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21 minutes ago, jmanton said:

Yes there seems to be starting a consensus on the switch.

 

Thanks

It might be worth checking the cable plug first - if only because it's easy to check and eliminate before you dismantle the rest of the boat (!) It's one of the weak points in the Beta system and IME the plug and socket look solid - but they aren't.  You have been down the engine bay and so could easily have dislodged a connection. Then of course carry on with other folks' suggestions.

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1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

It might be worth checking the cable plug first - if only because it's easy to check and eliminate before you dismantle the rest of the boat (!) It's one of the weak points in the Beta system and IME the plug and socket look solid - but they aren't.  You have been down the engine bay and so could easily have dislodged a connection. Then of course carry on with other folks' suggestions.

 

1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

It might be worth checking the cable plug first - if only because it's easy to check and eliminate before you dismantle the rest of the boat (!) It's one of the weak points in the Beta system and IME the plug and socket look solid - but they aren't.  You have been down the engine bay and so could easily have dislodged a connection. Then of course carry on with other folks' suggestions.

will check the multiplug as easy and is basics so a good starting point.

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If the alarms continue to sound with the engine running, it won’t be the ignition switch. Much more likely to be the multi plug corroded. How old is the boat/engine? Cruiser stern or trad? (the former being likely to suffer damp and corrosion more than the latter).

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1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

 If the alarms continue to sound with the engine running, it won’t be the ignition switch. Much more likely to be the multi plug corroded. How old is the boat/engine? Cruiser stern or trad? (the former being likely to suffer damp and corrosion more than the latter).

That is very helpful, the boat is 30 years old and the engine is around 15 so corrosion of the multiplug could be an issue.

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7 hours ago, nicknorman said:

If the alarms continue to sound with the engine running, it won’t be the ignition switch. Much more likely to be the multi plug corroded. How old is the boat/engine? Cruiser stern or trad? (the former being likely to suffer damp and corrosion more than the latter).

OTOH, if the alarms stop sounding when the engine is running, it could still be the switch or multiplug!

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I'm not saying that!

I said that if the alarms STOP sounding when the engine is running, it could still be switch or multiplug. 

 

e.t.a. If the alarm still sounds with engine running, then I think it has to be a multi fault scenario

Edited by Iain_S
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