Check engine light with new Blue Seas Add a battery Install

[96Pirate]

Hi folks. So I have just about completed my Blue Seas add a battery install and was going to change the oil yesterday when while flushing I got the check engine light on both motors. No issues on my last run last year on the single battery. So thinking it has to do with my wiring. I used the following diagram that was similar to one that Mel @txav8r put together (Thanks Mel!)



Everything was hooked up with the exception of the following...

Ground from ACR to busbar...hooked that up today and same issue
No fuse between battery and switch on house battery
No amp install yet so 4ga + and - connected to switch but no further

The one thing I can think of that may be causing it is I have the stock accessories tied in to the house side of the switch and without that fuse there is no power there. So how are the gauges wired in and could this be causing the issue?

Here is my setup minus the ground from ACR to switch. I just added that today.


Here are my connections to the switch...
Top right - ACR, Engine 1, Engine 2
Bottom right - Starter battery
Bottom left - House battery
Top left - ACR, Accessories, Amp

Thanks in advance for the assistance. I was hoping to get her out next weekend but need to solve this first.
Mike

 

[txav8r]

Mike, I am having a little trouble following your diagram and what your saying you did or didn't do. If I read correctly, you have not yet added the amp, and the wire size isn't yet correct to support it. With an ACR in the loop, you really need the wire size from BOTH batteries to the switch to be of supportive size for the Amp. Because when the engines are running at cruise speeds, your ACR will close and both batteries could be in the loop. I used 10 Ga wire from my ACR to the ground bus bar, I can't remember what Blue Sea called for. Explain the existing accessory cable hookup again. Your saying the existing fuse isn't in the loop? If you didn't change anything, the + side accessory cable has the fuse inline, and that holder in your picture above the ground bus appears to be it, but the wiring in mine looks like a group of wires not the large diameter single conductor I see in your picture.

I can't see anything wrong in your picture, but what check engine code are you getting? How did the check engine light show up? The battery install shouldn't really have anything to do with a check engine light. If it starts, and runs, it is getting battery voltage and amps to do so, did the ACC items all work? How were you flushing? Were you revving the engines? It is very easy to overheat the engines when trying to flush both at the same time as guys have found. Even a single engine flush can be overheated if you rev it very much due to a very reduced water flow on a hose vs being in the lake. Did you get any codes when the check engine was on? An irregular pattern of flashes is actually a code, and could indicate any number of things. But I like you, would suspect the first thing that changed from when it was working to when it didn't, and that would be the battery install. I have talked to probably a hundred guys over the years and helped them to understand how to do this, and in a number of occasions, it didn't come out just right. In all of them, they had something crossed that wasn't according to either Blue Seas or my diagram. It is hard to tell, because you can bring a wire to the switch from above, below, or either side, and attach it to any one of 4 lugs. Your picture of the front doesn't show where they are actually attached. I see 6 cables, or sets of, going to your ground bus. I can identify the ACC cables, the engines, and the batteries. You mentioned the amp wasn't in yet, but I see another large diameter cable on the bus. I also see that the ACR isn't yet grounded in the picture, and you mentioned that. Was it grounded in your engine runs? Maybe a little more clarity can help us determine what is amiss?

 

[McMark]

Did you thoroughly charge the second battery after installation? Low battery volts, say 11.5vdc, gives me a check engine on both motors even though 11.5 will start them.

 

[96Pirate]

Did you thoroughly charge the second battery after installation? Low battery volts, say 11.5vdc, gives me a check engine on both motors even though 11.5 will start them.

I did not but it was fully charged the week prior and has held a charge for that long. But will check that. Thanks.

 

[96Pirate]

@txav8r So lots of good questions and thanks for taking the time to do so.

My hookups to the switch were noted below my picture. The only wires going to the bottom 2 lugs are from the batteries. You can see those coming in from the bottom. I do have the amp cables hooked up to the switch and busbar and run through the engine compartment and to the starboard seating. I have not run them up to the helm yet. I used 2ga wire for my house battery to fuse to switch/busbar run and switch/busbar to amp. I could not find a mini anl fuse locally so there was no fuse loaded. I used 4ga for my starter battery to switch/busbar run and switch to acr. I used 16ga to ground the acr (per Blue Seas documentation). Same check engine lights prior to grounding the acr and after.

The check engine light I am referring to is the left most light on the tachs, not the overheat light. It was a slow flash. Not sure where codes would show up other than hooking the YDS cable. ACC items did not work because I have those hooked to the house side and I do not have the fuse in yet. The accessory + cable to fuse was stock so it must be spliced somewhere. The - cables are in a bundle you can see attached to the busbar.

I think it is very similar to one of the documents you put together Mel, unless I screwed it up. I only did it the way I did it to add dimesions and cable size for my ordering process. I think you had an extra busbar in there and more stuff in the helm area.

I may try to swap the accessory + from the house side to the starter size or if I get a fuse before then I will add that.

Thanks
Mike

 

[96Pirate]

Here is my in line fuse coming from my house battery. Again, I did not load a fuse yet in this one.

 

[96Pirate]

Here is your diagram I started with @txav8r

 

[RightStuff]

Do you have a voltmeter that you can use to start checking voltages thru the system? I would start with the battery +/-, then start moving forward on the + side thru the switch, etc. to see where things change with any sort of significance. Keeping the prob/clip from the voltmeter on the - side of the starter battery.

 

[waterboy]

@96Pirate Here are the check engine codes for these engines. Maybe this will help to see what the code is. This will be the same info that the YDS shows.

Count the flashes...

Code Symptom

01 No malfunction
13 Incorrect pickup coil signal
15 Incorrect engine temp sensor signal
18 Incorrect throttle position sensor signal
19 Incorrect battery voltage
23 Incorrect intake air temperature sensor signal
24 Incorrect cam position sensor signal
29 Incorrect intake air pressure sensor signal
48 Incorrect data transmission
53 Exhaust temp sensor malfunction
54 Incorrect bypass valve motor signal
63 Incorrect intake air system signal

 

[subysti]

The ACR should be connected to the batteries not the switch. K

 

[txav8r]

@subysti , the ACR doesn't care where it is connected. It looks at voltage and amps and acts accordingly. Many of us, per agreement of Blue Sea, add the ACR between the posts on the "load side" of the switch, so that when the switch is off, we can use a dual bank charger without interference from the ACR. Then on the water with battery switch on, the ACR helps to share the load of the start battery with your stereo gear. I discussed this with Blue Sea as have many previous posters. I made the same argument years ago with @maboat . He is an electrical engineer and it took weeks for it to sink into my head but he finally helped me to understand why this is perfectly acceptable.

I wanted to concur that a slow blinking check engine light is probably flashing a pattern, and it correlates with the codes that @waterboy posted above.

 

[96Pirate]

I will need to check the lights this weekend. I shut the engines off after seeing the lights come on for fear I would do damage so I did not get a chance to count. What should I expect before the repeated pattern? A long pause between blinks? Also will test with a voltmeter.

Thanks everyone!

 

[96Pirate]

@96Pirate Here are the check engine codes for these engines. Maybe this will help to see what the code is. This will be the same info that the YDS shows.

Count the flashes...

Code Symptom

01 No malfunction
13 Incorrect pickup coil signal
15 Incorrect engine temp sensor signal
18 Incorrect throttle position sensor signal
19 Incorrect battery voltage
23 Incorrect intake air temperature sensor signal
24 Incorrect cam position sensor signal
29 Incorrect intake air pressure sensor signal
48 Incorrect data transmission
53 Exhaust temp sensor malfunction
54 Incorrect bypass valve motor signal
63 Incorrect intake air system signal

Hi guys. I am getting 6 flashes then a short pause and then 8 more flashes then a longer pause. Then it repeats. I don't see 6 or 8 or even 14 on this list. Are there others not on this list?

It did not correct itself after adding the in line fuse to the 2nd battery hookup which powers the accessories.

I still have yet to hookup the amp on the 2nd battery but cables have been run from the switch and power is there.

I also was wondering if it had to do with the no wake switches not hooked up since I am modifying the dash.

Checked all power with a voltmeter and am consistently getting in the 12.60 to 12.66 range on both batteries.

Any other ideas?

I am in the process of doing oil/plug change and will temporarily hookup the no wake switches to see if that corrects it.

Will let everyone know.

Thanks
Mike

 

[Scottintexas]

https://jetboaters.net/threads/engine-lights-flashing-at-you-wonder-what-that-is.83/

The link above is to the FAQ about the flashing codes, it indicates 68 as no wake malfunction,

@waterboy you may want to double check your list since 68 was not on there,

 

[96Pirate]

https://jetboaters.net/threads/engine-lights-flashing-at-you-wonder-what-that-is.83/

The link above is to the FAQ about the flashing codes, it indicates 68 as no wake malfunction,

@waterboy you may want to double check your list since 68 was not on there,

Wow, can't believe I didn't think to string the numbers together. Obviously you should not need to count the flashes 68 times. Thanks Scott.

Well that explains it then. I will be hooking them up temporarily for our 1st trip out tomorrow. So I can stop my worrying now.

Mike

 

[96Pirate]

Hooked the no wakes up and no code, so that was it.

Thanks everyone for the assistance.

 

[Julian]

Hooked the no wakes up and no code, so that was it.

Thanks everyone for the assistance.

Had you disconnected the no wake switches?

 

[txav8r]

Glad you found the reason. alteration of no wake switches, lanyard and clean out tray kill switches, and ignition switches will throw codes and have previously ended up with unexpected results. All of these things and a number of sensors have to be okay, or the ecm isn't happy.

 

[96Pirate]

Had you disconnected the no wake switches?

I did. I switched out the no wake panel with the stereo panel so it was all disconnected.

Much better now thanks to all of you

 

[maboat]

I made the same argument years ago with @maboat . He is an electrical engineer and it took weeks for it to sink into my head but he finally helped me to understand why this is perfectly acceptable.

That's right!