[C320-list] Instruments Not Working?

[argates2nd]

There was a disconnected ground in the depth sounder wire where it runs through the bilge but repair yielded no read out for any of the 3 blank instruments.  Contacts also rechecked.Any other ideas?Thanks,  Rollie. #182Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE smartphone

-------- Original message --------
From: John Brennan <jackbrennan at bellsouth.net> 
Date: 11/6/18  10:20 AM  (GMT-05:00) 
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com 
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Instruments Not Working? 

If they have power but aren’t reading data, check the ground connection. They likely share common wiring, and a loosely connected ground would act like that.I recently lost all electrical power in a similar way, except, strangely, the diesel started right up. I had to cut short a trip to investigate. After much digging, I found the simple solution.It turns out the main cable from the batteries to the ground buss bar was loose. In fact, the screw dropped out when I brushed the wire. When I reconnected it, everything worked.The diesel started because the starter is grounded to the engine.Like many problems on my new-to-me320, it’s not clear whether it was just poor maintenance or whether it was a parting gift from the owner before it was repossessed.Jack BrennanSonas, 1998 Catalina 320 no. 528Tierra Verde, Fl.Sent from Mail for Windows 10From: ARTHUR GATESSent: Tuesday, November 6, 2018 9:36 AMTo: C320-List at Catalina320.comSubject: [C320-list] Instruments Not Working?Our 1995 #182 sat in a FL boatyard the past 6 months and was launched 2 weeks ago.Everything is fine except that the knotmeter, depth sounder, and wind machine do not read out.The instruments are B&G NEMA 83 networked.  They all have power and illuminate for night running.The wind machine repeats at the binnacle and bulkhead.  I also have a Raymarine S-1 autohelm, VHF and Garmin chart plotter networked.Naturally there are 3 different transducers and I have checked connections for corrosion.Any suggestions or things I might be missing?Rollie