Battery Cables

The main battery cables for outboard motors are a constant source of problems.  If the battery and cables are not secured in the boat properly they move around and the constant bending leads to a failure of the insulation where the cable enters the lug.  Once this insulation cracks the moisture gets into the wire and starts to corrode it.  As you can see in this photo, the end of this cable broke right off when I bent it.

To repair this cable I cut several inches off of the end to get back to a less corroded portion of the wire.  I then used a wire brush to clean the wire up in preperation for soldering.

I use a large punch with a rounded end to crimp the new ends on the cables.  You must use a large hammer and a solid surface to pound on.  A properly made crimp will produce enough pressure to bond the metal parts together (like a cold weld).  To do it properly requires a rather expensive tool with dies made specifically for each size fitting.  A hammer and punch comes close.

To ensure good electrical contact I solder the terminals after crimping them.  Remember to put some flux on the wire before you start.  It takes a lot of heat to make a good solder joint this size.  I use a propane torch for this.

To make a lasting connection you need to keep the moisture out.  I use liquid electrical tape to seal all the connections.  Simply brush it on and wait a few minutes for it to dry.

The last step is to put a few wraps of tape around each fitting.  This protects the seal underneath and also makes a simple strain relief to prevent the wire from bending right at the terminal.

Arctic Cat 366 ATV

I have an Arctic Cat 366 ATV that had a faulty ignition switch.  For the last few month I have had to wiggle the key around to make the machine turn on.  It gradually got worse, until it would not work at all.  I assumed that there was a bad electrical connection in the switch.

I removed the large plastic nut from the switch, unplugged it from the wiring harness and brought it to the workbench.

Before I took the switch apart I marked both pieces in case there was any confusion about how they go back together.  I have found that a silver Sharpie works great for marking things like this.

When I pulled the switch apart the corrosion was obvious.

I used a small wire brush to scrub the corrosion off the copper contacts.  Some of it was very hard and required a little scraping with a dental pick type of tool.

Before reassembling the parts I coated the contacts with a little silicone dielectric grease.  This stuff is great for preventing corrosion, I put it on almost every electrical connection.

Once I reinstalled the switch the machine worked fine.



Arctic Cat Sno Pro - Finished

I have been working on this Arctic Cat Sno Pro 600 on and off for a while now.  Today I was finally able to wrap up the project.  I will give you a quick recap of the situation.  The machine quite running last spring, the owners then left it sitting on the beach where it stopped.  After a whole summer of being very close to the salty ocean they brought it to me.  I figured out that the initial problem was a faulty fuel pump.  After changing the very expensive ($447!) fuel pump I started to fix all the rusted and corroded parts.

The worst corrosion was on the brake system.  The brake is made from aluminium and steel, that is a bad combination in a salt water environment.  When I first pulled the machine in the shop the brake was locked up solid.  After a liberal soaking in Deep Creep penetrating oil and a lot of pounding I was able to get it to turn by hand.  I thought that it would loosen up with use, but when I test drove the machine it was dragging and heating up the rotor.

After a lot more oil and pounding I was finally able to remove the rotor.  Once I had the rotor removed I put the caliper back together and used the brake pressure to push the pistons out of the calipers. The top photo shows the back half of the disassembled caliper in place on the machine.  The caliper is actually part of the same casting that holds the bearing for the drive shaft.  The rotor goes on the end of hollow splined shaft.

This second photo shows the other half of the caliper, the piston, and the seal.  Despite being made of stainless steel the pistons were corroded and pitted where they were in contact with the aluminum caliper.  This corrosion caused them to bind or stick in the caliper and prevent the brake from releasing.  At first I thought they may need to be replaced, but I was able to clean them with fine sand paper.  I reassembled everything with a little bit of silicone grease on the parts and  the brake now works fine.

Arctic Cat SnoPro - Update

I have replaced the fuel pump on this machine and took care of a few minor corrosion related issues.  Everything is running fine except the brake.  When I first put this machine in the shop the brake was locked up tight.  I took the outer half of the caliper off and cleaned things up.  It seems to turn free, but when I test run the machine it quickly heats up and seems to grab like crazy.  I drove it up and down the beach for two minutes and the rotor was glowing red!

I'm not sure what the problem is, but I guess I'll have to take it apart and inspect everything?

Yamaha Grizzly 550

Today's project was a Yamaha Grizzly 550 ATV that would not start.  This is a newer machine with a fuel injected engine.  When I turned the machine on it displayed an error code "33" on the instrument panel.  I looked in the service manual and saw that code 33 was for an ignition fault.

I had to remove a body panel to get at the ignition coil, and once I saw it the problem was obvious.  One of the electrical connections to the coil had corroded so bad that it fell off.  Most repair shops would probably tell the customer that they needed to buy a new coil (probably $75), but I decided to try and save this one.  

I used my Dremel tool to grind away the plastic case on the coil and exposed a non corroded portion of the connection inside.  I then soldered a wire to this spot and crimped a new tab on the end of it.  To finish it up I put the coil back on the vehicle and sealed all the connections with "Liquid Electric Tape".

The whole job took about an hour and I avoided the cost and wait of ordering a new part.

  

Corroded Wire

I had a Honda ATV in the shop today that had a charging problem.  It took a while, but I eventually tracked it down to a corroded wire going to the voltage regulator. 

ATVs around here operate in a salt water environment and it leads to a lot of corrosion problems.  The voltage regulator on this machine is mounted under the rear fender near the tire.  It routinely gets sprayed with water and mud  in this location.  It appears that the insulation on the wire was cracked where the wire bent sharply going into the plug.  The cracked insulation let the salt water get in and corrode the wire.

It was a simple job to fix.  I trimmed out the bad section of wire and soldered in a new piece.  When finished I made sure to seal it up well.  I like to wrap connections like this with electrical tape and coat them with "Liquid Electric Tape."  In this case I was out of the Liquid Tape so I used tape a coating of RTV silicone.  Adhesive shrink tubing also works well, but you must have the type with adhesive inside.  The cheaper kind without the adhesive does not work as well.