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Engine Room Lights

Posted: May 17th, 2018, 12:22 pm
by AlexHardesty
I have a '06 41 CMY new to us as of end of last season. Getting ready for the '18 season and something continues to elude me... the switch to turn on the engine room lights. The DC panel light has a breaker which when I turn it on the indicator light comes on however, the engine room lights do not come on. I confident that there is another switch somewhere that I am just not finding. In my research it appears that on some models there is a separate wall switch near the phone plug (actually right above it) but I have no switch above the phone plug and no other wall switch seems to trigger the engine room lights. Anyone have any idea where the second switch might be on this model or if there is a breaker I am missing?

Thank you!

Re: Engine Room Lights

Posted: May 17th, 2018, 12:33 pm
by bud37
Not to be over simple but have you checked the light bulb itself, maybe some corrosion, maybe burnt out.....I think green light means power to light.....good luck man.... :beergood:

Re: Engine Room Lights

Posted: May 17th, 2018, 1:42 pm
by Midnightsun
As far as I know there is no additional switch. The breaker is all there is and the green light is supposed to tell you it is sending power however it is really only telling you there is power at the out leg of the breaker. The lights (all 3 of them) are rather dim IMHO. Another modification I did by adding 6x 10w led light strips under the aluminum frame wired to come on with the existing lights. Lights up the engine compartment real well. Only problem is I now need to wear sunglasses when doing an oil change. :lol: :-D Bulbs or wiring, start by testing the most accessible one with a volt meter is my suggestion.

Re: Engine Room Lights

Posted: June 9th, 2018, 5:57 pm
by jspin101
I recently picked up a 2005 41 CMY. 2 of my bilge light bulb holders were totally corroded, borke in my hand when I took them off. I bought some LED's at iboats. I've only put 1 6 LED in and does pretty good but maybe should have gone the Midnight sun route.

Anyone have any issues with fuel gauges? I have a port aux and starboard main fuel gauge not working.
I was able to test the aux down to no power to the gauge but not sure about the main as they are totally different gauges.

Re: Engine Room Lights

Posted: June 9th, 2018, 7:55 pm
by 390Express
There's no second switch on my boat either (1996 390 Express). 1/2 of mine are not working. I don't really care if they're burnt out or corroded - haven't looked into it. I plan on replacing all of them with LED fixtures and bulbs. I'm considering "bar style" or led rope lighting. More light and less battery draw, win-win. (less heat in the bilge too, which is generally a good thing).

Re: Engine Room Lights

Posted: June 10th, 2018, 6:12 am
by Midnightsun
I have played quite a bit with the standard ribbon style "claimed" waterproof led lights. They are ok for a while but definitely not long term as one would hope. The adhesive does give up, they do yellow out and eventually start to burn out and the plastic gets hard and brittle with time.

Have opted for the newer style cob strips. They are not as easy to install as you need to know how to solder and they do get quite warm if used on a vehicle application since they are rated at 12v and we produce close to 14 when charging. I use a voltage regulator to keep thing at 11.5v all the time which works very well. Each strip is 20cm long and produces a whooping 10watts. There are 2 small holes in the aluminum backing where I use #4 screws to secure which is permanent compared to a glued strip. If you want something that will last the life of the boat and have the patience to install it this is the best way to go IMHO.

This is the style I am referring to. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/COB-LED ... 4c4dKTkp7W

Re: Engine Room Lights

Posted: June 11th, 2018, 1:01 am
by 390Express
Midnightsun wrote:Source of the post I have played quite a bit with the standard ribbon style "claimed" waterproof led lights. They are ok for a while but definitely not long term as one would hope. The adhesive does give up, they do yellow out and eventually start to burn out and the plastic gets hard and brittle with time.

Have opted for the newer style cob strips. They are not as easy to install as you need to know how to solder and they do get quite warm if used on a vehicle application since they are rated at 12v and we produce close to 14 when charging. I use a voltage regulator to keep thing at 11.5v all the time which works very well. Each strip is 20cm long and produces a whooping 10watts. There are 2 small holes in the aluminum backing where I use #4 screws to secure which is permanent compared to a glued strip. If you want something that will last the life of the boat and have the patience to install it this is the best way to go IMHO.

This is the style I am referring to. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/COB-LED ... 4c4dKTkp7W


I'm not really a fan of the "ribbon" lights. I think they look cheap, but they're super easy to install, and they are... well... cheap... I like the cob style strips a lot more as well. I'm considering adding a couple on the stringer under the motor. Probably use 4200, or a quality two way tape to install them. I don't like the idea of putting even small holes in stringers. Drives me nuts that they put all of the lighting tucked under the rail, high up top and on the far sides of the motor, and nothing in the middle, or anywhere near where you would otherwise drop something.

Do you have a link for a reasonably priced voltage regulator, that will stand up to the moisture/humidity, elements in the bilge/motor compartment?

I think I'm going to go with similar "puck" style (swapped for an LED fixture) up top, and add a cob strip or two below. Trojan/Carver made 4" square raised areas to house the pucks, that I would have to cut out if I wanted to use ribbon or cob strips on the high side. I'm too OCD to add the cob strips and not grind out the old housings.

Re: Engine Room Lights

Posted: June 11th, 2018, 5:39 am
by Midnightsun
I installed mine on the underside of the aluminum subframe that supports the cabin floor. Bought a couple of rolls of 5mm wide 3m VHB tape to adhere them in place but I also drilled and used aluminum pop rivets to secure them permanently in place. The regulator I used is housed in a 4"x 4" waterproof junction box as it is not waterproof. This is what I used. https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-15A-Buck ... SwK6RZGTpS

That being said I also have others installed to fibreglass where I used a #4 stainless wood screw and the VHB tape to secure in place. A dab of 4000 or 4200 will seal that screw permanently. ;-)