Electrical Connections

[ethanbarnett]

Fortunately this occurred at the very end of our Bahamian adventure which took us to the South Berries, all over the Abacos and finally to West End. Our Liberty did great during some hairy seas. Now as I share this we are being towed home by BoatUS. The part failure was the electronic solenoid actuator thingy that controls the helm. From the outside it looked perfect. The inside was a mess of corrosion which ate away the connectivity. More spares in my future. I had coated exterior connections with different goops but not the inside of what are critically important components. Never again. Good thing we had the best coverage BoatUS offers. Check your policies folks. Know what you have and the nuances of the coverage. Remember insurance companies look for ways to not pay. All good. Heading to Fort Pierce at a rolly 9 knots.

Cheers

Tammi and Ethan

 

[stwendl]

Not sure what part you are referring to but guessing an electronic actuator could be a relay. Most of those are sealed. An actuator, as in some device that moves something, is usually hydraulic on boats. Perhaps you could be more specific so we all can learn from your situation

 

[ethanbarnett]

The electrical part(s) that I was referring to is what tells the transmission what to do. It is on the top of the transmission, one for forward and one for reverse. In my case the one on the port side controls forward and that was completely corroded on the inside of the connectors. Outwardly they looked in good condition. So the moral of this story is unplug those electrical connections to confirm all is good in the inside, and put appropriate protective goops on them too.

 

[stwendl]

Much appreciated getting your details. It will hopefully help someone else to avoid those pitfalls.

 

[NorthernFocus]

Silicon based tune up grease provides excellent protection for plugs/connectors. It is thick and sticky enough to stay where you put it and won't wash out. It's the most effective water proofing I've found over the years.

 

[knotflying]

For future reference, you can bypass the electrical solenoid to get the engine engaged. I have not done it myself, but was told that near the solenoid there is either a screw or a tab that you turn it to engage. I also think that they have changed the solenoid design a bit to avoid this very issue. I was with Tug-of my Heart in the middle of nowhere and he had the same issue and the boat was only six months old. Fortunately I was able to salvage the spade connector on the solenoid and make a temporary connection until we returned to Anacortes.

 

[ethanbarnett]

Mike great information. It would be great if the factory guys would post a tutorial on this critically important safety issue. When this first failed we were in a hairy situation with bad weather, rough seas in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately it re-engaged and we could get to a safe anchorage. Okay factory guys please ....

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Sorry to read of your problem Ethan. If you could, take a photo and post it here or email to me? I'm not at our boat but when I am I want to see if I (others probably as well) have the same set up as you…or as Mike mentions they may have changed the setup. Glad that you and Tammi are safe.

Jim F

 

[Andrew Custis]

It is very important to keep the packing gland properly adjusted and to keep an eye on these shift solenoids to keep the salt water off of the connections. To my knowledge, there is no way to bypass these after working with Volvo. We have tried this. We would have certainly mentioned this in our email if we knew of a way.

Thank you,

 

[NorthernFocus]

There's a reason the military took so long to adopt "fly by wire" controls in aircraft. Getting rid of the mechanical linkages is a great idea in a perfect world. Throw in a little salt water and....

 

[Andrew Custis]

I am mistaken. Tim here tells me that you can bypass. I was under the impression that this was not possible and we tried it for ourselves. Tim is going to respond with the instructions on how to so everyone is aware.

Sorry for the confusion!

 

[TBates]

Hello,

The Volvo transmission shift solenoids are now a sealed unit, which protects the connection from water and corrosion. As Andrew and others have mentioned, it is very important to keep the packing gland adjusted properly and ensure the aft bilge pump is working and keeping the water below the shaft. We also recommend using a dielectric grease on both the top and inside of the two (yellowish) connectors to avoid water intrusion.

To bypass the solenoids and manually engage the gear:
1) Stop the engine and turn off the engine display
2) Disconnect the wiring connectors on top of each shift solenoid
3) There is a very small (2mm) allen screw in the center of each solenoid that is only accessible with the connector disconnected '
4) The solenoids are labeled "A" and "B". The "A" side controls forward, and "B" is for reverse. Turn the small allen screw clockwise on either solenoid dependent on which direction you need to move
5) Power on the engine display, you will immediately have an engine warning concerning shift solenoids which you will ignore
6) Start the engine, which will go directly into gear (forward or reverse depending on which solenoid was bypassed)
7) Get the boat to the nearest safe location to repair the solenoids

The newest Volvo operator manuals outlines this process which I've copy and pasted below. Please feel free to reach out directly with any questions I can help answer.

Thank you,

Tim

Emergency Shifting If a fault occurs that prevents engaging gears with the control lever (shifting), it is possible to engage them manually.

Manual shifting of gears
1 Stop the engine and turn off the ignition. If the boat is equipped with an ignition switch lock, take the key out of the switch lock.
2 Look for the “A“ and “B“ markings on the cable for the reversing gear shift solenoid valves. Use a screwdriver to pry off the black protective shroud enclosing the electrical connections to the solenoid valve. Then disconnect the white connector from the solenoid valves (2).
3 Normally the “A“ side is set for forward motion in a single installation, and in a dual installation it is set for forward motion from the starboard engine. Insert a 2 mm Allen key into the "A" connection (3), then tighten the solenoid valve emergency screw at least 5 turns clockwise.
4 Now the gear operation has been activated for forward movement. Switch on the ignition. Fault codes can now come from the EVC system, which is normal as the shift solenoid valves are disconnected. NOTICE! Forward gear is now permanently activated and cannot be disengaged by the control lever. Adjust your speed accordingly!

 

[ethanbarnett]

Thank you Andrew. Folks this is one part replacement you do not want to make. Very easy replacement except for your wallet. I have been told each one is $550 or so. American Dollars $$$$$. I ordered 2. No choice. Can the factory offer up any assistance? Just thought I'd ask. Mechanic said the part used to be about $250 and then they redesigned it and upped the price. Crazy.

 

[ethanbarnett]

Very thorough instructions on how to engage the transmission. Thank you. Now how about a thorough instructions on packing the glands properly and applying the appropriate goop. My mechanic has suggested not to put dialectric grease on the interior connections as it may interfere with the electrical signal to the solenoid. So what do we do exactly to prevent this from happening? This will now be a monthly check item for any corrosion etc.

 

[NorthernFocus]

...My mechanic has suggested not to put dialectric grease on the interior connections as it may interfere with the electrical signal to the solenoid. So what do we do exactly to prevent this from happening? ...

Not sure what your mechanic is talking about. The whole point of dialectric grease is not to interfere with signals. Maybe he means it will cause two contacts to short? At any rate, that's what I'd put on it an give it a try. If you're not comfortable with that the old school thing would be vaseline. Or a silicone based grease without the dialectric properties.The idea is to put something that's thick enough to occupy the space and prevent water from wicking into the connector. A tiny bit of salt water plus electrical current equates to corrosion that occurs at much faster rates than normal.

 

[Dale777]

ethanbarnett,

... My mechanic has suggested not to put dialectric grease on the interior connections as it may interfere with the electrical signal to the solenoid. So what do we do exactly to prevent this from happening?

Dialectric grease is an insulator and it helps prevent water and oxygen intrusion by filling any voids around the electrical contact, thus preventing contact corrosion. However, although it is an insulator it does NOT stop electrical contact between two contacts, since the grease gets squeezed out from between any two contacts that are a tight fit. A very, very thin film remains between the two contacts such that the very small remaining DC resistance from the dielectric grease is overcome by 12 VDC, thus providing conduction. Any oozing of the dielectric grease to any nearby electrical part will not create a conductive path for a possible short.

You might think that you would want to use a conducting grease at the contacts, but that creates a potential electrical short, especially on a multiple contact connector. Therefore, do not use a conducting grease, especially if there is a chance that the grease might ooze out and create an electrical path to something else that is not desired.

As a side note, for solenoid contacts, do not put dielectric grease on them, since there is not a constant tight contact between the two points. In that application, dielectric grease might cause arcing since the insulating property of the grease would need to break down upon each closure of the contacts.

 

[knotflying]

I use No OX ID made by Sanchem an all my electrical connections. This product was brought to my attention by Howard Rowland. It is a type of dielectric grease, but with better qualities.

 

[Dale777]

I use No OX ID made by Sanchem an all my electrical connections. This product was brought to my attention by Howard Rowland. It is a type of dielectric grease, but with better qualities.

Mike,

NO-OX-ID is an electrically conductive grease, not a dielectric grease, so you need to be careful using it where there are multiple electrical contact points to avoid a possible short. See this link to the manufacturer of NO-OX-ID:

https://www.sanchem.com/electrical-cont ... icant.html

"NO-OX-ID electrical contact lubricant (electrical contact grease) is an electrically conductive grease that keeps metals free from rust and corrosion."

 

[HRowland]

I use NO-OX-ID on most electrical connections- battery terminals, lugs, 1/4" spade terminals (like on the ACRs), bus bars, ring terminals, shore power terminals/socket, etc. I use it on bulb ends such as nav light and anchor bulbs to keep corrosion away. (do not get it on the glass, particularly for halogen bulbs) It is also good on ANL fuse terminals, such as the thruster fuses and inverter fuse. A small amount an all fuse terminals is a good idea. I also put a very thin layer on wire ends before crimping them into terminals or butt connectors. The only place I do not use it is small multi pin connectors, such as RJ45 Ethernet (i.e. RADAR) or NMEA 2000 connectors. In these dielectric grease is best. When the connections slide against each other the dielectric grease is displaced so there will be good electrical contact with an air/water tight seal around it.
I do not know if NO-OX-ID is really conductive or not, I have never metered it. It does not contain metal particles like some other conductive greases do.
Practical Sailor did a test of various compounds and liked NO-OX-ID.
Howard

 

[knotflying]

I use No OX ID made by Sanchem an all my electrical connections. This product was brought to my attention by Howard Rowland. It is a type of dielectric grease, but with better qualities.

Mike,

NO-OX-ID is an electrically conductive grease, not a dielectric grease, so you need to be careful using it where there are multiple electrical contact points to avoid a possible short. See this link to the manufacturer of NO-OX-ID:

https://www.sanchem.com/electrical-cont ... icant.html

"NO-OX-ID electrical contact lubricant (electrical contact grease) is an electrically conductive grease that keeps metals free from rust and corrosion."

Most times I use it on single connection application. However I have used it on my GPS puck connection and the Radar Ethernet connection. Never had an issue.