My two transom courtesy lights have been burned out for well over a year. But the rest of the lights worked, until they didn't. The fuse blew. I replaced it, they worked again, until they didn't. Now they were blowing the fuse as soon as I put one in. The lights on the transom rather than just failing, shorted out.
I replaced both this past weekend. I just shoved a flathead screwdriver into the caps and destroyed them as they came out.
The new lights come with only 6" of wire. For the two on the transom, there was no way I was going to get a crimp tool and a heat gun back under my transom, inside the boat, 6" from the light installed. I had to stretch the wires.
On the boat, normal 12volt electrical is color coded as follows:
Red is 12v postive
Yellow is 12 negative.
The LED lights come with a black and yellow wire that's 6" long.
I used 18" of red and yellow 18awg, to give me longer wires.
Using a step-down butt connector (22/24 to 18 AWG)
- LED Yellow to 18awg Red.
- LED Black to 18awg Yellow.
This can be heat shrunk with the part not installed. Then Install the light. The heat shrink butt connectors will easily make it through the fiberglass. I used some marine grade silicone to seal the connection of the LED light to the boat, and to fill the screw holes in to seal them as well.
Then connect the Red wire (LED side) to the boat (blue wire). Connect the yellow wire (LED side) to the yellow wire (boat side). I used a 16awg butt connector. Heat gun and crimp tool were still cramped, but doable with the extra length wire.
I had LaZina film me do work and will publish something on YouTube, providing illustration.
Total time, was a about an hour to do both.
My courtesy lights all work now.
