GM Anchor Windlass wiring - would like to see someone else's pictured

[rwaldrop13]

OK, I will freely admit to asking this elsewhere but this way more people should see it. The week we bought our 1986 54', we took the anchor windlass to Raz Marine in Ft Lauderdale to be rebuilt. That being said, they did not have any wiring instructions for reinstallation and the PO had not taken pics before removing the windlass. It is back, it's installed, and I need to reconnect the wires. But if anyone else out there has the GalleyMaid windlass, can you post a pic showing wiring connected? I have the wiring diagram/manual, but it's not the most informative I've seen.

 

[Pascal]

I looked at mine.

First picture shows you the 4 main terminals on the motor. The two small wires are used for the thermal safety switch. Power comes the breaker, thru a small fuse mounted in the box the the motor. From the motor it goes back to right most terminal on the terminal strip

Negative cable goes to F2
The other 3 (A1, A2 and F1) are noted on the picture of the solenoid box

 

[rwaldrop13]

I looked at mine.

First picture shows you the 4 main terminals on the motor. The two small wires are used for the thermal safety switch. Power comes the breaker, thru a small fuse mounted in the box the the motor. From the motor it goes back to right most terminal on the terminal strip

Negative cable goes to F2
The other 3 (A1, A2 and F1) are noted on the picture of the solenoid box

PASCAL, thanks for posting! I really appreciate it. Will be working on this tomorrow, and this will help a lot. Thanks again - I'm grateful!

 

[Pascal]

You re welcome. As every British car owner knows, the most important thing is to keep the smoke from escaping the wires

 

[oscarvan]

Well, there's always this.....

 

[rwaldrop13]

Well, there's always this.....

I'm dying here. I'm an old Coastie and my first duty station was a buoy tender. The "factory smoke" was a much-discussed issue with the old-style buoy lights.

 

[KPTIM]

Keep in mind that Lucas invented the three position automotive light switch "Off", "Dim" and "Flicker".

 

[Avenger]

Cool, I get to trot this one out again....


Q: Why do the English drink warm beer?

A: Lucas makes refrigerators.

 

[rwaldrop13]

After crawling thru chain lockers, forward bilge/lazarette space, generator room, and port and starboard engine rooms, I have come to some conclusions. 1) I apparently do not have a circuit breaker for the anchor windlass. 2) I don't have voltage AT the windlass/junction box. 3) I don't think I have cabling from the panel in the engine room to the windlass although there is a fuse/cable marked Bow Winch. I am about to have an electrician come in to confirm, although one of my marina neighbors is a marine electrician and if I can wait till after New Years he 'may' be available to come look. While I am all for helping others, and all, I don't want to be on a 'dock queen'. I've resolved the missing anchor light issue - it will be offset from center line on the arch but I now have pulled a new wire from the upper helm console, and lo and behold, it works from both helm consoles. As soon as my new anchor light arrives, it will be mounted on the left side of the arch to clear the radar array and ta-da! Running and anchor lights will be up to par. I keep bouncing on the electrician issue - I am afraid when it's all said and done I will be running new cable to windlass. Thoughts? We've checked every cabinet and cubbyhole between the chain locker and engine rooms, and can't even find the cable once it leaves the chain locker.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

So, let me see if I understand this correctly. You found the fuse in the engine room in the aluminum box with the battery switches and there is a wire attached to it. Is that correct? And, you see a wire coming to the relay box in the anchor locker that should be the power feed. Is that right? But you have no power?

If what I think you are saying is correct, you need to get a multi-meter and check for power from the source and keep working toward the windlass. You'll need a long wire to attach to battery ground so you know its good. We need to know where the power stops.

I think the cabling is all there but you have a bad fuse or loose connection somewhere.

 

[rwaldrop13]

Wiring issue aside, also trying to determine how to service upper windlass

OK, now that wiring issue has escalated to need for marine electrician, I am shifting to another aspect of anchor windlass. Is the clutch operated by the hex nut shown in the pic? I have already pulled the Galley Maid installation and operation manual, and it was pretty much useless. Long term plan includes replacing this windlass but in the short term, I don't want to get off the dock until I have worked with the windlass and can show the Admiral how to manually lower the anchor.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Yes, tighten that nut to engage/tighten the clutch plates below it. Loosen it to release. But, beware, that chain pays out fast. We much prefer to lower it with the motor.

 

[rwaldrop13]

Yes, tighten that nut to engage/tighten the clutch plates below it. Loosen it to release. But, beware, that chain pays out fast. We much prefer to lower it with the motor.

SKYCHENEY, thank you very much. Always a pleasure to hear from a Michigander - wife is from Michigan, and Sault Ste Marie was my last duty station in the USCG. Appreciate the confirmation - I was pretty sure that was correct, but better to ask than destroy inadvertently. Based on your comment I guess the clutch is either engaged or disengaged. I am used to seeing variable brakes where the chain can be slowed or sped up, so I am going to assume I need new switches. The cabling is actually missing. From what I can find in the generator room, the battery that used to be for the windlass was repurposed for the Webasto diesel heater, and when the windlass motor burned out previously, he also removed cabling. I am blessed with a fellow Coastie who is now part of a marine repair and service company here, and when I sat down with them at the picnic table today and told them what I had found, they said prev owner probably repurposed battery based on what they saw when they were giving me a price on replacing head/converting to fresh water. So we are going to get together after New Years to get a price on rewiring windlass power leads. The Admiral said she would prefer to go that route, and prev owner is now ignoring all contact attempts.

Since windlass is 24V, and battery in Gen room is of course set up for 12V, that also means a step-up transformer and tying in to charging system. All in all, if I had more experience with the boat I would probably take it on, but in this case I am recognizing limitations on electrical side and going to attack mechanical side on top of windlass/capstan to see if clutch is even operational.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

In theory, the clutch can be feathered so that the chain fall is regulated, but in reality, it doesn't seem to work that well.

 

[Pascal]

I can’t imagine someone going thru the trouble to remove the wiring feeding the windlass. It is secured with cable ties all along and goes thru hard if not impossible to reach areas.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I can’t imagine someone going thru the trouble to remove the wiring feeding the windlass. It is secured with cable ties all along and goes thru hard if not impossible to reach areas.

I agree. I'd bet its still there.

 

[rwaldrop13]

I am going to have to either have an electrician come in or find someone with a signal generator to do a wire trace. Leaning toward electrician. Prev owner did a lot of work to the interior of the boat, including re-doing the cabinetry in the V-berth. I can trace wiring into V-berth cabinetry but it stops somewhere in there. There's no matching wiring aft of the V-berth cabinetry.

 

[jim rosenthal]

I agree w Sky. And perhaps the solution to the original problem is to 1) ring back all the cables and label them and 2) rewire the windlass.

 

[kingsley_oasis]

Not sure this will help but mine runs from port ER anchor fuse in battery disconnect panel on aft bulkhead. Along port side of hull in ER and into guest cabin behind closet. Up and over to guest cabin stb wall. Then fwd in cable way along top of guest cabin to galley. Then along aft galley bulkhead behind refrigerator to port side behind cupboards and sink and fwd to galley fwd bulkhead. Then along port side behind fwd head cabinets and shower. Then behind port side fwd cabin draws into void below anchor locker. Then crosses to stb side and enters bottom of anchor locker on aft bulkhead to winch breaker and solenoid box.

 

[rwaldrop13]

Not sure this will help but mine runs from port ER anchor fuse in battery disconnect panel on aft bulkhead. Along port side of hull in ER and into guest cabin behind closet. Up and over to guest cabin stb wall. Then fwd in cable way along top of guest cabin to galley. Then along aft galley bulkhead behind refrigerator to port side behind cupboards and sink and fwd to galley fwd bulkhead. Then along port side behind fwd head cabinets and shower. Then behind port side fwd cabin draws into void below anchor locker. Then crosses to stb side and enters bottom of anchor locker on aft bulkhead to winch breaker and solenoid box.

Thanks Ray. I tried a reverse trace using your strategy, but my battery panel is on forward bulkhead. I can trace wire as far as cableway into generator room, but lose it there behind the generator. To add to the mystery, the battery bank that the prev owner told me was defunct (disconnected when he bought the boat and he never touched them) may in fact be viable, just sitting there waiting on someone to add distilled water and hook them into charging/boat panels. The electrical mysteries on this boat are many.