Odd Electrical... one switch, multiple function.

[Sofla]

okay.., thi is odd. ent to go start the boat, an 07 180 challenger 215SE, and fresh fro the mechanic, it cranked and cranked and did nothing, but crank that is,t eouldnt fire up. At some point I stopped trying and flicked on a few swirches to turn on some music and a light., I noticed for the first time just then that the running light switch also powered the radio on...? didnt notice it or make the link straight away but I went back to try the key and it dired right up.. Again, not making any connection between them as yet. The next day I went to start the boat and the same thing.., so It dawned on me.., the sequence the day before and I went ahead and flipped the switch again.., and again the radio fired up as did the ignition. So now intruiged I flipped the radio switch on , and suddenlt the radio quit. CLEARLY A SHORT SOMEWHERE, then to the ignition, tried it with switch on ,(the running light switch) and waalaa, fired right up., turned the switch off..., and no radio, no ignition. just cranks and cranks. I suppose its likely right there in the panel at the switches based on the symptos? were it in the harness or the boxes, the link between them wouldnt change if switch were on or off correct?

any experienced and or insightful members please weigh in ... life is hard enough to start bird doggin blindly.

Thaks a pile you all

 

[ski-d00]

I wouldn't suspect a short. Just guessing that somebody rewired some of the switches maybe as an anti-theft device. If they wired the fuel pump into the switch it would do exactly as you describe.

I would tear into the dash and start tracking wiring down. Shouldn't be too difficult but will take some time. The wiring diagrams are readily available and the system is fairly straight forward.

 

[Sofla]

That is pretty much what my assumption was. Now the real problem is that i just got the boat back from a mechanic, that claimed i neded a fuel pump, in addition to other running issues,, at the cost of a hir under a grand., 1k$
i know from where this problem started, as it was not doing thiselectrical bit 2 weeks ago when i brought it to the mechanic.
i doubt the guy will adit to anything, making me have to be the heavy., i wish there were an easy way to determine if the fuel pump is actually new. Further, i wonder if i neded one in the first place., although the reason i brought it to the shp in the first place is that i could get it started, only to immediately sputter and stall. very hrd to get it to staert actually. i wasadvised it was the pump and the symptom detailed that the pump couldnt draw fuel under a load.,
My outstanding problem is what a sigle audible alarm idicates as it will now fire right up and idle smooth, if i touch the throttle it alarms, if i just idle it will eventually sound and intermittently ... at lidle.
At throttle it throw the audible single toe alarm immediately.

these two seperate problems cant be related somehow can they?

thank you