For some reason the interior lights quit working in my vlx. The only thing that lights up on my dash is my depth sounder and the V-drive light. I tested the switches with a circuit tester and I'm getting power to and from them. I cant figure this out for the life of me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. <BR> <BR>Greg

this sounds weird, but did you check the bulbs? Are they burnt out or not correctly screwed/plugged in?

The weird thing is that I was messing with the switches this morning and everything worked for a minuite and then nothing. Plus there's like 7 interior lights, and the dash lights, I don't think that they would all burn out at once. Usually I can figure stuff like this out but this thing has got me stumped. <BR> <BR>Any other ideas? <BR> <BR>Greg

If you have power in and power out it is a bad ground. Ohm check the ground for the circuit.

What were you doing with the switches Greg? If you pull off the knob on the interior light switch, you'll see the retainer nut that holds the switch body to the dash. Take the panel the switches are mounted in off, and check to make sure all the leads on the back of the switch are still connected. The double black and double blue are for the lights in the switch itself, and they connect to the terminals on the front of the switch plate. The orange lead is power from the circuit breaker, and grey/black goes to the dash, and the blue/white goes to the interior lights. Make sure everything is wired up correctly (and that you reset the circuit breaker under the dash on the right). <BR> <BR>If that doesn't get you up and running put a post on <a href="http://www.malibuboatowners.com" target="_blank"> MBO</a> and we'll get someone in tech to help you.

Peter, I dont know why, but the ground never occured to me. I'll check it first thing in the morning. <BR> <BR>Jason, I tried everything you described. I did'nt know which wires were for what, but everything looked connected right. The circuit braker is ok also. I just did'nt check the ground. DUH! <BR> <BR>I'm not exactly sure how to check the ground. How would I ohm check it? Would it work if I just run a ground from the battery to to the right terminal on the ground plate and turn the lights on? If they come on then that means I have a bad ground, right? <BR> <BR>Thanks to all of you guys for taking the time to help me out. If I don't figure it out tomorrow I'll post on MBO and see what happens. <BR> <BR>Greg

OK, I could'nt wait til morning. <BR>I went out to check the grounds and they were fine. So I was thinking about what Jason said, I did'nt realise that the double blue wires were supposed to be hot. So I disconnected and reconnected them and, voila. Every thing works now. Kinda weird but whatever works. Hope I solved the problem. <BR> <BR>Now for the really dumb question. What exactly are the Acc switches for? I have never really used my boat at night, so I have'nt tried them before. All of the other switches work fine now but both Acc switches just light up and don't seem to do anything. I noticed that on the back of the switch, the "ON" position is'nt hooked up to anything on either switch. But it is hot when turned on. <BR> <BR>Once again thanks for the help <BR> <BR>Greg

Greg, <BR> <BR>On my 2000 VLX, they run the accu-ski digital display through one of the acc switches and some lights on the other one. I think what they are mainly used for is to "idiot proof" the boat. By running through the acc switch, you cannot leave things on unless the switch is on. I know you could achieve the same by running through ignition switch, but I did not design it, just passing on my $.02

Is that a factory or dealer install Troy? <BR> <BR>Greg, the ACC (accessory) switches are exactly what they sound like. They provide a protected 10A circuit for you to run additional accessories. On boat with factory installed heaters and showers those accessories are run using the two dash switches (which is why if you look on the circuit breaker, those circuits are labeled with ACC #1/Heater ACC#2/Shower). <BR> <BR>Those switches are useful if you decide to install an MLS type ballast system, or another accessory that needs to be conveniently controlled on the dash.

Jason, <BR> <BR>I believe it was a dealer install, since it was an option. You know they ran the shower and heater through the acc circuit like you mentioned, but they did not actually run them through the acc switch. I can turn on both the heater and the shower without the acc switch being on. I am going to re-wire the shower through the switch however as it has been bumped on twice while unloading the boat, draining the battery and putting wear on the impellar on the shower pump.

Ok, now I understand. So since I dont have a shower or heater those switches will be perfect for my PP and tower lights when I get around to adding them. <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR>Greg

I would power the PP off the ignition of convenience (and to prevent someone from accidentally turning it off in the middle of a run). Also, make sure you use relays on your tower lights, as a couple of 55W lights will draw more power than the dash switch circuit can handle.