I have a 1984 Catalina 30, just purchased a couple months ago. The last few times we had it out we noticed that upon shutting down the engine (Universal 25) and switching off the ignition, the oil alarm buzzer/lights would not turn off, but pulling out the starter handle a bit would shut it off. Now the situation is that the buzzer will not shut down at all unless I disconnect the battery. I was told the problem is the ignition switch. I replaced that and it did no good. What I discovered is that the power for the buzzer does not seem to go through the ignition switch at all - with all the ignition wires disconnected it is still on! When I disconnected the buzzer just to shut it up, I also noticed that the oil pump is running (clicking noise) even with the ignition shut off. Further examination shows that one of the wires connected to the "IGN" terminal seems to be supplying power - disconnecting this gets the oil pump to turn off. I really don't understand any of this, or how this setup worked to begin with and I don't want to take it out again until I do. I am looking at 3+ weeks to schedule a repair guy to look at it, so I would like to fix this myself if at all possible, if anyone here has any ideas.
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Oil Alarm
I suggest (if you already haven't) you go to www.catalina30.com and post your problem there. Or, contact Westerbeke to find the nearest dealer near you. They may be able to solve your problem over the telephone. Good luck!
I suggest (if you already haven't) you go to www.catalina30.com and post your problem there. Or, contact Westerbeke to find the nearest dealer near you. They may be able to solve your problem over the telephone. Good luck!
Sure the clicking is the oil pump?
Sounds to me like the clicking is an electric fuel pump. not an oil pump. I'm pretty sure you have a mechanical oil pump inside the engine. You shouldn't hear it clicking. It only pumps when the engine/crankshaft is rotating. You probably have a stray power feed to the starter circuit. The oil buzzer "thinks" the engine is running when infact it isn't. It's sensing no oil pressure and therefore sounding. The fuel pump (clicking) is also "thinking" that the engine is running, that is why you hear it clicking as well. Try to find an engine wiring diagram..... these electrical systems are usually straight forward and pretty primitive (simple). Good Luck, Frank Davanzo C-27 #4583
Sounds to me like the clicking is an electric fuel pump. not an oil pump. I'm pretty sure you have a mechanical oil pump inside the engine. You shouldn't hear it clicking. It only pumps when the engine/crankshaft is rotating. You probably have a stray power feed to the starter circuit. The oil buzzer "thinks" the engine is running when infact it isn't. It's sensing no oil pressure and therefore sounding. The fuel pump (clicking) is also "thinking" that the engine is running, that is why you hear it clicking as well. Try to find an engine wiring diagram..... these electrical systems are usually straight forward and pretty primitive (simple). Good Luck, Frank Davanzo C-27 #4583
Clicking is the fuel pump
I had a universal 25 and it worked exactly as you stated except that when I turned off the ignition, the oil alarm stopped. When you turn on the ignition you hear clicking, that is the fuel pump. Whe you stop the motor, the alarm sounds and the clicking starts. The clicking is still the fuel pump. Thats my experence anyway.
I had a universal 25 and it worked exactly as you stated except that when I turned off the ignition, the oil alarm stopped. When you turn on the ignition you hear clicking, that is the fuel pump. Whe you stop the motor, the alarm sounds and the clicking starts. The clicking is still the fuel pump. Thats my experence anyway.
S
Stu Jackson C34 1986
The wiring diagram can be found
At the link below. It shows how the wiring is done. This is a basic subject necessary to understand. It's an electric fuel pump. The attached GIF files to the link can be downloaded to show the wiring. The subject is "Seaward Wiring Hsrness Upgrade." Everyone with an older Catalina, pre 1990, with an M25 engine, should KNOW this. Stu
At the link below. It shows how the wiring is done. This is a basic subject necessary to understand. It's an electric fuel pump. The attached GIF files to the link can be downloaded to show the wiring. The subject is "Seaward Wiring Hsrness Upgrade." Everyone with an older Catalina, pre 1990, with an M25 engine, should KNOW this. Stu
My solution to this problem
I had the same problem and did some troubleshooting. I found that the only way to get the oil alarm & fuel pump (it is electric) to shut off was to remove the power line (red) from the starter where it connects to the battery line. This too me seemed to suggest a short in the wiring harness. My fix (still a work-around at this point) is to run a new hot wire from the starter to the engine control panel in the cockpit - fixed the problem. I'm planning to work on this more so that my replacement wire doesn't run through the middle of the cabin and through the trash hatch. It is a confusing problem - I stared at the wiring diagram for severl hours, and checked wires with my multi-meter for several hours before I got to this fix. I don't understand why I got this short, although suspect I took a lightening strike which may be related...
I had the same problem and did some troubleshooting. I found that the only way to get the oil alarm & fuel pump (it is electric) to shut off was to remove the power line (red) from the starter where it connects to the battery line. This too me seemed to suggest a short in the wiring harness. My fix (still a work-around at this point) is to run a new hot wire from the starter to the engine control panel in the cockpit - fixed the problem. I'm planning to work on this more so that my replacement wire doesn't run through the middle of the cabin and through the trash hatch. It is a confusing problem - I stared at the wiring diagram for severl hours, and checked wires with my multi-meter for several hours before I got to this fix. I don't understand why I got this short, although suspect I took a lightening strike which may be related...
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