AC/DC Panel Help!!!!

[oldsalt22]

Hi All,
I am the new owner of a 2005 flush deck 28TE. I am having problems with the DC electric on the boat. My marina mechanic is trying to trouble shoot exactly what is wrong. He tried to open the AC/DC panel in the cabin but said it would not budge. He became so frustrated that he was about to take a crowbar to it. Has anyone open up this panel?? Is there any trick to getting it opened?
Any tips and advice from the pros would be greatly appreciated.

[catalina_mike]

Mine flipped down fine when I was checking connections after breaking it loose. It was tight because it hadn't moved for years. Use a putty knife all the way around breaking it loose first. There was not a ton of slack in the wiring but get a town ready to protect the surface below.

[kowal_53]

Make sure your ground connections at the batteries and bus bars are tight too. I can't remember were they are on a 28, but it down in the hull somewhere.

My 31 had 2 bus bars, the big one (The one from the batteries) and a smaller one just above it. (for a lot of the stuff you want to power) The wire between them was a bit loose so I cleaned up everything, and tighten them down, and put some electrical goo on them to prevent corrosion.

So the problem that time was not to be found in the panel. If your panel checks out (make sure you have 12 volts on both sides of each circuit breaker when activated causing an issue) and you still have more than a few things out, or everything for that matter, and you don't find anything behind the DC panel, try checking the grounds at the bus bars or other ground smaller distribution bars. There might be some small ones behind the instrument panel, etc. Some times boats have in line fuses in the back of the main DC panel, or behind the instrument panel)

You also have battery selection switches that can go bad if it a 12 volt issue. (Everything would be out for this to be true, with a few exception for bilge pumps etc.)

[oldsalt22]

Kowal
thanks for all the advice good things to keep in mind. The immediate issue is we can't get access to the panel. It is out about half an inch and won't budge. Mechanic is thinking of putting in an access under the chart table.

[RobS]

.... Mechanic is thinking of putting in an access under the chart table.

Brings back great memories from the AOG good old days... viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1419&hilit=sawzall

[catalina_mike]

Seen the wire trick before. Never cut when you don't know what is behind it. Your panel should pull out enough to see behind it.

[Pitou]

.... Mechanic is thinking of putting in an access under the chart table.

Brings back great memories from the AOG good old days... viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1419&hilit=sawzall

Too funny .. I knew immediately what that link would be about .. "Sawzall Dave!"
Good memories. Thanks!

[RobS]

Too funny .. I knew immediately what that link would be about .. "Sawzall Dave!"
Good memories. Thanks!

As I was typing it I knew you would! And here's the pic to properly finish off this hi-jacking.

As to the OP - if you have that panel out a 1/2" it must be a cable tie or such that is snagging and hanging up the panel from coming out further. It obviously was not assembled with a 1/2" of clearance. Disconnect the shore power cord and make sure the AC is fully down (no inverter, etc) and get back there with something, it must come out. A wifi borescope on a smartphone would be perfect for this to see what's going on back there.

[oldsalt22]

Thank you to all the posters we got out. He said he had to make the opening just a little bigger. Cant even tell with the panel screwed back in.