I have a Beta20 engine installed along with the ABVW control panel. Everything was working perfectly until last week. I could still start and stop the engine, but after stopping it, the alarm would immediately go off. The STOP button is supposed to shut down the engine and disconnect the electrical power, but it wasn’t doing that. An email sent to Beta Marine support remains unanswered — probably because the warranty has already expired.
A simple cleaning of all the connectors at the back of the panel didn’t help. After analyzing the wiring diagram, the suspicion fell on one of two relays, one of which is responsible for disconnecting the power supply. Access to the wiring — as is often the case on a yacht — is very limited, making it practically impossible to read the wire colors without fully dismantling the harness.
And since access is so difficult, that was the last thing I wanted to do. Fortunately, by touching the relays during engine heating and shutdown, I was able to identify which relay wasn’t vibrating. Replacing the faulty relay with a new one solved the problem.
Here’s what the damaged relay looked like inside:
Apparently, the factory-installed relays are not waterproof, and just a small amount of salty water that once lightly sprayed the harness was enough for rust to do its job. The relays in the harness are installed upside down, so even a single drop of water can find its way inside.
After replacing the relay, I insulated them with self-amalgamating tape. And from now on, there’s a spot in the repair box for a spare relay.
s/y Growler 
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