What's this relay for?

[RUNKELDC]

On my 25 there is a relay under the helm console. It's mounted on the back side of the console and near the starboard side. It is on all the time and draining my batteries. I am going to connect it to the main switch to be able to turn it off, but I would like to know what it goes to. I am unable to trace the wires because they disappear into a giant bundle of wires.

[outriggers]

I believe it's part of the newral safety switch circuit but that's just from my poor memory. I don't have the boat wiring diagram handy right now. If you have the owners manual there's a couple of drawing in it on the wiring.

You can probably verify it if you move the gear shift in and out of gear. If you hear or feel it operate that's what it is. If it's what I think it is you might be able to follow the color up to the gearshift.

[RUNKELDC]

Three black wires. One goes to a ground bar and the others go into a bundle of wires and I can't follow them from there. I believe this relay has been there since before I repowered the boat. The new Volvo shifter is electronic and I don't believe it is associated with the shifter.

[capttom1]

relay

Is the relay a gray colored unit with two brass connectors????
capttom1

[RUNKELDC]

It's a black cube about an inch in size with four or five connectors. Two black wires coming off one connector and one black wire off another. There is a black jumper wire going between two of the connectors.

[capttom1]

RUNKELDC,
I’m sorry but I don’t remember seeing any relay like that on my 96 25CC. The relay I asked you about is one of two gray units located in the engine compartment on the starboard side. I had to replace this unit last year. It controlled all the power to the main bus bar under the helm hatch. I was told by Keith of CC that the unit is a negative grounding relay which gets pulled in by the “MAIN” toggle switch on the dash. He said that after 10 years of operations the internal contacts become carboned up and will fail. The problem I was having was that I would lose all power to any electronics connected to the main terminal. I changed the unit and haven’t had any problems after.
Capttom1

[RUNKELDC]

That sounds like the main power and parallel solenoids. That's not what I'm looking at under the console.

[capttom1]

relay

RUNKELDC,
Missed the part about the unit being under the console…….good luck
Capttom1

[gofshn]

neutral shift/start interlock i do believe, we just went thru troubleshooting this on the 25 we are repowering i think there are yellow wires with red tracers on it that run up to the shift/throttle head.