Telescoping stern light 03-262

[thmw]

My stern nav iight has begun working irregularly - depending on where you extend the telescoping pole to it may or may not work. It used to be a powered pole but it got damaged and i asked the shop to convert it to a manually extending light and it has been fine for a few years but recently it started working intermittently. I went into the engine bay and checked the wiring and all looks as it should and light doesnt flicker when working connections or wires. When it extending the pole it doesnt extend smoothly - sort of tight then loose. I cant get the dang cap off of the light either to check the bulb connection. How does the light cap come off the top? Is it threaded or is it a friction fit? Didn't want to have to remove the entire unit but i may have to. Thoughts?

Tom
2003 - 262

[Whippled263]

Hey Tom. Most caps just screw off. Making bulb replacement easy. Id start there. If that doesn't fix the problem grab another pole from a friend or marina mate and try it out. If your problem persists you have an issue else where

[AsLan7]

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+1 on W263 above.
Unscrew the plastic top....and I'd recommend replacing with an LED bulb that will push into the socket. Then screw the plastic top back on. Remember many LED lights require you to have the correct polarity so if you do replace it and it does not light, pull it out, turn 180 degrees, and reinsert.

You may have a loose connection somewhere or your current bulb is corroded. A little WD-40 could also fix that. Honestly though, LED's burn soooo much cooler and draw a fraction on the power. Convert the entire boat. It's easy.

Here's the link to our Nav & Anchor light LED upgrade...Click here.

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[BigGib]

Another vote for going to LED. Our anchor light on our arch kept blowing the breaker so I replaced it with an LED 194 tower bulb, no more breaker issues and it's considerably brighter