1998 Yamaha Saltwater Series 115 Electronics Problems

[batteryxsnare]

Hi,

Got the motor running great now, but here's my next issue:

The guages that came with the boat (the Yamaha Digital ones for Tach and Speed/Fuel) had gotten all cracked up and such on the glass so I replaced them. I put the new ones in and hooked them up exactly the same way the old ones were, and correctly according to the diagrams that came with them supplied by Yamaha. The old guages were in such bad shape that I can't actually tell if they worked or not.

The new guages power on and light up fine, but the Tach is staying at 0, trim and oil doesn't appear to work, and on the fuel guage, the fuel is always at the 1st bar even if i fill it to half a tank, and the speed doesn't work. Also, when I turn the key into the on position, I hear a constant noise that is really really faint but may be a broken warning buzzer or something.

Are these problems common, or is there anything common to both guages that would cause none of the functions to work?

Thanks.

 

[Capt Ken]

Re: 1998 Yamaha Saltwater Series 115 Electronics Problems

Check your grounds. Speedo is pressure operated from the pickup on the lower unit unless someone has installed a pickup on the transom. All the wiring should have been plug and play. Did have one guy years ago that was color blind and screwed things up. The tach won't work if the engine isn't charging. You will need to check the charge voltage on the battery with a volt meter. Yellow and green light on the oil gauge is governed by the sensor in the remote tank and the red light is governed by the engine tank. You could have a mess of problems not related to the gauges.

 

[batteryxsnare]

Re: 1998 Yamaha Saltwater Series 115 Electronics Problems

Thanks for the reply.

The engine is definitely charging. Voltage and current on everything seems to check out ok.

I've got a mess of ground wires hanging loose under the console that appear to just be for old wiring used for lights, stereos, etc...if the guages are turning on and lighting up properly, wouldn't that indicate the grounds would be good?

As far as the speed goes, I do see an old plastic tube going back to the motor, but there is a paddle sensor on the transom as well.

 

[JUSTINTIME]

Re: 1998 Yamaha Saltwater Series 115 Electronics Problems

clean the connections
u could have bought a bad gauge also

 

[Ray Neudecker]

Re: 1998 Yamaha Saltwater Series 115 Electronics Problems

Most defective guages will not turn on and go to zero on the tach. I would be rechecking all connections first.