new guages?

[jeremymik84]

i have a 1996 caravelle 1750 se with mercruiser 3.0 i just bought.. im new to boats and learning slowly... however i dont think any of my guages other than voltage is accurate at all... the fuel and trim move when the boat hits a wave or any bump and the tach moves all over the place when first starting up and stays reading 900-1100 rpm even after the engine is cut off and battery is unhooked... is there a way to fix these or do i need to replace them? if they need replacing wheres a place to get a relatively cheap set that wont kill my pocket book? uncle sam doesnt like to pay me too much

 

[tpenfield]

It sounds like you may have a problem that is common to all/most of the gauges. This may be a wiring or connection issue on the ground or 12volt side of the gauges or the common wiring to the gauges. I would take a look at the connections, freshen them up and see if that resolves the issue.

 

[tpenfield]

It sounds like it may be a wiring or connection issue on the 12 volt or ground side of the gauges. May be better to check the wiring and freshen up the connections to see if that resolves the issue.

 

[Silvertip]

A tachometer needle can sit anywhere on the dial, but usually in the lower area of the dial when the ignition is turned off. When the engine is running the tach should register steadily at whatever rpm the engine is turning. Fuel gauge needles can bounce around when under way just because the fuel in the tank is splashing around and the float is therefore bouncing up and down. Other gauges should register steady when running. Loose connections can also cause gauges to bounce as mentioned.

 

[jeremymik84]

they all have the connecters on them that "slip" onto the pin on the back of the gauges...would you recommend cutting that off. restripping and putting new connectors onto the wire or is there a way to clean them off reusing the same connectors?

 

[jeremymik84]

also the reason i was saying something about the gas is that it stays on the Full mark until i hit waves and then drops to where it actually is. (or where i would anticipate it actually is) like after an hour or two of boating it still reads completely full until i hit some waves and bounce the boat and then it will drop down to 3/4 of a tank and back to full so this is the only way i can keep up with fuel usage.. if its normal its no big deal but if not id like to fix it

 

[tpenfield]

they all have the connecters on them that "slip" onto the pin on the back of the gauges...would you recommend cutting that off. restripping and putting new connectors onto the wire or is there a way to clean them off reusing the same connectors?

No . . . just clean up the connections as needed or even if needed . . .

 

[jeremymik84]

how do you clean up the connections properly

 

[Silvertip]

1) disconnect one terminal at time.
2) Using a small wire brush, fine sandpaper, a burnishing tool, or fine file, dress the male terminal on the gauge.
3) Use whatever tool works best to clean the female terminal on the disconnected wire.
4) Push the wire on and off the gauge several times to complete the burnishing process.

 

[SilasKing]

I cannot start a new thread for some reason. Can anybody help?

 

[Silvertip]

You need to be at the opening page for the forum you want to post in then click the CREATE NEW TOPIC button in the upper left corner. This page is NOT the opening page for the Electrical Forum. You would need to back up one page.