wiring to fuel gauge

[reefrunner7]

the problem is everything runs but have no gauges, no trim/tilt, no fuel, no tack. With that said there is a red wire coming off the gas gauge not connected- and a red wire loose coming of the ignition switch
the pink going to the fuel sender is hooked up fine, but the two reds I just mentioned also seem to be different sizes, help if I can figure this one out I can go fishing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bondo]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

Ayuh,... What are ya workin' on,.?.?. Other than it's a Boat,..??

 

[Silvertip]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

If all of the gauges are dead then one or more of the following is going on. 1) The wire from the "A" (accessory) terminal on the ignition switch does not have 12 volts on it with the key in the RUN position. 2) The "A" terminal feeds the gauges so that line may be loose or disconnected at the first gauge in the string. 3) Ground is disconnected from the string of gauges. There is a sticky at the very top of this forum titled "Generic Boat Wiring Diagram" that will help you with the gauge issues. Here is a diagram for the fuel gauge system.

 

[reefrunner7]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

thanks 86 proline the diagram showed has a red going straight to battery, would'nt my wiring harness provide the power? I do have one unacounted for loose red wire in the battery box and like I said two loose unacounted for wires in the helm
1. red coming from the ignition switch
2. red coming from the fuel gauge itself
when I turn ignition switch to on position, it cherps once and the tack just twitches slightly thats it.

should the red from the fuel gauge be connected to my fuse panel?
and what about the loose wire coming from the ignition just hanging.
thanks

 

[stylesabu]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

why are these wires loose? did you just get this boat? you need to trace wires, or run new ones. find out what that loose red wire in battery box goes to. is the wire from ign switch hot when key on? and as diagram showed you need 12 volts to your fuel gauge. sounds like 2 wires under dash need to be connected, but you better find out why disconnected first.

 

[reefrunner7]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

Let me do this right

Johnson 1985 120 hp
boat proline 1986 20' center console
wiring harness connected to switch, tack, fuel gauge (via jumper from trim gauge)

 

[reefrunner7]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

answere to your question yes just finishing my project boat, turn key and motor runs great, took vro pump off, all is good except for the dash items, all lights accessories work the whole 9 yards. Just blew out 35gals of old gas that was in the tank, the gauge show E when it was 3/4 full and just the dash is dead.

Question does all the power normally come from the wiring harness to the motor?
in relation to the dash board or does the dash have its own power?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

There are two wiring systems in a boat. 1) the boat harness which is the two wires from the battery to the fuse panel. 2) the harness from the engine to the shift/throttle control box. The guages are powered from the "A" terminal on the ignition switch and have nothing to do with the other wires from the battery. There is a sticky at the top of this forum titled "Generic Boat Wiring Diagram". It shows the instrument panel wiring. The engine harness gets it's power through the two large battery cables that run from the battery to the engine. From the engine 12 volts and ground go up the harness to the control box, ignition switch and gauges.

 

[reefrunner7]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

Got it! I follow that so mine gets it from the harness. I don't know I guess I'll try to connect the red one from the ignition that is hanging loose, to the loose one hanging from the fuel gauge. Both are red, does this sound logical?

I blew my gas tank totally out to get the old gas out of there, so when I test the sending unit with an ohm meter I should read what 220 or something like that? (when empty) and maybe 80 (when full)

 

[reefrunner7]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

ok just checked out the silvertip generic wiring diagram its pretty clear, but can I reverse the order of hookup, like going from the fuel gauge first to the tach second? cause my long red loose one is hanging from the fuel gauge

does the blue wire in the diagram pertain to me if my power comes from the red on the ignition switch?

 

[beavers82]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

I have 2 purples, a black and gray coming from the johnson controls. If I use both of those purples, will each one work to hook up a tach and gas gauge? They both have power, but did not know if they get the full 12v each, it seems my gas gauge isnt working now, but my new tach is.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

12 volts, ground, and the light circuit don't care which gauge it goes to first. As long as one gauge is jumpered to the next, then the next etc., the gauges will work. If you don't know if the purple wires have 12 volts measure it. If it is not 12 volts the battery is low or this is not a primary power circuit. Only you can determine that.

 

[reefrunner7]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

thanks again you guys are great!! yea I have 2 purples, gray, black and they vanish into the back of the tack and out to the trim/tilt gauge then to fuel. have a loose red coming out of the trim/tilt gauge and of course my color coding is not like the drawings shown here, I'm ready to take a sledge hammer to it all!!!!!
Still have a loose red one just hanging from the ignition switch! all my stuff works motor, trim/tilt just no dag gone gauges and of course the old fuel sender I'm gonna ohm that tommorrow.

 

[reefrunner7]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

Fellows, I just checked another wiring diagram and they have the red from the ignition switch hooked to positive terminal on battery (via a fuse) my red is just hanging loose. Could this be the cause of my dead gauges?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

Do you own a test light or a voltmeter? Trying to isolate electrical problems without one is generally a waste of time. Either one will tell you if there is 12 volts on the dangling red wire with the key on and off. If that wire becomes active with the ignition switch on, connect it to the POS or I terminal on the first gauge in the string. That terminal feeds the same terminal on the next and so on down the line. Same for the light wire and the ground. Each gauge needs +12 volts, ground, and sense (tach, fuel, trim, etc.). Trim gauge works because it is engine dependent. The other gauges are not although the tach does get it's sense signal from the engine harness. .

 

[reefrunner7]

Re: wiring to fuel gauge

I just ran 2 new wires from the fuel sender back to the fuel gauge (well gauge and to fuse box ground) I was only getting 8 volts at the sender and 11.5 at the fuel gauge. Thought it best to run new and bought new sender as I was getting no ohm readings.
Tach is stuck on 5k rpms don't know why

I have a red wire from the harness connected to the ignition switch as per wiring diagram but there is an extra dangling from the same screw that is live connected to nothing. (all gauges show power as is)

Power comes out of tach to trim and to fuel gauge (seems to be 4 stubs someone just cut off and let dangle off of some of the studs like they were connected to something else in the past)

I hope this post helps others with messed up wiring! will post an update as I progress through the mess