2004 Crestliner Angler 1600 - Gauges not working

shep546

Cadet
Joined
May 31, 2017
Messages
13
Hey guys,

I just bought a 2004 Crestliner 1600 with 50hp Yamaha 4 Stroke as my first boat.

I got it as a fixer upper and am currently running into a pretty bad electrical gremlin.

The boat starts/runs fine. The Fish finder on the dash works as well as the Yamaha motor Tach that is installed.

- The boat Speedo does not work
- The boat CD player does not work
- There is a 3 gauge cluster on the dash for battery voltage, fuel level and engine trim. All 3 of these gauges read zero. There are however several toggle switches on this panel that work and light up properly.

The battery is putting out 12.7 Volts

There is a fuse panel underneath the dash with a multitude of fuses but none of the labels seem to have anything to do with the gauges. There is 12 volts going into the panel and I checked all the fuses and they work fine.

Can anyone point me into a direction to look next?

Thanks
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
First it is highly unlikely all of the gauges are bad. It is more likely that +12 volts or ground is missing from the first gauge in the string. Gauges get +12 volts from the "I" terminal on the ignition switch. That connection usually goes to the "+" (=12 volt) terminal on the gauge closest to the ignition switch. Jumper wires then connect +12 volts to the next gauge and the next, etc. Same for ground. Ground for the gauges does not come from the ignition switch but rather a ground buss or central ground point. A voltmeter is your friend here. You are right - the fuses you found are part of the "boat" system and have nothing to do with the gauges since they get power via the "engine" harness. Without +12V and ground none of the gauges work -- especially if the first gauge has no power.
 

shep546

Cadet
Joined
May 31, 2017
Messages
13
Hey there,

I have messed around with the electrical a bit and gotten nowhere.

Behind the gauges is a ton of wiring, most of which have connectors I have no idea how to test. Each gauge has a quick connect with 4 wires going into it.

here are some pictures of the wiring
http://imgur.com/a/ru4xq




The toggle switches under the gauges work but I have no idea where to go from here.

Any advise would be great.
 

shep546

Cadet
Joined
May 31, 2017
Messages
13
Sorry for the late reply.

Honestly I have no idea how to test these 5 pin connectors.

As you can see there is an insane amount of wiring going on here.

As of now none of my 3 gauges work, all of the toggle switches seem to work (they light up) minus the livewell one but I have no idea how to test all these wires.

Any input would be appreciated.
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
The four terminals on each connector for each gauge are 1) +12 volts when the key is ON. 2) ground, 3) internal light, 4) sender (fuel, temp, etc). A voltmeter gauge and your speedometer do not have senders (none is required). The gauges are powered by the ignition switch. +12 volts is fed to the first gauge in the string. Each gauge is then jumpered to the next one and the next. Same for ground. The light wire comes from the NAV/ANCHOR switch. Sender wires come from the appropriate sender. Without a test light or hand held volt-ohm-milliammeter you cannot test anything. I told you what the problem likely is but if you don't have test equipment or the knowledge to use it you have two choices: 1) learn, or 2) have a shop fix it.
 

shep546

Cadet
Joined
May 31, 2017
Messages
13
The four terminals on each connector for each gauge are 1) +12 volts when the key is ON. 2) ground, 3) internal light, 4) sender (fuel, temp, etc). A voltmeter gauge and your speedometer do not have senders (none is required). The gauges are powered by the ignition switch. +12 volts is fed to the first gauge in the string. Each gauge is then jumpered to the next one and the next. Same for ground. The light wire comes from the NAV/ANCHOR switch. Sender wires come from the appropriate sender. Without a test light or hand held volt-ohm-milliammeter you cannot test anything. I told you what the problem likely is but if you don't have test equipment or the knowledge to use it you have two choices: 1) learn, or 2) have a shop fix it.



Thanks for your patience as I said I don't know much about this.


I bought a multi meter and tested the connectors and I think I found the problem.

All 3 gauges have 12 volts.

The previous owner replaced the engine at some point and installed a Yamaha engine where as before there was a mercury. The wire for the sender end up at the now not connected mercury wiring harness pictured below.

O32sLuL.jpg



nlIJbJO.jpg


The harness is not attached to anything. The previous owner installed the Yamaha engine and the wiring harness for the engine only goes to the Yamaha tach and nothing else.

Do I need to find a wiring diagram for the merc harness and try and wire it into the Yamaha harness?

Thanks again.
 
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