[dlanzetta]

My 8 year old, original equipment Yamaha Fuel Gauge no longer is readable. The LCD display seems to have expired.

I would like to install a standard old fashioned fuel gauge rather than replace this relatively expensive gauge that provides a lot of information that I don't need. (i.e. speed.. I have gps and it's more accruate) (Trip time?, etc.)

My question is this...
Will it work?
Which wires are for the fuel gauge? (How can I get a wiring diagram that would show how my current multi function speedomert/ fuel gauge is wired)

BTW. This is on a 1999 Saltwater Series 225HP -

Thanks for any assistance...

[scoutabout]

Rant alert!

The novelty of those LCD gauges wears off in about two minutes. They are a terrible idea from a usability perspective. While your eye and mind can instantly establish a relationship when looking at an analog needle positioned somewhere between high and low maximums (revs, speed, temps, pressures, etc) adding or subtracting numbers to establish revs to redline, degrees to meltdown, or psi to seizure takes longer and leaves you that one step removed from learning all you need to know at a quick glance. Also, the speed with which an analog gauge moves across a dial gives you a better sense of how rapidly conditions are trending one way than does digital.

As for that dumb bar graph of a fuel guage, it doesn't have enough notches to give you a fine sense of fuel level. I'm thinking of replacing both the tach and speedo and their associated trim, fuel, etc readouts with analog even though they work fine (and so might fund the switch if I sell em!) and supplement the new analog gauges with a fuel flow meter (which I admit, along with depth gauges can be digital, no problem).

The mecca of usability will always be the cockpit of an aircraft. Up there, misinformed or slowinformed equals dead real quick. And even though "glass cockpits" have been with us for a while, you will note they are for the most part simply electronic replications of analog gauges. You wouldn't want your artificial horizon to be simply a digital readout of wing angle relative to the terrain, you want to see that nice flat line with blue on top which instantly notifies your brain of which way is up. Such usability may not be critical at sea level on a lazy afternoon pulling the kids on a tube, but the thoughtlessnes irks me all the same.

Ahem, sorry -- I'm much better now, really.

The Yamaha website has a full line of nice looking analog gauges. Call up your local dealer and ask if you can isolate just the wiring for the fuel gauge.