Gauges

[xenus7850]

I bought a 2005 Rinker 2005 last year and a few of the gauges are not working. The gauges are Faria gauges. When I bought the boat and got it into the water, I noticed that both Tach's were not working, the MPH gauge was not working and the 1 of the 2 volt gauges was not working.

I had a marine mechanic look at them and he stated that they were all getting power and that the gauges were bad. I don't know if he took a volt reading to determine if the were getting the proper volts or just used a volt light and determined it that way.

It just seems suspicious to me that on a 2005 that all of these gauges do not work. Both fuel gauges work, 1 volt gauge work, both temp gauges work, but the ones listed above do not. I am going to pull the gauges and send them back to Faria as they have a limited warranty.

Before doing this and spending hundreds of dollars, could it be something else, maybe a bad ground they all share? An ideas would be helpful, thanks in advance.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Gauges

I had a marine mechanic look at them and he stated that they were all getting power and that the gauges were bad. I don't know if he took a volt reading to determine if the were getting the proper volts or just used a volt light and determined it that way.

Getting power is only half the equation. You have to have a ground also. Check the grounds for corrosion and clean as needed.
The gauges may be bad, but you should check everything before just swapping them out.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Gauges

DO NOT REMOVE THE GAUGES: Diagnose, isolate and repair or replace. Don't do the expensive stuff first. It is simply not the way to isolate a problem (its called "shotgunning").

First, gauges are rarely the problem, especially if more than one is not operational. Next, lets think about power and ground. If NONE of the gauges worked, that would indicate loss of +12 volts or ground at the first gauge in the string. Gauges are generally daisy chained from one to the next so if just one gauge or two gauges are not working, that says THAT GAUGE and perhaps one or two AFTER that one may have lost its ground, or it has lost its "S" (send) signal. In the case of a voltmeter, it only has +12 volts and ground (there is no sense line). So here's my take -- (and don't believe the mechanic who said the gauges all have power. If he is electrically capable he should have had this pinned down in very little time. He just didn't want to be bothered or didn't have a clue.

TACH: Both not operational says they both lost power and/or ground. Since you have two tachs, do you have twin engines, or is this a dual helm? If dual engine, it is highly unlikely both gauges would have lost their "S" sense signal from the engine. Hence I'd look for power and/or ground.

FUEL: This may be the sender in the tank but it is easy to check. Behind the gauge, short the "S" terminal to ground (but make sure the ground is good and the gauge has +12 volts). The gauge should peg full. If it doesn't and you are certain the ground is good and the gauge has +12 volts on it, then it is possible the gauge is bad. If the gauge pegged full, then locate the sending unit on the tank this gauge registers from. Ensure the metal shell of the sending unit (the flange with the screws in it) has a good solid ground. Then short the sender terminal to ground. The gauge should again peg full. If it does not, the wire between the sending unit and the gauge is open. Fix it. If the gauge pegs, that wire is ok and the sender is suspect. Disconnect the sender wire and using an ohm meter, measure the resistance from the sender terminal to ground. If you know roughly how much fuel is in the tank the readings will be: Full tank = 33 ohms, 1/2 tank = 109 ohms, and an empty tank = 240 ohms. If the readings are drastically different or you get no reading, the sender is bad and must be replaced.

Here is a diagram of the fuel gauge system.

VOLTMETER: The voltmeter needs only +12 volts and ground. Test it. If both are present THEN and only then should the gauge be replaced.

SPEEDOMETER: I must assume you have a pitot driven speedometer which is nothing more than a plastic tube connected to an orfice in the lower unit of the drive (or via a plastic pitot screwed to the back of the boat). Water pressure compresses air in the tube which causes a Bourdon tube in the speedometer to unwind which moves the needle. The tube or the pitot may be plugged (the usual cause). Disconnect the tube at the speedo head and blow compressed air backwards through it. If the tube had a hole in it you would have wet feet.

None of this is rocket science. A simple $15 multi-tester will allow you to read resistance (ohms) and voltage. Learn how to use it and save yourself a bundle.

 

[riptide09]

Re: Gauges

Faria has a limited lifetime warranty on gauges. If they are bad go to Faria's website and enter the information to see if they are covered. The tach went bad in my 2003 FourWinns in 2009 and I was able to get a rebuilt one from Faria for $25 plus the old one. New ones were running $170 to $200 depending on where you purchased them.

 

[Mikejr]

Re: Gauges

Just a simple thank you for the clear, pragmatic advice - very useful!

 

[Mikejr]

Re: Gauges

DO NOT REMOVE THE GAUGES: Diagnose, isolate and repair or replace. Don't do the expensive stuff first. It is simply not the way to isolate a problem (its called "shotgunning").

First, gauges are rarely the problem, especially if more than one is not operational. Next, lets think about power and ground. If NONE of the gauges worked, that would indicate loss of +12 volts or ground at the first gauge in the string. Gauges are generally daisy chained from one to the next so if just one gauge or two gauges are not working, that says THAT GAUGE and perhaps one or two AFTER that one may have lost its ground, or it has lost its "S" (send) signal. In the case of a voltmeter, it only has +12 volts and ground (there is no sense line). So here's my take -- (and don't believe the mechanic who said the gauges all have power. If he is electrically capable he should have had this pinned down in very little time. He just didn't want to be bothered or didn't have a clue.

TACH: Both not operational says they both lost power and/or ground. Since you have two tachs, do you have twin engines, or is this a dual helm? If dual engine, it is highly unlikely both gauges would have lost their "S" sense signal from the engine. Hence I'd look for power and/or ground.

FUEL: This may be the sender in the tank but it is easy to check. Behind the gauge, short the "S" terminal to ground (but make sure the ground is good and the gauge has +12 volts). The gauge should peg full. If it doesn't and you are certain the ground is good and the gauge has +12 volts on it, then it is possible the gauge is bad. If the gauge pegged full, then locate the sending unit on the tank this gauge registers from. Ensure the metal shell of the sending unit (the flange with the screws in it) has a good solid ground. Then short the sender terminal to ground. The gauge should again peg full. If it does not, the wire between the sending unit and the gauge is open. Fix it. If the gauge pegs, that wire is ok and the sender is suspect. Disconnect the sender wire and using an ohm meter, measure the resistance from the sender terminal to ground. If you know roughly how much fuel is in the tank the readings will be: Full tank = 33 ohms, 1/2 tank = 109 ohms, and an empty tank = 240 ohms. If the readings are drastically different or you get no reading, the sender is bad and must be replaced.

Here is a diagram of the fuel gauge system.

VOLTMETER: The voltmeter needs only +12 volts and ground. Test it. If both are present THEN and only then should the gauge be replaced.

SPEEDOMETER: I must assume you have a pitot driven speedometer which is nothing more than a plastic tube connected to an orfice in the lower unit of the drive (or via a plastic pitot screwed to the back of the boat). Water pressure compresses air in the tube which causes a Bourdon tube in the speedometer to unwind which moves the needle. The tube or the pitot may be plugged (the usual cause). Disconnect the tube at the speedo head and blow compressed air backwards through it. If the tube had a hole in it you would have wet feet.

None of this is rocket science. A simple $15 multi-tester will allow you to read resistance (ohms) and voltage. Learn how to use it and save yourself a bundle.

Great advice. Thank you very much.