Solving inaccurate tachs?

[Blorton]

So my 20 year old boat has Faria gauges that mostly work okay. If I were to get a new rpm gauge and assuming everything is wired up correctly, would that then show a vaguely correct reading? Or would I need to look for more of an enthusiast/racing brand gauge to do that? (I'm aware of the engine type switch and that this is not ideal for tuning work, I'm more just interested in it being closer than the current one is showing. And I'm also tired of the bouncy bounce fuel gauge and wouldn't mind swapping them all out if that would clear things up.)

 

[gm280]

Do you own a tach meter that is stand alone? I mean like an old tach/dwell meter we all used to use tuning are hot rods. You could attach that and see how close the two reading are. Even a cheap "Tiny Tach" that clips on a spark plug lead will show the RPMs. As far as the fuel gauge bouncing around. That is because the swing arm gets sloshed around when running on choppy water. They do make sensor type fuel gauges that could help in that respect, but they are a little pricy...

 

[Blorton]

Yes. I have a new timing light that shows rpms. In the midrange, the boat gauge seems to be spot on. It's on either end of the range where it seems to be off. I'm thinking maybe the gauge internals are just old and worn/sticky?

Fuel: My needle bounces wildly even on smooth water. It's also real optimistic when the level gets lower in the tank and sitting still, so I'm definitely interested in changing that setup out for something better. I've only got 28G capacity to work with and I sure don't want to have to call for a tow.

 

[Scott Danforth]

There are ultrasonic fuel level sensors, however you have to program them for the shape of the fuel tank

Regarding the tach, they all are off somewhere. As long as its close, you are good.

The airmotor on the tach is a very simple device

 

[Chris1956]

So your tach and fuel gauge have issues? Sounds like the power and/or ground connections to them need to be cleaned.