SoCal Jet Boats
Tech Talk => Engine Mechanical / Electrical => Topic started by: Vegas on July 17, 2012, 07:49:32 PM
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So I just got my new auto meter marine gauges for my boat, and while I am at it I am going to re-do the original 1976 wiring harness. I have a couple questions though, first, how should I go about rewiring the original ammeter for the new volt meter? If I am going to be redoing the harness, can't I just delete that wiring altogether? Second, would the new gauges be compatible with all of my old senders? My old gauges are basically junk, and the only gauge that I hooked up was the fuel gauge, and my old one read 1/4 tank while the auto meter is barely above empty. Is there a way to adjust them? I am fairly certain that there is more gas than that in the tank. I appreciate all the help I can get on this! Thanks!!
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I did this project not too long ago myself.. Very tedious work n took my time (about 3 days lol) but ya i would def recomend replacing all ur sending units while ur at it. And just rip out all ur wiring and do it right.. Dont skimp n shortcut on anything electrical!
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sending units and gauges use ohms to send levels, make sure your senders match your gauges. water temp and oil pressure senders are very cheap and heck... why not make sure they're working 100% and accurate? most water temp and oil pressure senders come in "ranges" so 80-180F or 0 to 60psi... fuel level senders are the same way ohm wise, for example:
http://www.cpperformance.com/p-211-2-wire-fuel-level-sender.aspx (http://www.cpperformance.com/p-211-2-wire-fuel-level-sender.aspx)
This design makes installation and calibration for use with 33-240 ohm gauges.
if you look at jegs/summit they'll have the gauge and its ohm rating next to it. you'll see some are 0-90, 0-280, etc.
as far as swapping ampmeter to voltage i just wired my voltage gauge lead off of my ignition switch's ON, whereas ampmeter wiring is such that it goes battery - ignition switch - ampmeter - everything else.
dont forget to use fuses. make sure your grounds are clean and tight. if you think a gauge might not be working you can ground the sender wire and the gauge should be a full sweep.
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Throw the ammeter into your neighbors back yard.... :sly:
The voltage drop they cause is hurting everything on your boat including ignition performance.
You can't buy the wire for what these cost.... http://bpi.ebasicpower.com/c/ALL6I/Instrument%20Panel%20Harnesses (http://bpi.ebasicpower.com/c/ALL6I/Instrument%20Panel%20Harnesses) I have used these in every build to date. Nice quality. The one I have for my Carrera is jacketed and a bit nicer than the last two I got, I got it from a buddy in the Northwest...If memory serves (rarely does) it was under $80. It is about 4' too long, so it's pretty universal.
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Awesome! Thanks for the replies everyone! GT, are you referring to the harnesses that they have listed that all begin with the part number MAR6117? If so, that is a damn good deal, and I was expecting to pay around that just for the supplies to build my own. That may be a better route for me to go. As far as the senders, I will look in to replacing them, so everything from the sender to the gauges is new, and accurate. That may be my best bet. I will probably pull the fuel sender and see what it looks like, and see if I can play with the float on it and make the gauge respond to it. Thanks for the help again!
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Awesome! Thanks for the replies everyone! GT, are you referring to the harnesses that they have listed that all begin with the part number MAR6117? If so, that is a damn good deal, and I was expecting to pay around that just for the supplies to build my own. That may be a better route for me to go. As far as the senders, I will look in to replacing them, so everything from the sender to the gauges is new, and accurate. That may be my best bet. I will probably pull the fuel sender and see what it looks like, and see if I can play with the float on it and make the gauge respond to it. Thanks for the help again!
They make numerous different kits, so it's best to really research what you need and make the decision based on your requirements...
And yes, you would be hard pressed to even purchase the materials for what these cost and the quality is a solid 9 of 10 on my scale...
GT