Printable View
The oil pressure gauges at both our pilot house and flybridge helms only rarely come to life. The ones mounted inside the engine room doors work as expected 100% of the time. Before I go down another rabbit hole, is there any chance that's a well known issue with a common fix? All the other gauges seem to work just fine.
Engine room gauges are likely mechanical gauges. The helm gauges are electric. If they are working intermittently, then it is likely that there is a bad wire or bad wire connection. Look a the senders and see if the wire ends are crimped well and fastened tight.
I ended up replacing mine with new Stewart Warner gauges and senders from Sam's. They work fine now. Mine in the engine room are mechanical as well.
Historically half my issues were wires/connections and the other half sender or gauge.
I had a similar issue. I resolved it with restrapping/rebonding my engine room. It’s strange how a floating ground affects digital gauges
Thanks for the tip. I bet you can guess my next question… Where are the senders located?Quote:
Originally Posted by SKYCHENEY
Look for wires going to the transmission. It will be a fitting that screws in and has two screws on it where the wires attach.Quote:
Originally Posted by adt2
Thanks!
Like these?Quote:
Originally Posted by SKYCHENEY
Yep. Like that.
Just a word of warning on mechanical ER gauges. 2 seasons back I had a SW tranni pressure gauge failure in my ER. It failed internally and pumped all the tranni oil out, resulting in a $17k rebuild. Needless to say, I have eliminated all the gauges down there. Had it been the main engine gauge it would have been a hell of a lot more costly than that.
Ouch. So you just have the helm gauges now? I would've thought the ones in the ER connected directly would be the most reliable...I guess I don't really understand what those gauges are actually doing. I had no idea the gauge could/would pump fluid - I thought they were just reporting what they measured.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Bradley
They have to be connected to pressure in order to measure pressure. So, if they fail they can release that pressure. The gauge doesn't do any pumping, the oil pumps to that. But a gauge failure can be very similar to removing a gallery plug.Quote:
Originally Posted by adt2
Here's what greeted me in the ER (along with a mess of oil and a blown tranni)...
Attachment 72467
So I may not be smart enough for this project lol. I'm trying to follow along with a YouTube video that explains how to troubleshoot this issue. In a nutshell, it says 1. Use a multimeter to test for 12v at the gauge (ground and ignition studs); if no power, stop and figure out why 2. Use a short length of cable to verify full deflection of the gauge when ground and sender posts are shorted; if not then the gauge is bad 3. Repeat step 2 at the sender; if the gauge deflects then the sender is bad, else the wiring is badTwo days ago, I got 12v at both oil pressure gauges but didn't have time to go any farther.Today I have 12v port and less than 5v starboard (but no other electrical issues I'm aware of today). Port gauge deflects when ground and sender are shorted; starboard side - nada.I'm not sure I'm looking at the right sender in the engine room - there are two oil pressure gauges on the helm and it's the "Oil Pressure" ones that don't work (not the "Drive Oil Pressure").Anyone have thoughts?
The drive oil pressure sender should be on top of the transmission at the rear of the engine. The oil pressure sender is usually located low on the side of the engine below the exhaust manifold. Mine are both on the starboard sides of the engines. The sender in your picture looks like the drive oil pressure sender. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like the connector on the red wire is poorly crimped. It looks like someone crimped it with a regular pair of pliers or a wrench handle. I would do myself a favor and invest in some proper crimping pliers and heat-shrink connectors. That eliminated about 90% of my electrical issues.
The heat-shrink connectors are not that unreasonable if you order them in bulk. One of those paint-stripper heat guns from Harbor Freight works great for shrinking them down without scorching the wires.
Thank you, that’s actually super helpful. I thought I was probably looking at the wrong sender. Regarding the tools and supplies, I bought a whole mess of those when I bought the boat. I have a proper set of crimpers, strippers, marine grade heat shrink, connectors with crimp and heat shrink built-in, etc. Once I figure out what the problem is, I am more than equipped to repair it, I think.
Which engine do you have? That will help us advise on where to look for the sender. I can tell you where to look on a 6v92. Once you find it, if the wires aren't loose, you've either got a bad gauge, bad sender, or (least likely) a broken wire somewhere in the harness.
The easiest fix is to just replace both the gauge and the sender. They're not that expensive.
12v71TIQuote:
Originally Posted by Bob Bradley
my goal is to replace all of the gauges at some point. But since that appears to be a more in-depth project than I suspected, my interim goal is just to get my current gauges functional again.
Centered under the stb exhaust manifold.Quote:
Originally Posted by adt2
The top oil hose to your turbo comes off of the same block.
You can follow this hose down to your senders.
These?Attachment 72556Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Ralph
That's water temp alarm or sender.Quote:
Originally Posted by adt2
Look under the exhaust manifold.
How about this one?Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Ralph
You found it. Engine oil Pressure
Circled is the Hobbs Switch. Low oil pressure alarm. The one below it should be the gauge sender.Quote:
Originally Posted by adt2
The funny things that come in my dreams,, Has your oil pressure ever worked? That sender in your picture did not look original.
So the big fat one with the single red wire is the target, correct?Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Ralph
Assuming I've identified the correct thing, is there any reason it should be run through the ships service panel in that engine room? I've been tracing the wire backwards from the helm and it sure looks to me like it's wired into the battery switch panel down in the E.R. It's possible I've got the wires mixed up, though - I ran out of energy before I could put a tester/toner on it to be sure.
Yes, the gauges at both helms worked - albeit intermittently - until a few weeks ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Ralph
While doing some troubleshooting this morning I discovered that the starboard (non-functional side) gauge has 0v when the ignition is on (port is getting 13.3v), which seems like a pretty big clue. I don't know what it means but I know it matters lol.
I remember some 32Vdc boats using a DCv to DCv converter for the 12Vdc gauges. Hidden under the lower helm.Quote:
Originally Posted by adt2
Yes, ours has a pair of 32v-to-12v converters mounted under the lower helm.Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Ralph
I would start there.Quote:
Originally Posted by adt2
You know, it occurs to me that I might be chasing the wrong wire. Each gauge has two red wires on the ignition terminal - one short jumper from gauge to gauge, and one that disappears into the massive wire bundles. On my dead gauge in question, I'm getting close to 0v on both red wires.
What are the two reds on the ignition terminal for? And, in what may or may not be a related question, why wouldn't they run a single cable to a terminal block and then run smaller cables to each gauge, instead of running a thousand cables all the way to wherever they're going?
Usually blue, but I guess it could be red; Back light..Quote:
Originally Posted by adt2
Actually I think the backlights are on a separate terminal. Those actually are one hot wire that gets split right at the helm and run to each gauge.
With out the prints for your boat in front of me, I am still guessing at this.
Find the DCv to DCv converters and check in / out voltage.
Some converters have a fuse, others have a remote fuse.
I remember talking to a NewMar rep many years ago. Hatterass special ordered a large run of converters with out a switch. Replacement converters units may have a switch. Somethings to check.
Back at that key switch, No DCv out? In?
1. I have the prints...what am I looking for?Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Ralph
2. I'll check the converters, but I would be surprised if they're to blame:
2a. Nothing else doesn't work - surely there's not a converter dedicated to a single gauge?
2b. I've traced the long red wire to the bottom of the helm (doesn't sound like much but it took all day and about 100 cut wire ties) and it looks like it almost certainly goes with the bundle of wires to the starboard engine room (across the top of the helm to the port side, down the front of the helm to the deck, across the deck to the starboard side and down through a hole in the floor).
3. Given #2, I'm not sure the fuse/no-fuse issue would be related.
4. Ditto #3
5. I haven't checked the key switch, but I assume I'm getting DCv out if it's supposed to be there - all the other gauges on the starboard side come to life when the key is turned on.
Thanks for your help.
I am still trying to solve this problem. I am currently tracing the wire from the back of the gauge into the engine room, looking for breaks or loose connections. Can someone explain to me where the wire from the sender goes? Does it go from the sender directly to the gauge? Or does it get terminated somewhere else and then routed to the gauge?