1995 Rinker 180 electrical problems

[gus412]

I just bought a 1995 Rinker 180 with 3.0 merc outdrive. Everything worked at dealer and the first weekend out on the river things started to fail. First the trim button would not work all the time, if I really pressed hard it would work and kept trying it I could get it to work. Second the Tack and speedo didn't work, I am not sure the other gauges were as well seemed to, but not to trusting right now. Then coming in, after sunset, the lights would work and then turn off, and by accident when i turn them on and off I hit the bildge pump and they came on. It would do that every 5 minutes or so and if I hit bildge pump they came back on. I am thinking there is a short in the boat somewhere any place to start looking? This is my first boat and really like it, just hope I did not buy a lemon I paid 4000 for it was that too much? It has not been in the water for a year but ran up and down the river real nice.

 

[mvn]

Re: 1995 Rinker 180 electrical problems

Don't get too discouraged yet. Time and moisture are the culprits. Even on my relatively new '05, there are small electrical issues from time to time. For example, the horn has to be taken apart once and a while for a good points cleaning.

In your case, I would go through item by item, clean and tighten all electrical connections, take apart and clean all switches and pay particular attention to ground points. Check for corrosion in harness connections. Dielectric grease is your friend!

 

[2-bowties&abird]

Re: 1995 Rinker 180 electrical problems

I just bought a 1995 Rinker 180 with 3.0 merc outdrive. Everything worked at dealer and the first weekend out on the river things started to fail. First the trim button would not work all the time, if I really pressed hard it would work and kept trying it I could get it to work. Second the Tack and speedo didn't work, I am not sure the other gauges were as well seemed to, but not to trusting right now. Then coming in, after sunset, the lights would work and then turn off, and by accident when i turn them on and off I hit the bildge pump and they came on. It would do that every 5 minutes or so and if I hit bildge pump they came back on. I am thinking there is a short in the boat somewhere any place to start looking? This is my first boat and really like it, just hope I did not buy a lemon I paid 4000 for it was that too much? It has not been in the water for a year but ran up and down the river real nice.

i have the exact same boat and year with a 3.0 merc as well. did you ever figure out what was going on with the speedometer? i just bought mine and had a bad gimble bearing and when i got it back my speedometer does not work. will you post some pics of your boat i would really like to see the similarities in the 2 and i will post some of mine too.

what size prop are you running on yours? i've been looking into a new prop, i have a 14 1/2 x 17 right now and it's a little bit of a dog getting out of the water when i have say 5-6 people on it.

 

[DavidIreland]

Re: 1995 Rinker 180 electrical problems

Sounds like you have a bad earth somewhere. look to find the common earth for all the accessories on the circuit. be aware if you are checking for a 12v supply at these accessories that you might have 12v but you might not have current to run them. Classic example of a bad earth from corosion etc.

 

[mvn]

Re: 1995 Rinker 180 electrical problems

I may be wrong (and I'll check the Merc manuals when I get the chance) but the speedo is not electric. It's driven by water pressure. It sounds like the mechanic forgot to reconnect the speedo pitot tube. If you look at the leading vertical edge of the outdrive you will see a small pinhole. There's a tube that runs from it all the way up to your speedo. As speed increases, water pressure increases accordingly.

Let us know if you find anything.

As far as your planing preformance goes, 5-6 people is a pretty good load for a 3.0 litre. What's your WOT rpm reading? What is your gear ratio of the outdrive? If all the numbers check out, you may want to consider SmartTabs. They will help with stern lift.

 

[mvn]

Re: 1995 Rinker 180 electrical problems

2bowties&abird,

Trim you drive all the way up and look up underneath. You should see a shift shaft and a small tube that goes through the transom plate. Make sure it is connected and/or not damaged. Disconnect the speedo tube at the speed and blow. Is it blocked?

 

[2-bowties&abird]

Re: 1995 Rinker 180 electrical problems

2bowties&abird,

Trim you drive all the way up and look up underneath. You should see a shift shaft and a small tube that goes through the transom plate. Make sure it is connected and/or not damaged. Disconnect the speedo tube at the speed and blow. Is it blocked?

i looked everywhere i thought it could be and couldn't find it, i may have to take another look today. wot is 4800 rpm's with me and one other person and about 4400 rpm's with say 5-6 people. it did come with one of those fin plates that bolt on to the top of the lower unit (i guess thats supposed to help it get on a plain quicker?). whats the deal with the smart tabs? i've never heard of them.

 

[mvn]

Re: 1995 Rinker 180 electrical problems

Not to be smart but "a little doggy" with 5-6 people in the 180 with a 3.0L sounds normal when compared to a lighter load. If you're turning 4800 with 2 people on board, how is the performance? (BTW, what is your WOT rating?)What type of boating do you typically do? Everything in life is a compromise. As described in an earlier post of mine, I chose better bottom end at the cost of top end performance (although it was only 1 mph less). MY WOT will hit 4800 now with the 20" although my max range is 4200 to 4600. Apparently a "little" over won't hurt. Better than too low. A 22" gives me 4400 rpm at WOT.

Do you predominantly boat with 5-6 people? If so, you can drop your pitch but your WOT will be too high (not that you have to run at WOT).

If your boating is varies, you can have one prop when heavily loaded and another for lighter loads.

As far as the SmartTabs go, there is plenty on info on this site regarding them. The Search window is your friend!

Here are some photos of my installation.

These tabs will significantly reduce your planing time as well as reduce your minimum planing speed (mine went from 24 mph to 16 mph). They will also reduce if not eliminate porpoising. If you go to www.nauticusinc.com there are several FAQ's and documents you can read regarding this product. I highly recommend them to anyone. Although hydrofoils address the same issues, they introduce a new one.....reduced lateral stability in turns. Read the literature and you'll see why.

 

[gus412]

Re: 1995 Rinker 180 electrical problems

I have found my electrical problems and so far so good. I have not fixed speedo yet but not really an issue for me. WOT I run right around 4500 with three adults and two kids. I will get some pics posted after this weekend. We took it up north for ten days of tubing and skiing and the boat did great as long as I don't get to much weight sitting in the back she does just fine. I do believe I wish I would have found a 4.3 though just so when we have more then our family in the boat it has the extra power. I am not sure what the prop pitch is can not find where it is stamped. It is a stainless I want to say the guy said it was an 19 but not for sure on that.

 

[2-bowties&abird]

Re: 1995 Rinker 180 electrical problems

hey mvn thanks for the info on the spedometer i found the tube and it was disconnected, speedometer works fine now.

as far as the performance, i had 3 adults 1 child and a full tank of gas and it was running about 4600 rpm's at 35 mph at wot. wot for that 3.0 is 4400-4800. the prop on it now is a 14 1/2 x 17 (which is not in too good of shape), and most of the time it will be used for cruising with the occasional tuber or knee boarder.