bad ground?

[mash]

i have a 2000 johnson 130 outboard and when i turn the switch on, my amp gauge pegs out like it have a dead ground.With the engine running ,it stays the same.It also afects the reading on my fuel gauge. I've recently had my impeller changed and a service completed by a dealer.Does anybody have a clue as for what to look for?

 

[rodbolt]

Re: bad ground?

hello<br /> I rather suspect you haver a voltmeter as opposed to an ampmeter. disconnect the purple wire from it and check the voltage with the key on from the purple wire to the black wire. also see if the fuel gauge is still affected with the wire off. the voltmeter gauge failure is common. good luck and keep posting

 

[mash]

Re: bad ground?

thanks for the info...i'll try that.Something that i do was unhook the accessory cable(the smaller wires) from the battery.First i removed the pos. wire,still pegged...hooked it back up and removed the neg.,voltmeter went to normal.Also..when i hooked up the neg., i got a small arc.

 

[OBJ]

Re: bad ground?

Hey mash....welcome to iboats!<br /><br />If your getting a spark when connecting the battery and the key and accesory sw.(if equipped) are off, sounds like you have a short or the key sw or accessory sw aren't disconnecting the electrical system. I'd have a look around a little. One thing you can do, disconnect the battery and disconnect an accessory then reconnect the battery and see if you still have the spark. If you lose the spark for any particular accessory, you have found the problem.<br /><br />Keep us posted.