Gauge Replacement (one of my winter projects)

[Skyhawk]

Well, the boat is winterized and in the garage, twas a sad day, lol. That being said, let the projects begin! First on the list, new gauges.

My Chap' came with Medallions which are still in good shape but look a bit dated and I want something nicer. I will be purchasing either VDO's or Teleflex white face gauges fairly soon and will start the change over.

Any suggestions or things I should take into consideration before dropping some coin on a new set?

I'll also be posting up pics of the swap, of course.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Gauge Replacement (one of my winter projects)

are you just swapping them, using in the same hole on the console?

 

[jevery]

Re: Gauge Replacement (one of my winter projects)

When my tach quit I decided to replace the black gauges in my bass boat with something better looking. I settled on the Teleflex Sahara series gauges.

The original gauges all had push-in connectors that I had to cut off in order to attach ring terminals for the post connectors on the new gauges. The gauges wired up easily and switching over to the post type connectors allowed me to install the style gauges that I wanted rather than being limited to Ranger gauges. I also rewired the lights in the gauges off the ignition circuit to the lights circuit so that the lights would only be on when the running lights were switched on ? a little detail that bugged me. A multimeter or a 12V light tester will help identify power and ground sources if a question arises.

 

[Skyhawk]

Re: Gauge Replacement (one of my winter projects)

are you just swapping them, using in the same hole on the console?

Yep, same holes will be used.

 

[Skyhawk]

Re: Gauge Replacement (one of my winter projects)

When my tach quit I decided to replace the black gauges in my bass boat with something better looking. I settled on the Teleflex Sahara series gauges.

The original gauges all had push-in connectors that I had to cut off in order to attach ring terminals for the post connectors on the new gauges. The gauges wired up easily and switching over to the post type connectors allowed me to install the style gauges that I wanted rather than being limited to Ranger gauges. I also rewired the lights in the gauges off the ignition circuit to the lights circuit so that the lights would only be on when the running lights were switched on ? a little detail that bugged me. A multimeter or a 12V light tester will help identify power and ground sources if a question arises.

Those look great! I'll most likely be purchasing the Tele Lido's...

I also like how you modded the lights to come on with your nav's. This makes a lot more sense to me and also seems like the bulbs would last longer.

 

[arks]

Re: Gauge Replacement (one of my winter projects)

Some tips:
- buy sealed gauges. They'll be less prone to fogging.
- consider gauges that have combined displays- you'll be able to add more to your dash (I added a matching clock and oil temp gauge).
- if you want to dress 'em up even more, add colored bezels to complement your boat. IMO it gives it that little extra pizzaz. You can also buy small "rubbers" that fit over the dash lamps to change their color. The cost is cheap and they work great.
- take a bunch of pictures of the dash wiring before disconnecting anything. It'll help tremendously if/when you're chasing gremlins.
- make absolutely sure all your grounds are good and tight! If even one is bad the gauges will act crazy. Don't ask how I know....
- since you're re-habbing the dash, consider replacing all the switches and fuses. I put in these cool little push-in type circuit breakers with silicone boots. No more fuses!
- if you don't already have one, it's a good time to add a safety lanyard to kill the engine. I installed mine next to the dash on the bulkhead, just below the shifter.
- it's also a good time to add any accessory item or switch you've always wanted, like a lighter/chart light, 12V outlet, courtesy lights, etc.

Good luck, and we wanna see some pictures when your done!

 

[Skyhawk]

Re: Gauge Replacement (one of my winter projects)

Some tips:
- buy sealed gauges. They'll be less prone to fogging.
- consider gauges that have combined displays- you'll be able to add more to your dash (I added a matching clock and oil temp gauge).
- if you want to dress 'em up even more, add colored bezels to complement your boat. IMO it gives it that little extra pizzaz. You can also buy small "rubbers" that fit over the dash lamps to change their color. The cost is cheap and they work great.
- take a bunch of pictures of the dash wiring before disconnecting anything. It'll help tremendously if/when you're chasing gremlins.
- make absolutely sure all your grounds are good and tight! If even one is bad the gauges will act crazy. Don't ask how I know....
- since you're re-habbing the dash, consider replacing all the switches and fuses. I put in these cool little push-in type circuit breakers with silicone boots. No more fuses!
- if you don't already have one, it's a good time to add a safety lanyard to kill the engine. I installed mine next to the dash on the bulkhead, just below the shifter.
- it's also a good time to add any accessory item or switch you've always wanted, like a lighter/chart light, 12V outlet, courtesy lights, etc.

Good luck, and we wanna see some pictures when your done!

Thanks for the post Arks! I'll take all of your suggestions into consideration.

 

[littlebookworm]

Re: Gauge Replacement (one of my winter projects)

Great plan. The only thing I'd add to the advice already given is to examine the present layout of the guages to see if they fit your needs or desires. You may want to swap some guage locations to make the ones you need all the time more visible. If you need to add any wiring, use marine wire of the same gauge. "Officially" you are supposed to match the BIA color code on wiring, but short lengths of off-color wire is OK as long as the individually colored wires can be traced. Crimp and shrink wrap all your connections. Good luck, and just remember, Spring is only 5 months away! Hy