Gauges question

[jayrat86]

Im a boating newbie and have a question about gauges. I am looking at a 1992 bayliner that has a mid 90's 2-stroke yamaha 115hp outboard on the back. The motor was not the original with the boat and now a couple of the gauges don't work. I would like to pull the gauges and dash and put in new ones but having never owned a boat i have some questions. Are gauges universal? Do I need to get yamaha gauges? From what I understand there is a sending unit and then its merely a matter of wiring in the power and the ground. Do I just find the gauges I want and run a wire from the gauge to the sending unit? I apologize for the novice questions but was hoping for some feedback before going back to the seller.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Gauges question

Go to the "Electrical" section and look at the stickies at the very top of the forum. A generic Boat wiring diagram is provided there. Why replace gauges? Chances are there is nothing wrong with them and it is just the wiring that is bad. Analog gauges are generic so you can get them right here on iBoats. The fuel gauge has a sender in the fuel tank, the tach gets its signal from the engine as does a temperature gauge if you have one. The speedometer gets its input from the pitot (either built into the lower unit of the engine or via a separate pitot at the back of the boat). Water pressuren gauges have a tube that connects to the water jacket or telltale at the engine. All gauges then need +12 volts when the key is on, ground, and if the gauge has a light, a connection to the NAV/ANCHOR light switch. The speedo is a mechanical gauge so it needs only the light connections. A voltmeter connects to the electrical system so it it not engine related and has no sender. It merely measure battery voltage.