I need somebody good with electical wiring to help diagnose my boat dash problem.

[toolman4]

I have a 1999 starcraft that the trim gauge wasn't working. I have seven wires that plug into my dash with a white female squeeze connector. When I move the connector the trim shows what its supposed to but only if I push the connector to the left. The power to the dash also started blinking on and off about the same time. I have wiggled the wires to check for something loose, but no luck. Each wire acts like it is the problem. How do I diagnose if it is a wire in the female end of wires or if it is one of the pins on male end that is attached to the computer board in the dash? Is there a service book that would tell me the ohms of each circuit? The male pin pod is attached to the board by two push pins so it looks like the male pod could be replaced. Can there be a dirty connection at this point where the male pod connects to the computer board because it looks like it just sits on the main board. What are some good options to try?

 

[royal0014]

Re: I need somebody good with electical wiring to help diagnose my boat dash problem.

Sounds like a bad plug connection. You can try contact cleaner in the plug, or very sparingly wd40. Also, check the solder connections between male plug and the circiut board.

Or, if all works with the plug pulled to the left, zip-tie it to the left

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: I need somebody good with electical wiring to help diagnose my boat dash problem.

I have a 1999 starcraft that the trim gauge wasn't working. I have seven wires that plug into my dash with a white female squeeze connector. When I move the connector the trim shows what its supposed to but only if I push the connector to the left. The power to the dash also started blinking on and off about the same time. I have wiggled the wires to check for something loose, but no luck. Each wire acts like it is the problem.

Although not familiar with the exact style plug you are describing, I suggest that you get a small needle nose pliers and gently push each pin from the back of the connector. If it is the kind I am visualizing, the individual pins are pressed into the plastic receptacle. Sometimes the pins don't lock in their positions.

Since it sounds as if you have multiple symptoms of erratic readings, my guess would be a bad ground, due to a lose wire. Possibly one that appears connected but isn't.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: I need somebody good with electical wiring to help diagnose my boat dash problem.

x3 on the wacked out pins. I diagnosed one that someone had forced a tester probe into which spread the female pin open to the point of a loose fit.

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: I need somebody good with electical wiring to help diagnose my boat dash problem.

x3 on the wacked out pins. I diagnosed one that someone had forced a tester probe into which spread the female pin open to the point of a loose fit.

I had forgotten about this possible symptom/cause. I remember the same thing happening to me, except I was the cause and cure.

 

[toolman4]

Re: I need somebody good with electical wiring to help diagnose my boat dash problem.

Thanks for the help. Electrical stuff drives me nuts! I've pushed in on female end wires and they are all solid. I took and widened the male pins because they had a slot in them to increase contact but no luck. It was just a trim issue but now when working with it, it is a power issue too. I used contact cleaner on the female end and the male end looks good. I checked the male end pins and ohm tested them through the board and got continuity and none of the pins were loose. Widening the pins or cleaning with contact cleaner is when the power issue started. How does that male end make contact with the board? It is like a little seperate board on top of the main computer board. Widening the pins made the female plug harder to push on which maybe made the mail pin pod push more away from the board? Anybody know if the male pod pins are replaceable? There is no green wire for ground but maybe its the black because the rest are colored. Do boat service manuals have the wiring schematics?

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: I need somebody good with electical wiring to help diagnose my boat dash problem.

Ground wire on boats are usually black, if they adhere to the code. I would start looking at other connections. Messing with the harness may have loosened up something else.

If your dash has wire connections (instead of a circuit board) then one of the black ground wires may have pulled partially loose.

My dash has wires held to the meters by spade connectors. Until I found the culprit, I had a lose ground connector that was not tight on the male end and would work loose, and move around.This caused the lights to flash and meters to be intermittent.

I am not familiar with your boat, hopefully someone else will be.

Have you tried googling for an "owners forum"?

 

[toolman4]

Re: I need somebody good with electical wiring to help diagnose my boat dash problem.

Thanks everybody. I think I found it. I took the board to the window this morning and looked at the soldered joints on the back of the computer board. The male pins on the one side look like they are not connected to the board. I can see them move ever so slightly up and down although they feel solid to the touch. That would explain why when I pulled it to one side it would bind the pins against the board to make it work. When I widened the male pins for better contact I had to push harder to get the female end on which must have loosened the solder on the power connection. I HOPE this is it. Anybody know the procedure for re soldering a connection on a computer board? I might have to research because its been a while but I've never done a board.