Capri 160 Wiring Dash Wiring Question-gctid395561

[Guest]

Hi All,

Thanks for taking a second to read this..I think I may have been duped. I bought my first boat the other day from a classified ad. I have boated with friends but never owned my own. So I checked what I could, water tested the boat and purchased it. Boat seems to run ok 30mph top end WOT with 3 adults.

Heres my issue - Nothing on the dash seems to work except for the volt meter. All switches - horn, lights, manu bilge show no power with a test light. Speedo works intermittantly and the fuel gauge worked the day of the water test but does not now. Tach did not work on test day. Thankfully the auto bilge works because the manual will not. Where can I start with this? I have looked over the wiring diagram (not that im an electrician) and everything on the boat seems to match. All wires are color coded and numbered from (what I assume) the factory..very clean and labeled consistantly.

I just wanted to have some fun and spend nice sundays with the family. Any experience with this or advice would be greatly appricated.

Thanks All

Jerry

[Guest]

sounds a bit like a missing ground connection. Check all grounds and clean them well.

If you have a Ohm-Meter (DVM) measure from a random ground connection under the dash to the minus of the battery. I bet it will read close to infinite. (May be a good idea to disconnect the battery for this test, plus removal is sufficient). After this work your way backwards to the battery along the ground wire.

[wgander]

After checking the wire connections for good contact and security, see if there is a fuse block on the back of the instrument panel; could be a loose or failed fuse.

The Speedometer isn't electric, it works by water pressure. The pickup is probably a small hole in the lower leading edge of the outdrive. Gently clean out the hole by hand with a small twist drill: it often gets clogged with debris. (under way, the water pressure compresses air in a tube connected to the back of the speedometer. You can remove the tube and blow through it to see if it's clear. If it isn't, the tubing is very cheap and easier to replace than to try to cut, clear, splice. (I've done both.)

Speedometer: some of us just like to have everything work. My speedometer doesn't register until 10 MPH, but is pretty accurate after that. I have a GPS but knowing my speed only matters when navigating.

[Guest]

I wouldn't bother fixing the speedo. They are always inaccurate and have one problem after the other. When I redo my helm this winter the speedo will be gone and the hose removes at the stern (hole blocked inside). The helm space is far to valuable to waste it for a 4" useless instrument.

If I want to know my speed I use GPS.

[Guest]

Thats typical for an older bayliner. I went thru all that with mine last summer. Got everything except the Tach working.

Check fuses. Mine were under the dash by my right knee. Check to see that they are getting power.

Check wires. Mine was all rigged from several different owners that were probably all master electricians. (winshield wiper, ignition, horn, bilge, nav lights)

Check switches. I had to replace mine, none were working.

The speedo hose may have come off at the outdrive. Mine works but it says like 30 when I am going 40, so it is worthless.

Diagnosing electrical is a pain and will always be a problemon a boat, especially one that is used or has been used in saltwater.

And going to the store everyday spending $20 to $80 on wiring and switches gets expensive.

Sometimes it seems like it would be cheaper to buy a new boat. No issues or surprises for a few years.