www.iFourWinns.com

I have a 99 180 Horizon with the VDO gauges. They work most of the time properly, but every now and then the alarm starts beeping and the gauges appear erratic.

The VDO manual states to run a new ground wire from the cluster to the battery to correct this issue and then remove the existing ground wire that goes to the fuse panel. I can't find the ground wire that goes to the fuse panel from the cluster. Can someone tell me exactly how to hook up the new ground to correct this issue?

Thanks.

Sorry I can't help you but where did you find the VDO manual? Is it online?

_________________
'96 Horizon 200
"Have fenders...will raft"

I found the VDO manual http://cdielectronics.com/images/Downlo ... nsDash.pdf

I was looking over the boat again and I can't seem to find where the wiring harness is grounded to the engine. I guess I'll have to trace some wires back.

I believe on the main connector, on the starboard exhaust manifold circuit breaker, the black ground wire in position number 1 is the ground you refer to.

_________________
'96 Horizon 200
"Have fenders...will raft"

Thanks for the reply. I'll check it out tonight and post any update.

Don't know if you've had any luck yet, but I did send my panel to CDI in Alabama to have the ground wire installed. I didn't pull the panel apart when they sent it back so all I can tell you is there was a wire hanging out of the panel when it came back. I was never able to find a ground wire from the panel to the fuse block either, and it doesn't show one in the schematics that I have access to (the FW books online). I'd like to hear what you come up with.

_________________
"No Losses"

I haven't had any luck yet, but the weather hasn't been favorable either. What PIN # was the wire hanging out of? How much was the fix?

The added wire from CDI was just added to the panel and comes out of the panel as a pendent wire, it doesn't come out through the existing connector. It is only a foot or two long and then you add the rest of the wire back to the battery/engine yourself.
I had mine added a couple of years ago and it was $250 at that time. I'm about to check again as the current panel isn't working correctly again. All the guages work, but when I try to step through the modes, the panel just seems to stay in time set and then the hours and minutes just start scrolling by as if I were holding down the switches. I have pulled the wires and inserted some test switches thinking perhaps the push button switches for MODE and SET were the problem, but still no joy. I do hate this panel.

_________________
"No Losses"

I opened the panel up and soldered a ground wire onto an existing ground and then ran it back to the battery. All appears to be functioning properly now.

Hello,
How did you open the unit up? I have a 2000 190 Horizon with a dead VDO.

Once you have the VDO cluster out of your boat, you need to remove the back cover to expose the electronics. I think the back cover is held on via plastic tabs. Since everything is wired with a common ground, I soldered a new ground wire (approx 10 ft long 14 or 16ga stranded I think) onto the ground wiring for the trim gauge and routed it out the VDO via an existing plastic hole straight back to the negative terminal on the battery.

I have had no issues to date of the VDO cluster freaking out on me.

Let me know if you guys want some pictures of what I did. I should be able to get them this weekend.

I haven't had any issues since I installed the ground wire.

I would love to get some pics. I am havin problems with my cluster also. Don't know if mine are VDO but the pics for sure should help.

_________________
Troy
2008 Centurion Avalanche
1994 Four Winns Horizon 180 SE 5.0L OMC Cobra (Sold)
2002 Ford F150 Harley Davidson Edition (http://www.nhtoc.com) 378 hp & 465 tq at rear wheels
2008 Honda Accord EX-L w/Nav

I'd like to see pics also, just to see what this is about.

_________________


Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

This is a standard dash, very similar to what the VDO replacement offered by FW looks like:



Note the individual gauges made by Faria.

A VDO cluster is more like a car dash board - one big plastic assembly, with a series of read outs and a multi function digital display. Here's a decent pic.

_________________
2007 Horizon 200
4.3L GXi/ SX 225 HP