www.iFourWinns.com

I just purchased a 2001 Horizon 190 , the boat was in average condition but the price was right . Other than some cosmetic work the only real problem that the boat has is with the gauge assembly . When the key is turned to the "On" position the clock comes on and reads 12:00 and the tachometer , oil pressure and temp gauge move a hair off of the pin then return . Once the key is turned to the "Start" position the engine starts but the clock goes off and none of the gauges have any reading , they are all resting on the pin .

What I've done so far -

-Checked connections on the back of the ignition switch - All seem clean of corrosion and tight

-Checked Switched power and Constant power to the back of the Gauge - Although the wire colors do not match the schematic in my Owners manual , I do have both switched power and constant power ( I attribute the wire color difference to a change in wiring at the manufacturer that was never corrected in the schematic )

-Removed the gauge assembly and found a single black wire run into the back of the gauge that does not look like it came from the factory . Is this an aftermarket fix for a certain problem ?


I'm beginning to think that I'm dealing with a ground issue but if anyone has experienced a similar problem ,I would appreciate any input .

LOTS of people have the same symptoms you describe, and often the cure is to run a dedicated ground from the panel direct to the battery. That may well be the mysterious black wire you found.

Many fiddle with it long enough that they give up and replace all their gauges with individual ones - a permanent solution to a seemingly never ending problem. Do some searches here, people have been dealing with it recently.

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

Thanks Mike , I appreciate the input . I will keeping looking through the recent posts and see if I see any other information on the subject .

Regards
Chris

would love to see a photo of the added ground wire, can't see myself re-doing all the gauges but could play with a soldering iron.

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Jon Miller
1998 four Winns Horizon H200
Volvo Penta 4.3 GL
Newtown, CT

untitled-545 by millerjont, on Flickr

My VDO gauges are still working well on my 2000 Horizon 240.

If you give up on fixing them, here is a deal (posted by me) on 5 Faria gauges that I purchased for my previous boat:
http://www.smwebhead.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=11660
$95 + shipping

Ray

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

Yeah these clusters were indeed big pieces of garbage. My speedometer hasn't worked right almost since I bought it in 1999 . I really like the replacement cluster but not sure I have that much I want to put into the boat specially after it left me stranded last year. I know the next boat will have normal guages and it will be a outboard . The maintenance costs on inboards is too much for 3 months a year.

I finally found a source for the new dash and it's much cheaper than the Four Winns version that they stopped carrying for awhile and are now carrying again. I’m really happy with the way it turned out. I repainted it all with automotive dash paint (semi-flexible paint). I used a wood grain laminate to re-surface the faceplate and that little horizontal piece in front of the instrument panel (originally green). I got the vinyl lettering for the faceplate at www.diylettering.com.

For the dash unit, talk to:

Talk to Dave at A & A Marine.
aamarine@classicboating.com
270 3rd St Manistee, MI 49660
(231) 723-8308

It's plug and play (uses the same connector, so no additional wiring is necessary.

I can't figure out how to attach pictures, but just respond and I'll e-mail you back pics. . . . or help me attach pictures!

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Russ
1999 Four Winns Sundowner 245

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

How much did the new dash run ??

Here are some pictures. Cost is $600 for the dash/new gauges, but cannot Dave at A & A Marine for exact price. It costs $1000 through a FW Dealer. The laminant wood grain material for the faceplate and the horizon piece cost ~$80, but I only used a fraction (minimum order type of thing). I could sell you a little bit for cheap if interested. It's not an exact match, but pretty close. The lettering cost ~$30 and the paint (not sure if you need it) cost $30 (2 cans at $15 each).

Here are some pictures I posted:

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/zmrkl5ohwdgv20t/2VBlrI30tT

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Russ
1999 Four Winns Sundowner 245

Wow that looks great. Fantastic job. What a improvement.