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PostPosted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 9:20 am 
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Tadpole

Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 11:30 am
Posts: 4
Hi Guys,
I have a 1996 Four Winns 240 Horizon, and I am about to receive my replacement dash with Faria gauges in it from AA Marine (oldboatgauges.com) and I have to pull the old one out and plug and play the new one. I know it is fairly straight forward but I wanted to know if anyone has done it before on a Four Winns of this age. There seems to be a bezel around the VDO cluster that I need to remove and probably some screws holding the VDO in place. I have been looking for step by step directions online and left a message with Four Winns, and have not found anything (other than photos of the replacement) and Have not received any called back from Four Winns after two left messages. I have looked at it multiple times but i want to make sure I am doing it right.
The manuals for that year are very generic but gives you the basics and the wiring diagrams, but in this case are not useful. AA marine makes a plug and play so you pull it out and put it back in using existing plugs that you send them photos to. So more of a disassembly process to take out the VDO not so much wiring it. I know it only takes about 15-20 minutes to do, I like to get reference first.
Any help or insight or links would be great

thank you


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 1:23 pm 
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Tadpole

Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 11:30 am
Posts: 4
So I just heard back from Four Winns. They are telling me I have to remove the whole shroud and in order to remove that, I have to take the whole helm apart starting from the shifter on the gunwale. I know there are all separate pieces there and he was goign so in depth that It almost seemed like we were not talking about the same boat, and I mentioned that to him, and he said we were. I have heard where others have done this job in 15-20 minutes, just never posted step by step directions. I think the 4Winns guy, although very very nice and understanding, might have been looking at a different model. I do not see how everything is separate pieces on the helm, except this one piece.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 8:08 am 
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Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2011 9:19 pm
Posts: 252
Location: San Antonio, TX
I don't have any experience with your model boat, but most instrument cluster bezels are just clipped in. If there are no visible screws holding it in place, then I would try a plastic trim removal tool (local auto parts store) and give it a little pull. It'll likely just pop off. Then you should be able to access the screws that hold the gauge cluster in.
Good luck with your project.

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1999 180 Horizon OB Fisherman Pkg
San Antonio, TX

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PostPosted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 9:53 pm 
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Joined: Sun May 20, 2012 4:31 pm
Posts: 873
Location: Minneapolis, MN
I changed the gauge cluster on my '95 190 Horizon several years ago. There was was one screw that held it in place. While seated at the helm, look or feel at the top center of the clear glass covering the gauge face. There was one Phillips head sheet metal screw going up into this slot. I removed the screw, put my fingers in the slot, and pulled the gauge cluster assembly aft and out, then unplugged the harness. If yours is similar, a short phillips screwdriver worked for me. Hope this helps.

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Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:09 am 
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Tadpole

Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 11:30 am
Posts: 4
Surface Interval wrote:
I changed the gauge cluster on my '95 190 Horizon several years ago. There was was one screw that held it in place. While seated at the helm, look or feel at the top center of the clear glass covering the gauge face. There was one Phillips head sheet metal screw going up into this slot. I removed the screw, put my fingers in the slot, and pulled the gauge cluster assembly aft and out, then unplugged the harness. If yours is similar, a short phillips screwdriver worked for me. Hope this helps.


Thank you I do feel one behind the plastic trim piece in front of the plexus glass in the indent
I thought I saw a couple of black screws on the back of the unit as well holding the bottom
Does that plastic piece of trim come out with the set screw in front of the plexus glass?


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PostPosted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:29 pm 
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Joined: Sun May 20, 2012 4:31 pm
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Location: Minneapolis, MN
If it is like my old boat, that piece is a part of the whole gage enclosure assembly, It does not come off.

_________________
Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon


Last edited by Surface Interval on Thu Sep 05, 2019 8:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2019 5:34 am 
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Tadpole

Joined: Mon Aug 19, 2019 11:30 am
Posts: 4
Took about 15-20 minutes
That plastic trim was apart of the dash, there was on screw holding it in place and it was the one behind the lip in the front. The back side was just sitting on a lip, took the screw out the dash came forward and right out. AA Marine did a great job on the dash itself and everything worked
http://Www.oldboatguages.com
Perfect fit and I was able to move my depth finder up into the dash (that was an extra five to ten minutes.

Can post pictures but do not have a them on a public type server, just my computer


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 05, 2019 5:02 pm 
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Starfish

Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 7:15 pm
Posts: 55
I made this change over as well on my 99 FW Sundowner 245. The new dash set looks and operates much better than the original one piece gauge setups and it was plug and play. I replaced the speedometer with a Faria GPS model.


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