www.iFourWinns.com

Hello All,
I am a recently new owner of a 2003 268 Vista. Volvo Penta 5.7 GXI-D with DP. I'm very pleased with the boat. Picked it up mid June. I am a DIYer. There were a few small items that needed attention when I bought the boat. Hull needed buffed & waxed, & new bottom paint, water pump was leaking, put on new pump, ordered new bimini & camper top from Great Lakes Skipper & installed, windlass wasn't gripping rope, tightened & foot pedals weren't working, fuse was blown, manual toilet wouldn't pull up water, needed gasket, spotlight wasn't working, wires were unplugged, amp for stereo was blown, put in a new amp, new aft bilge pump, just simple stuff. I have fixed all of those, mostly from reading on here & buying the parts & installing them. Thank you, this is a wonderful forum. I have also installed 2 additional batteries for extended on the hook use, I plan on installing a larger inverter to run 110volt appliances & minimal AC. That or get a Honda generator. The wife ( first mate) has read & talked to people about carbon monoxide poisoning & has reservations about the use of the generator while on the hook. It concerns me to an extent as well. So that is going to be a hard sell.

I've used the boat most of the summer without any issues, until this past weekend. My trim indicator quit working, it is in the up indication. It still trims out fine. I can do it by feel and by ear. But I want everything to work as it should. My question is, how does the trim work. I have a reservoir of what appears to be hydraulic fluid & pump on the port inside transom, it appears to be low on fluid. What fluid does it take? Also, I don't think that would cause an incorrect reading on my trim gauge. I could be wrong. Where is the sending unit located for the trim gauge? Is there a way to check it for proper operation?
Also my voltmeter is only showing about 10 or 11 volts under way. I checked the output at the batteries & alternator, putting out over 12 volts about 13 or so. Checked wires at voltmeter, its only getting 10 or 11 to the gauge. It is probably corrosion somewhere from alternator to voltmeter. Where is the most likely spot to look. Does anybody know?
My reversed polarity light is missing from the panel. Where do I get a new one? Can I get one from a supplier like Radio Shack or similar? I'm not sure what to buy. If not does someone have a part number?
I'm sure I will have more questions as things start wearing out or failing as I use the boat.

Thanks for any and all support in advance.

First of all welcome! I run a Yamaha generator on the bow or swim platform, I have a co detector and have not had any issues.
Your trim indicator is fed from a potentiometer on the starboard side out the out drive on the transom shield, more than likely the wires are broken or the pot is bad. There are 2- 5/16" screws holding it in place. The wire is a pain to refer through the transome shield, boat needs to be out of the water to repair it

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

The trim sensor is on the right side of the outdrive and plugs into the pivot bolt for trimming the drive up or down. The sensor is a rheostat, and is prone to issues. It is $130 or so on eBay. It can be a challenge to change, especially where the wires go through the transom. This should be a url address for a service manual for the outdrive. http://boatinfo.no/lib/volvo/manuals/sx_dp-s_drive.html

The trim system uses a power steering fluid. The trim system and the sensor are separate systems.

The Four Winns boats, and some other brands, have been accused of using lighter wiring than needed. Voltage drop is a common complaint. You could try a temporary ground wire to see if that helps. My 268 volt meter readslow also. The instrument panel is held in place by 6 screws and can be removed while sitting in the captains seat. The tachometer may eventually start to read high and be erratic. A tap on the gage may bring it back in line, but moving the cylinder selector switch on the back of the tach back and forth usually cleans the contacts and makes it work right.

If you do an inverter, I recommend a 2000 watt True Sine Wave unit. Keep in mind that a 700 watt microwave will draw almost 7 amps on 110 volt, but that means it will draw 80 amps or so from your 12 volt battery bank. This works for a few minutes but draws a lot from the battery. We don't bother to use the inverter for the cooktop or the water heater. We do use a Honda 2000 with good results. The built in CO detector system may not be operating correctly after several years. New replacement units can be obtained for $85 each or more. Regular household CO detectors may be a more attractive option at approx $30 each.

I'm not sure where to get the light. I would recommend your local Four Winns dealer.

Enjoy the boat and welcome to the forum.

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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

My friends and I frequently run portable generators while rafted up no one's CO monitors ever go off with portables, they sometimes go off with built-in generators though. One thing to consider with portables like Honda and Yamaha is that they are pretty quiet when they not loaded up but they can get noisy while loaded with something like an AC. I don't think an inverter with AC will cut it either just too much current draw. I had issues with engine charging at one time which I believe was related to the battery isolator. I fixed the problem by disconnecting the isolator, the only problem with this is not being able to charge the house battery with the alternators but this isn't a problem for me since I carry a Yamaha 1000 and a built-in Kohler 5K.

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2004 Vista 298
Twin 5.7L Volvo Penta GXi-E