www.iFourWinns.com

I think the white thing is an air temperature sensor ( at least it is on my boat!); the Faria depth gauge can display water and ambient air temperature, as well as depth etc.

re the cables, everything is colour coded, the wiring diagram in the owners manual should shed some light on what the cables are for.

Looking at the on line manual, the connector with the yellow/black and purple cables seem to be for the (optional) fireboy helm indicator

On the recessed base, measure the table leg, match the diameter
https://greatlakesskipper.com/catalogse ... +base&cat=

The piece missing is just to protect you from stepping on the as pump. its "Starboard" can get it off ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-WHITE-OR-BL ... 0005.m1851

not sure on the Ac Condensate drain, mine, i believe goes into the shower pump. but it would make sense to get it into the main bilge area

Lastly, the object to the left looks like a transducer for your Depth finder. I believe the object just below it (in the pic) is the factory one that is through the hull, i don't see wires to it. I am assuming it went bad and they replaced it...

_________________
Current:
2000 Sea Ray 380 Sundancer "still Livin the Dream"

Past
2002 268 Vista 5.7 GXI "Livin' the Dream"
1996 Rinker 192 Captiva. "The Simple Life"
1999 Yamaha XLL 1200 Waverunner.
1976 Mercury Marquis tri hull 120 hp

Check www.boat-project.com for several projects on the 268 Vista that may be of interest.

Also, check http://www.boat-project.com/electro/proj-7.htm. This is a stereo upgrade, but it identifies that there are 2 lateral conduit tubes under the forward edge of the aft cabin floor. This may help with routing your antenna lead.

_________________
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

I was trying to remember where that was, thanks Gary

here is a couple links also

http://www.boat-project.com/electro/proj-7a.htm
http://www.boat-project.com/electro/wtubelocation.gif

_________________
Current:
2000 Sea Ray 380 Sundancer "still Livin the Dream"

Past
2002 268 Vista 5.7 GXI "Livin' the Dream"
1996 Rinker 192 Captiva. "The Simple Life"
1999 Yamaha XLL 1200 Waverunner.
1976 Mercury Marquis tri hull 120 hp

In addition to the Four Winns parts catalog, I find that looking at pictures of boats for sale can shed some light on installed equipment and maybe even some needed options.

_________________
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

No way ! Either use a stubby cross head screwdriver or a cross head bit in a socket driver, In an extreme case, a cross head bit in a ratchet spanner ( I had to do that on a DPH drive water inlet connector; a ground down torx bit at both ends , but it worked)

If you must move the windshield, remove the black rubber strip on the outside of the windshield base. The screws attaching the windshield to the boat will be visible and a normal phillips #2 should work. You might look at removing some screws and just tipping the inboard end of the windshield up just enough and blocking it to change the compass. Also disconnect the windshield support rod next to the walk thru section. Support the windshield carefully and do not force anything. There is no reason to buy a windshield if you don't need to.........

_________________
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

You might be looking at lifting the inboard end of the windshield and actually tipping the windshield outboard rather than forward. Just don't twist it and break anything. I'm not sure replacements are available either.

On your floor fitting for the rear table, the 1999 and 2000 models have that stainless steel floor mounting plate like yours. The table leg is stainless and screws intp the floor plate. It looks like yours could use a little cleaning but it should be fine otherwise. If the floor is soft or spongy around the mount plate area you could try removing the questionable foam, clean and prep the area, and squirt some new expanding foam into that area, then trim to fit and reinstall the mount plate. You might try sealing the mount plate and screws to stop water entry.

The air conditioner condensation drain line is normally run into the shower sump to limit how much water is in the bilge. Leaving the a/c running for long periods of time could add a lot of water to the bilge, and it could get more stale and bad smelling than desired. The shower sump pumps can be an issue at times. I've changed the float switch on mine 4 times since I bought the boat in 2011.

I'm not sure what the round black thing is, but it appears that the transducer wires were cut, and it appears that the bilge pump may be just laying loose in the bilge. On my 2002 the float switch and the bilge pump are on the same pad that your float switch is on.

You mentioned a water connection in the aft storage compartment. This sounds like someone added something. Can you trace this to see where it goes? The water inlet fitting near the transom shower is for an external water supply hose at the dock. This bypasses the boat's water supply tank and pump, and supplies fresh water from the marina's or city's water system. This inlet fitting system includes a pressure regulator to reduce city water pressure (50 to 100 psi) down to a more tolerable pressure level for the boat's water system. It is hard to guess what someone else did, but I did add a washdown pump system with hoses in the anchor locker and in the rear storage compartment on my 268.

For your headliner and staples issue you might try taking the white nylon door way trim off and trying to reach in behind with something to pry it back together. I'm not sure how well this will work, but it might be worth a try.

As previously stated, you could find a piece of Starboard to put above the a/c pump. There are enough marks and hole locations to be able to make a replacement. Most marine stores would have this material, or you can get it online. Normal woodworking hand and power tools work very well on Starboard. It would help to use some sealant on any holes.

As you indicated, the bilge could use a good cleaning. I would start with a good spray cleaner. See what you can reach with a mop or rags zip-tied to a stick or old broom handle. If the boat is on a trailer, jack the front of the trailer up to help with drainage. If it will be in the water, try to minimize water going forward under the gas tank. Remember that the boat has 2 bilge pumps and bilge areas everything under the aft cabin is conected to the engine compartment and drained out of the rear drain. If the engine compartment is dirty the area under the gas tank probably is also. This may eventually contribute to odors in the boat. A shop vac may work if the boat is in the water. While you are at it, have a look around the water tank and the back corners behind the water tank and water heater. These areas are harder to reach but would be worth checking.

Hope this helps. Gary

_________________
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

Wow; I thought it would have been like it is on my 278; plenty of space to remove it once the screws were out .

For the table mount I would weld or tack weld the nut to the plate. JB Weld is great stuff for some applications, but I would not rely on it here.

The a/c condensation drain lines only flow water when the a/c is running. This is just the water that is condensed by the a/c system. The problem is that it will take several gallons of water in the bilge before the bilge pump turns on, and the bilge pump leaves a few gallons of water in the bilge when it shuts off. I believe that could be one reason that the bilge looks the way it does. Moist environments under certain conditions can lead to mold, which would not be a healthy environment in the boat. The a/c drain is normally routed to the shower sump or some other way of containing the water and pumping it overboard. The bilge would normally be dry if there are no leaks.

If the round black unit is a transducer then I am surprised that it works. Transducers need either contact with clear water flow (no air bubbles) or a solid dense material between the transducer and the water in order to send and receive sound waves. I am not sure what is below the "transducer" but I thought that flat surface was a piece of wood, which would prevent the transducer from working.

You mentioned covering the side shelves with aluminum sheet metal. Personally I would not do that. I have seen enough aluminum corrosion in boats and aircraft to discourage me from considering that. The water tank and the water heater cannot be easily removed without removing engine manifolds, etc., so that means the sheet metal would need to be in sections. Moisture being trapped under the sheet metal and causing corrosion would be a definite concern. I would clean the bilge and go from there. I think you will be surprised how much it can be cleaned up. If needed, you may be able to prep and paint some areas with better results that adding sheet metal.

_________________
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

The AC unit sits on the aft cabin floor, which would be higher than the bilge, double check the drain hose routing is level. Does it go behind the unit aft on the port side? Mine goes to the shower sump....

I believe your blower hose to nowhere is normal....

The bilge loop, if it goes higher than the output, it will act like a back flow and prevent some up pumped water from running back into the bilge....

If you have 12 volts at the socket terminals, the lamp should light, unless the new lamp is bad, or not making a good connection....

New buttons look good, along with the vista 268 decal. Keep up the good work, you will love her!

_________________
Current:
2000 Sea Ray 380 Sundancer "still Livin the Dream"

Past
2002 268 Vista 5.7 GXI "Livin' the Dream"
1996 Rinker 192 Captiva. "The Simple Life"
1999 Yamaha XLL 1200 Waverunner.
1976 Mercury Marquis tri hull 120 hp

The 4" bilge vent and blower hoses are normally routed to the lower areas of the bilge. While cruising the side scoop on the boat should force fresh air through the hose into the bilge. The bilge blower is placed to draw air from this lower bilge area. This is to ventilate the bilge and also to provide fresh air for the engine to use. Most hazardous fumes like fuel and Carbon Monoxide tend to settle to low areas.

The a/c drain should drain the condensate pan. If the pan doesn't drain, there is an obstruction or a high point in the line that is higher than the pan. Keep in mind that if the pan doesn't drain, the water in the pan will spill over the top of the pan when the boat accelerates to get on plane or other times when the boat is not level. If you do have it drain into the bilge, I recall someone on this site in the past that added a smaller pump with a hose to the very bottom of the bilge to empty nearly all the bilge water that the normal bilge pump won't remove.

The anchor roller tray is a milder stainless steel. It is fairly easy to bend I bent mine this summer and was able to straighten it in place with two hammers. Use one fairly heavy hammer as a back up or dead weight behind the bend, and the other hammer to pound the bent area back into position. Take your time and work it back into shape. Sight along the side of the piece to determine when it is straight. Non-marring hammers will work well and not leave dents. The rollers "pin" is a 3/8 inch bolt and a bushing in the roller.

You might be able to partially disassemble the spotlight to fix it. It sounds like a bad connection inside the spotlight somewhere. Sounds like time for the volt-ohm meter. If you can't find the problem, there are replacements available.

_________________
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

The hole in the dash is where my fish finder gps is located. I would put the dash money toward one that would fill the hole

_________________

2001 Four Winns Vista 248 by rick2752, on Flickr

I have dug deeply into spotlight. If you take the light off and listen to it while someone turns it on and off you should be able to hear it click. There is a small relay inside on the board. There are no parts if it's a guest light. I bought a marinco to replace mine

_________________

2001 Four Winns Vista 248 by rick2752, on Flickr

Relays are cheap and easy. Lights not so much. Check voltage on other side of relay. My transformer was bad and couldn't find one. Or something in the board. Bang on the relay with handle of screwdriver it could just be stuck. I'll try to get a dash shot of my gps.

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2001 Four Winns Vista 248 by rick2752, on Flickr