Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Tachometer and speedometer

G

Gary Vinzant

New member
I have a 1977 skeeter wrangler HP -120 with a 1983 90hp johnson outboard motor. I bought the boat in November and have been restoring and fixing things however I still use it to fish out of. Ive got it running good and several other things fixed and replaced but when I got the boat the person before me has cut or removed all the wires going to my guages. I dont really care to much about the fuel guage since the original tanks have been removed before I got it and I just use a portable 15 gallon fuel tank nor do I care about the volt guage since my fish finder tells me voltage. I would like to run new wires or whatever I need to fix the speedometer on the boat however if thats not possible or to complicated I can just continue to use the gps speed on my fish finder. I really would like to fix my tachometer. Im assuming all I need to do is run new wires. A hot and ground wire will be no problem but if anyone knows where to run the wire to that picks up the rpms of the motor thats what I need to know. I know on a car it goes to the distributor but my outboard does not have one. So where do I need to run my tach wire on the motor to pick up the rpms? And what about the speedometer wires?
 
Look on the right hand side of the motor as viewed from the back...there should be a round rectifier mounted on the block and a terminal strip nearby....to verify you are looking at the right term strip look for two yellow wires coming from the stator...there should be a grey wire on this terminal block...this is your tach feed..
you may have a regulator instead of just the rectifier...this will be mounted on top of the block....you may not have a term block but the same holds true...the grey wire feed your tach...
 
I definitely have a rectifier because I just bought a new one and changed it last month. Im headed out now to replace my fuel pump and when im done with that im gonna run a wire from the grey wire on the rectifier to the tach and pray it works. Thanks ill let you know if I get it fixed
 
I did get the tachometer fixed it was the grey wire on the rectifier just like you said. Someone who had the boat before me decided when they swapped out the motor to cut all the wires to the guages and it was just a matter of running new wires to the appropriate places. Thanks for the help I greatly appreciate it. Now the speedometer is the same way the wires have been cut. Any ideas on where they go so maybe then ill have all my guages actually working.
 
you probably have a pickup mounted on the transom..you will need 12v and a ground on the gauge and thats all the wiring required....
 
I looked on the transom for the pickup and I can tell where one used to be. I guess the same idiot that cut the wires to the guages before I got the boat also removed the pickup. Good thing they are relatively inexpensive and ill order one payday along with the new hose for around $20. Thanks guys for all the help. Im soooo happy I have a working tachometer now. As far as the speedometer ill use my fish finder gps speed until I order what I need to fix the guage and get it working. ..
 
I will definitely keep those separate. I don't know what the person who had the boat before me was trying to prove but cutting wires but ive pretty sure had to rewire the whole boat. The good thing is if something quits working I know right where to go to see if a wire come loose since I wired it lol. Ive had to rewire the pumps the lights the switches the trolling motor the fish finders. But I got the boat for $500 and other than needing to be rewired and a few motor parts its a sound good boat
 
Back
Top