Faria Tachometer Issue

[cagrove]

I'm looking for some feedback on an issue I'm having on my 170CC. The Tachometer (Faria) went out about a year ago. Was working fine one day, next day, nothing. I downloaded the troubleshooting guide from the Faria website and determined it was the guage. I sent it in and they replaced it under warranty. After I installed the new one, still nothing. So I figured it must be in the wiring of the boat.

I went through my service manual for the engine and located the wire for the Tach coming out of the voltage regulator. Using my Ohm meter, I performed the "Tachometer Circuit Test" procedure outlined in the service manual and received the expected results. I then performed a continuity check of the wire from the engine to the Tach and it checked good. That leads me back to the guage. Is it possible that Faria sent me a bad guage or am I missing something? I have checked the voltage at the guage with the engine running and everything seems to be getting power where it's supposed to.

Any ideas, anyone?

[fridaysoff]

Cagrove,
I had to replace my Faria tach on my 170CC when I had it. There was a lot of wires to the wiring harness when I pulled it out, but I labeled the wires and managed to get them back together. The only thing I can think of that you did not mention is the little dial on the back of the tach. It has to be tuned in to your specific engine. I think mine might have been #4 for a 60hp 4 stroke,I'm not sure. There is a chart on Faria's website that covers all of the different engines settings. I think it has something to do with the number of poles on the alternator. I remember that when Faria sent me the new tach it was on a different setting than the one I sent in so I had to change it to match the one I sent in. Hope this helps.
John D.

[cagrove]

I did forget to mention that but I did check to make sure the poles were set correctly. I even went so far as to try each individual setting just to make sure. Thanks for the suggestion anyways.

[JimW]

Cagrove,
Sounds to me like you have checked everything, so I suggest you contact Faria and see what they can do for you.

JimW

PS: I will try that fishing spot you told me about the other day. Thanks

[NCangler]

From the factory:

It is not completely out of the realm of possibilities that a bad gauge made it from Fariha. I would call them back up and explain this to them. They usually respond well and will send out a new gauge but it sounds like everything up to the gauge is working properly.

[cagrove]

NCangler,
Thanks for checking with the factory...I feel a little better about my troubleshooting thus far. I've already made the arrangements to send it back and get a replacement. I'll post a follow-up when I get the new one.

Thanks to all who shared their ideas.

[cagrove]

I kept having this nagging suspicion that I overlooked something in my troubleshooting. So, just like the movie "Groundhog Day" I decided to redo it all again. I went back through my manual just to double check each step. Well the old saying about not seeing the trees for the forest fits me perfectly.

I took a step back while checking all the circuits and two wires coming from the stator didn't look right. When I checked them closer I found that they had burnt themselves together right at the connection point. See first two pictures below.

After fixing the wires by cutting out the fried connectors and adding new ones, I coated them with liquid electrical tape and then overtaped with electrical tape. Tach still didn't work. I re-ran the trouble shooting and found that the voltage regulator was fried. So, a quick trip to the local Mercury dealer and I had a new one. Got it installed quickly (two bolts) and, viola, the tach started working.

All in all, I'm happy to have it working again. It certainly was a learning experience. I will be keeping a closer eye on those electrical wires from now on.

Tight lines.

[BarryB]

Liquid tape? Is there a brand name? Where do you get it?

Glad you found and fixed the problem.

[fridaysoff]

BarryB,
It is a brand name (Star Brite Liqued electrical tape) and you can get it almost any boating supply store.I think I got my last can at Wal Mart. It really comes in handy and has a long shelf life. I get the can with its own brush inside.
John D.

[ILLOGICAL GGC]

Electrical Stores Sell It As Scotchkote By 3m