Quest for accurate gauges

[cyclone]

Derek,
I took an additional 8 ga feed off the Perko to a 50 amp fuse, then ran a black and red to a term strip in the underdash area. I then ran a 10 gau pair from the term strip to the digital switchbox posts, paralleling the 10 gau that comes out of the big breaker box, supplied from the other red/black wire.

I parked that domain name, I think I even linked it to this site. You can have it any time you want it, I'll let it expire and you can pick it up.

[toyotafreak]

I'm thinking of finally doing my annual maintenance (three+ months late) this weekend. Just MIGHT have to give this a shot. You're serious that your voltage reads good and the low-voltage alarm doesn't pop up during acceleration or runs above 25mph? Saweeet.

Just give me a holler when the address expires - Go Daddy said September. Seriously don't intend to do anything more than play with it - and point to your OUR site :-)

[cyclone]

Voltage drops to 12.2 at WOT, then right back up to 13.4 at idle. Tested it again yesterday, no alarms other that high oil pressure, I've got the wrong sender. I need to get the one Shawn recommended from Overtons.

When that name expires, I'll letcha know, go daddy is probably right, Sept or so.

[sailtl]

Any clue what the OHM rating of the fuel level sender is?

[sailtl]

my final chapter for accurate gauges. As I stated earlier I sent all the gauges and MDC to Medallion. Turn around time was 8 weeks, so do it in the fall.
The MDC checked good which they said surpised them. Five of my seven gauges were bad. The only good ones were the Tach/hour meter and the temp gauge. Per Medallion I ran a 12 gauge hot wire from the Perko swith to the MDC cutting the old power supply. I put in a 5 amp fuse as close as possible to the [erko switch. Then a seperate 12 gauge wire direct from the batery to the MDC gound cutting out the prior ground. The above information on which wire does what is in the maintenance section of this site.
Put all the gauges back in the instrument panel and took the boat out for the smoke test. Guess what? All the gauges came to life a preformed as they were supposed to.
1 1/2 years fighting this problem and now they work as designed. $300.00 for 5 new gauges through Medallion. I also ordered new pitots for the speedo's that are not supposed to plug up like the original ones did. I have not installed them yet but I will report on their performance as quickly as I can. I have put 20 hours on the boat since the repair and they are still working fine. Hopefully my gauge frustration is over for a long time.

[eagle1wi]

Sailtl,

I think I have the boat built immediately before or after you.  Same setup, color, and gauge problems.

I got mine fixed about 2.5 years ago and I had all 7 bad.  At first I was asked (accused) of improper jumpstarting the boat which I never got or gave one ever.  That's what jumpboxes are for.

I am glad to hear that it wasn't your MDC box, that is more expensive than the gauges.  Skipper Buds (authorized Toyota repair shop near Milwaukee) initially diagnosed it as a bad MDC and put a new one in - still nothing.  It took replacing all the guages to get it right.  It has been pretty good since.  They still wander around sometimes, especially the fuel gauge and the oil pressure but it is at least livable. 

One by one mine seemed to be committing suicide.  I lost the voltmeter, the oil pressure, one speedo, the fuel gauge etc.  Sometimes they would come back for no apparent reason and then go away again.  The last to go, was the tach.  Then it was in to get fixed.  I have been happy since I got it back although they had it quite a while to repair it.

[bmccalla]

OK, hopefully I will be boating this weekend. I have a 2000 Epic 21. I've read over the posts on gauges, alarms and even the stereo mods. Out of winter storage, after hooking up the battery, the alarm went on, the engine did not turn over. Then everything went dead. I put the Optima battery on the trickle charger overnight and cleaned off the battery terminals and clamps. I've since run 8 gauge wire with new 30amp inline fuse from the Perko to under the dash. Accidently put it on the 12V indicator post on the new MDC which I bought last year. Heard it click when I hit the Perko switch. Did I fry it? I now have the 12V from the battery spliced into the thicker red wire with black stripe between the 18 pin connector and the gauges. Should I have put it prior to the 18 pin connector? I don't get any juice, not even the alarm or the radio. I had Autozone check my battery and said it was fine. My next step is to run 8 gauge from the negative side of the battery to the 18 pin connector black wire. This time, I'll splice into the battery side of the wiring. Hopefully the boat will show some life.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[sailtl]

Troubleshooting Guide - MDC (PDF)
check out the above in the Maintenance and Manuals From Toyota in the maintenance section of the web site. The last page of this guide tells you which wires do what for the MDC. It does not take much to toast the MDC.
Have you checked the inline glass fuse located near the Perko switch? Your boat will not start if this is corroded or blown.

[bmccalla]

Hey, I'm beginning to understand the schematics! Thanks for replying Sailtl. I know you are one of the experts here and I appreciate your advice. I had replaced the inline fuse holder and fuse with brand new similar looking waterproof fuse holder and new 30amp fuse 2 days ago. However I think I found a problem, but not one that anyone has mentioned yet. I was getting flaky readings on my voltmeter/ohmeter near the 18 pin switch, so I put voltmeter on the perko switch and I am getting 13v to the battery ground on the outboard bolt on the perko. OK, looks good. So I try the inboard post and it shows 5v and dropping. I try the perko in on and off positions and no difference. I take the perko completely out and I have no continuity between the posts with the switch in either position. This would explain everything dead. Something is broke inside the Perko. I'm going to buy a new one tomorrow and install it, then I'll splice the negative 8ga wire I ran from the battery to the thicker black wire running into the 18pin connector. The wire position I think is 3A. It will be a "T" splice. I'm not going to cut the existing wire.

I want to point out something which can show a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing. The existing 10 gauge hot wire from the Perko had an Indiana Marine tag on it, dated 9/2000. I assumed the previous owner knew about the gauge problem and replaced the original with this wire. I had also discussed the wire problem with the Lexus mechanic. I realize now that this is the original and that Indiana Marine was probably a contracted company to the Epic boat factory in Florida. I thought the boat was a 1999 until I completed the boat registry here and found out it was a 2000. That made me realize no wiring updates were done. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am looking forward to the day the wife stops saying "When are you going to fix the boat?"

Thanks

[sailtl]

Yes Indiana Marine made the wiring harnesses for our boats. You had a weird one there with the Perko switch. That would have been my last place to look. It is just an on/off switch but per one of my friends "There aint' nothin' man made that don't break"

[bmccalla]

Actually it is a ROCA battery switch, but a google on the p/n only shows the one reference back here in the EPIC forum. So I put in a Overton's $20 battery switch. It is a little smaller, but still fits the holes and original aluminum bracket slot. It fixed the everything dead status. Now I am back to how the boat was when I first got it. The motor cranked, well initially. That was good since I did the winterization. I may need to add gas. Check engine light and alarm is on and all the lower accessory switches and radio work. I tried pulling the 5 pin plugs on each instrument at a time but all the gauges still look dead. The voltage between the black and red wires on the 5pin connectors running to the gauges only shows less than 1v instead of 7v, so it's either the wiring or the MDC. I mentioned 18pin connector in an earlier post but I don't think there is a 18pin. I have the block with all the orange wires attached, next to the MDC. I will read up a little more on this and then tackle the problem tomorrow. I still have the old MDC, so I could start checking there. Since the gauges all use the same 5 pin, it's too bad there isn't something I could plug in just to make sure the gauge is working properly. My new goal is to get in the water in July. Otherwise, I do have a waverunner which I have been using at the lake, but the boat would be more fun.

[bmccalla]

Well, the new 8 gauge wiring is in place to the DECC and still no gages work. Can anyone tell me what gauge indicators should move when the ignition switch is in the accessory position? Which ones move when in the on position? Other than the tach, which ones move when the engine is running? Is there a delay before the gages kick in?  I'm trying to see what I can check without the loud alarm going. Next step is to check the voltages at the 5pin connectors, then on the MDC, even though it's new. It's been raining here, so I'll hopefully start tomorrow.

BTW, if anyone needs a replacement green perko switch key (key only), PM me and I'll send it to you.

[sailtl]

My 99 Epic 21 does not have a DECC so I don't know how this all ties in with your gauges. I wonder if there is a diagram anywhere on this site that shows how the DECC interacts with the boat?

[tryme]

I have a 99 epic 21.  i dont have the DECC.  only gauge that causes issues is the oil gauge.  at low rmp it will dip to 0 then up then down again.   under any throttle it is fine.  i dont think it is the oil sender. 

[skibeau]

Ignition Switch - 4 Position ('99 Epic 22):

Accessory - Radio will operate; gauges will not.

Off - Blower, bilge, Navigate/Anchor, Courtesy Lights/Transom Lights, & Storage Lights Function (Horn?  Mine is inoperable).

On - Check Engine Warning Light and Audible Alarm come on.  Tachometer displays engine hours, and depth gauge indicates depth.  There's a variable 2-4 second delay after the switch is on until it sounds like all the gauges move.  There’s visible movement in Primary Speedometer (right), Secondary Speedometer (left), and Engine Temperature Gauge (cold).  The Volt Gauge indicates the battery voltage (~12 V) and the Fuel Gauge indicates the fuel level in the tank.

Crank - Engine turns over and starts.  Volt Gauge indicates alternator voltage (~14 V).  Tachometer displays engine revolutions per minute (x1000).  Oil Pressure Gauge shows engine internal oil pressure (~60-80 psi - cold).  Engine Temperature Gauge eventually gets up to around 160° F (warm).

Hope this is what you wanted...