Battery gauge.

[cliff seary]

Would like to install a 12 volt battery gauge on my 1997 sea-doo boat, how would I go about this? Is it possible that it could already be pre wired up in the enclosure above the steering wheel?
Thank you.
Cliff.

 

[To2d]

I did it on my 99 sk speedster.

I did a marine T tap off the wires to the power adapter”cigaret lighter”

You can go to my post and see it.

 

[cliff seary]

I did it on my 99 sk speedster.

I did a marine T tap off the wires to the power adapter”cigaret lighter”

You can go to my post and see it.

I did it on my 99 sk speedster.

I did a marine T tap off the wires to the power adapter”cigaret lighter”

You can go to my post and see it.

 

[cliff seary]

I did it on my 99 sk speedster.

I did a marine T tap off the wires to the power adapter”cigaret lighter”

You can go to my post and see it.

To2d, thank you for replying but where would I find your post describing this install, I went through your 8 pages and didn't,t find anything.
Thanks again
Cliff

 

[To2d]

Weird... now I can’t find it ether. Let me dive deeper on my computer and see if I can find it. It would have been back in 2016. It wasn’t a big post and was part of the radio installation post. I did it all at the same time.

 

[To2d]

new speedster SK stereo!

 

[To2d]

This post just talks about the process...

 

[rkkoeb]

I also purchased a battery gauge and looking for the best way to wire this up. I only want the gauge to come on when the boat is running, I tried the outlet located on the dash power and it is always hot when the main switch inside the engine compartment is on. I prefer to only have the gauge power up when the boat is on.

 

[To2d]

I don’t know how to wire it that way from any of the wires behind the dash. Also do you have one or two engines??? What model is your 97 boat. Having two engine could make it more challenging to have one gauge only work when both are running.

Can you tell me why do you want the gauge to only work when the engine is running? Why not when the power is turned on like a car?

Why wouldn’t you want to see what the battery is at or that the power is on even when the engines are not running?

Just curious...

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

If you mean to install a voltmeter or other low power device, the purple wire on your gauge pod is hot while the MPEM is awake, the black ground(s) should be obvious.

As far as I know it's not intended for higher power accessories like a stereo for instance and wouldn't be alive while the MPEM is asleep anyway.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

But don't most digital LCD gauge pods already have a voltmeter?

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Why wouldn’t you want to see what the battery is at or that the power is on even when the engines are not running?

Just curious...

I think in some cases you might want to know when the MPEM is awake or asleep, the voltmeter could tell you that and the voltage. The fuel gauge would serve similar dual purpose.

 

[rkkoeb]

I decided to just install a switch so I have the ability to turn the gauge on or off

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

I decided to just install a switch so I have the ability to turn the gauge on or off

Yes, that's certainly an option as well, turn off the switch and any loads big or small are interrupted. Future add-on accessories might be powered through the same switch as well.

Remember, inline fuses or circuit breakers sized appropriately for the gauge of wire must always be implemented as a safety feature to protect against possibility of accidental overload.of additional wiring, so confirm the fuse is present and appropriate for the gauge of wire used.

When adding circuits from the battery intended for powering an helm accessory outlet I typically use 12 gauge stranded wire protected with no larger than a 20A inline fuse located within inches of the battery. This allows for accessories that might consume a total of around 200 Watts of power.

If more power is required, the wire gauge and fuse might be larger or an additional circuit can be added separately.