Sportster Spedo - wires pulled out. Now what?

[wildbillz]

Hi there folks,
I have a 2003 Sportster LE. On the back of the boat there is a little wheel that spins in the water to measure speed. The thin black wires that attach to the sending unit have pulled out (no clue how?!). Has anyone successfully put the wires back in or do I need a whole new unit? Also, how far do the wires go into the engine compartment - or do they go all they way to the spedometer?
Is it a hard job to tackle on my own?
Any info greatly appreciated!
bill

 

[seadoosnipe]

Plug connector?

Hi there folks,
I have a 2003 Sportster LE. On the back of the boat there is a little wheel that spins in the water to measure speed. The thin black wires that attach to the sending unit have pulled out (no clue how?!). Has anyone successfully put the wires back in or do I need a whole new unit? Also, how far do the wires go into the engine compartment - or do they go all they way to the spedometer?
Is it a hard job to tackle on my own?
Any info greatly appreciated!
bill

Bill, sorry your thread did not get any results. I'll see if I can help you out a bit. Where your speedo passes through the hull, that plug should be water tight. My plug piece was missing on my Challenger so all I did was fill the hole with some silicone and let it cure for 48 hours to make sure I got a good set.

Like you, my wires came out but it was caused by a dog that pulled and chewed the end up. Directly on the inside of the hull, you should have a plug that these wires connect to. If your plug is missing, you can strip the wires down and either buy a new connector for it or do what I did. Get your solder gun and solder them together, then get a piece of electrical shrink and heat it up with a hair dryer or small torch to shrink it around the soldered wire. Electrical tape will work too.

You can actually test the paddle wheel before putting it all back together if you like. Set your voltmeter to resistance and spin the wheel. You should get readings that vary with the speed of the paddle wheel.:cheers: