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Tachometer on 98 Sportster inop

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PhilJet

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My right side tach on the 98 Sportster is not working - left one works ok. Are there some common places to check or is it likely to be a new guage needed? I'm not a mechanic but can troubleshoot some on the electrical side.

Thanks in advance,

Phil
 
Try swapping the guage wires behind the guages. If it works after the swap...it's the guage. If it still won't work it could be the wiring between the engine and the guage. Process of elimination.

Karl
 
Try swapping the guage wires behind the guages. If it works after the swap...it's the guage. If it still won't work it could be the wiring between the engine and the guage. Process of elimination.

Karl

good process, as my port gauge dont work...
 
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yeah my right gauge doesn't work either! i swapped the wires behind and i looks like the gauge is the problem. anyway to fix this without replacing the gauge?
 
Thanks, KustomKarl...
I will give switching the wires a try first thing next week when I return from dropping the grandkids back at Mom & Dads in Houston. (why didn't I think of that!!).

I also have to do some double-checking on why I'm getting an overheat indication from the beeper on & off after running the boat for a while (I had to disconnect the beeper to quiet it down). I felt the engine valve covers while the heat warning beeper was going off, and no excess heat (I could hold my hand on it).

Anyway, thanks again. I will let you know how the tach test shakes out. May need to be looking up a guage in the parts section.

Happy trails,
Phil
 
Thanks, KustomKarl...
I will give switching the wires a try first thing next week when I return from dropping the grandkids back at Mom & Dads in Houston. (why didn't I think of that!!).

I also have to do some double-checking on why I'm getting an overheat indication from the beeper on & off after running the boat for a while (I had to disconnect the beeper to quiet it down). I felt the engine valve covers while the heat warning beeper was going off, and no excess heat (I could hold my hand on it).

Anyway, thanks again. I will let you know how the tach test shakes out. May need to be looking up a guage in the parts section.

Happy trails,
Phil
gauges are $$$$ like $244.
 
yeah my right gauge doesn't work either! i swapped the wires behind and i looks like the gauge is the problem. anyway to fix this without replacing the gauge?

The guages are a sealed unit. If they are bad they need to be replaced. You can't repair them.

Karl
 
Thanks, KustomKarl...
I will give switching the wires a try first thing next week when I return from dropping the grandkids back at Mom & Dads in Houston. (why didn't I think of that!!).

I also have to do some double-checking on why I'm getting an overheat indication from the beeper on & off after running the boat for a while (I had to disconnect the beeper to quiet it down). I felt the engine valve covers while the heat warning beeper was going off, and no excess heat (I could hold my hand on it).

Anyway, thanks again. I will let you know how the tach test shakes out. May need to be looking up a guage in the parts section.

Happy trails,
Phil

Phil I sent you a pm on the heat sensor problem.
 
Testing a single engine tach

Try swapping the guage wires behind the guages. If it works after the swap...it's the guage. If it still won't work it could be the wiring between the engine and the guage. Process of elimination.

Karl

hi there,
Is there anyway to test a tach on a single engine 2000 Sportster LE.
The Speedo is also not working but I managed to get the Fuel gauge working by replacing the F1 fuse. Thank you very much for that one!!!!!!!!

Can I inject a voltage into the tach to test if it is working on the grey wire terminal?

I appreciate your input.
 
2000 sportster Tach possible fix

My Fuel gauge, tach, and speedo were not working on my 2000 sportster until I found the F1 fuse fix and now my Fuel gauge works. THANK YOU SEADOO FORUM!

I took it upon myself to open up the sealed tach with an box cutter blade on the back of the tach to see what was going on. I figured, what have I got to loose, it doesn't work anyway.

Because the guts of the tach were inserted from the front I had to cut the plastic little tabs that held the logic board tight with the front of the gauge.

I reheated all the solder points - very carefully!. I loosed the center nut (ground) and reseated the logic board and tightened up the nut again.

Didn't have any expectation when I connected it back to the sportster - but....
IT WORKED!!!!!:willy_nilly:

PICS BELOW

I put it all back together and sealed the plastic back of the gauge by melting the plastic with my other inexpensive soldering iron.

I am going to try this on my speedo next and hopefully they will all live happily ever after.........

Hopefully this post will help someone as a posting from a user helped me.
 

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DonnyD ! Gotta love that " I got nuthin to lose " attitude. Great fix, and thanks, I'll be trying this myself !!
 
Speedometer Gauge fix

My Fuel gauge, tach, and speedo were not working on my 2000 sportster until I found the F1 fuse fix and now my Fuel gauge works. THANK YOU SEADOO FORUM!

I took it upon myself to open up the sealed tach with an box cutter blade on the back of the tach to see what was going on. I figured, what have I got to loose, it doesn't work anyway.

Because the guts of the tach were inserted from the front I had to cut the plastic little tabs that held the logic board tight with the front of the gauge.

I reheated all the solder points - very carefully!. I loosed the center nut (ground) and reseated the logic board and tightened up the nut again.

Didn't have any expectation when I connected it back to the sportster - but....
IT WORKED!!!!!:willy_nilly:

PICS BELOW

I put it all back together and sealed the plastic back of the gauge by melting the plastic with my other inexpensive soldering iron.

I am going to try this on my speedo next and hopefully they will all live happily ever after.........

Hopefully this post will help someone as a posting from a user helped me.



ANOTHER GAUGE WORKING :willy_nilly:


A few hours later, I tried it on my speedometer and IT WORKED!
I was surprised to see that the tach and the speedo are identical on the inside.

I went from having 3 inoperable gauges to having 3 working gauges without spending a penny.

Thanks again guys.
 
aarrrgggghhhhh....you must be gifted!!!...I had no luck with the first guage

Hi Phildoo

how good is your solder iron?
I would avoid the ic chip if it is not a good one.

Check your work under a magnifing glass and make sure you didn't join 2 solder points on the board.

Did you re-seat the logic board?
Once you remove the center bolt it is removable by gently
wiggling it out.

Try these. If you still have no luck let me know and we'll
start checking components on the logic board.
I hope you have a multimeter.

Cheers
 
My iron is probably not the best but seemed to melt the solder on all the contact points. Not sure what the ic chip is.. The black one? Didn't touch that one. I did reseat the logic board several times though. The board doesn't look burnt but definately need a magnifying glass which I will have to get. The gauge needle moves freely so the motor isn't frozen. The problem is I bought the boat with a smoked mpem which I replaced but the boat sat under a tree for 4 years. Thinking the tree took a lightning strike and boat got a static charge from it???
None of the gauges work at all but they do light up. I do have a multiple meter but have no idea where to even look at on the board. Your help is greatly appreciated.
 
My iron is probably not the best but seemed to melt the solder on all the contact points. Not sure what the ic chip is.. The black one? Didn't touch that one. I did reseat the logic board several times though. The board doesn't look burnt but definately need a magnifying glass which I will have to get. The gauge needle moves freely so the motor isn't frozen. The problem is I bought the boat with a smoked mpem which I replaced but the boat sat under a tree for 4 years. Thinking the tree took a lightning strike and boat got a static charge from it???
None of the gauges work at all but they do light up. I do have a multiple meter but have no idea where to even look at on the board. Your help is greatly appreciated.


Let's check out the actual guage coil now.
Gently pull off the guage indicator needle
on the face of the gauge. Then gently remove the
plastic face with the numbers on it.
Once removed you will see a clear plastic
mount with 2 small black flat head screws. Remove those.
Now remove the logic board from the back so we don't damage any
components.

You should now have the gauge coil on it's own in your hand.
To test it you will a 9 volt battery and 4 small testing cables.
You can use just about any cables to test, even speaker cable.
Inspect the front of the coil in the front and confirm all the coil
wires are connected to the 4 terminals in front.

If everything looks good let's proceed with the test.

Hold the gauge so that there is a terminal on top, left, and right.
There should be none on the bottom.

The 2 on the left and right should connect to the 2 + and - battery poles.
This is the constant power.

The next connection should be made to the metal shell of the gauge.
Hold the wire to the metal shell of the coil and connect the wire to the - of the battery.

So now you have 3 wires connected.

The constant power and the negative for the gauge movement.

The last wire connects to the top terminal on the gauge and because the
signal that comes from the engine is not constant you have to pulse the voltage. In other words tap that last cable to the + batery pole 4 - 6 times per second.

You actually may want to attach the gauge indicator needle again so you can see it rise.

You also may need 2 people to do this, or 4 hands.

The gauge if working should rise up to 2-3 rpm is pulsed correctly.

If your up to it, give this a try.

Hopefully it doesn't sound to complicated.

Let mr know if it works.
 
Will do.Seems a little complicated, but I should get it figured out and will keep you posted on my progress. Thanx for your help on this!
 
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