2002 SANTE Oil Pressure Gauge Issue

[wakebrdr38]

I just bought an 02 SANTE last week and am really excited about the purchase. I do have a few questions though. The first 2 times I took it out (once was a test drive) everything worked perfectly. However I went to take it out the 3rd time and for some reason my oil pressure gauge is not reading at all. The boat does have oil in it and the warning light never came on, the gauge just isnt reading. I figured it wasn't worth the risk so I didnt leave the dock but didnt know if anyone on here could point me in the right direction to start trouble shooting this. The nearest dealer is over an hour away, so I want to get some ideas and see if its a simple fix before I decide to take it to a PCM dealer. The motor is the Excalibur 330 and only has 297 hours. I want to do an oil change this week, would it be a bad idea to do this before fixing the gauge?

Any help is greatly apprectiated, and thanks in advance

[seth]

First thing I would do would be to pull off your dash and make sure the wires to the oil pressure gauge did not come loose. This happened to me once, and thats what it was.

[DanielC]

I am pretty sure if you had no oil pressure, the check engine light would come on.
I think there is a "menu" options for the small digital display on the Speedometer, and Tachometer. Stepping through these options displays a bunch of parameters, engine water temp, oil pressure, rpm, depth, lake water temp, things like that. I believe the oil pressure will be in the tachometer, because it is "engine related"

The engine's computer sends all the information to a gateway box, and the gateway box translates the parameters to serial data, that goes out on one set of wires. At the helm, each gauge is daisy chained to the next, and each gauge only responds to the information it needs to display, and passes all the information on to the next gauge.

Like Seth said, go under your dash, and make sure your oil pressure gauge is plugged in.

The only way to really know what your oil pressure is, is to have a mechanic hook up a calibrated oil pressure gauge directly to the engine.

[wakebrdr38]

Thanks for the quick replies, unfortunately the digital gauges have gone out. I plan on buying the factory replacement kit in about a month. The oil gauge is just one of those security features that I like to see in case there is an issue I can watch it. With the boat being new to me and not knowing it real well yet, I feel its better to play it on the safe side.

I talked to Discount Inboard Marine today, and they were really helpful and told me a couple ways to check the oil pressure sending unit to see if it is the gauge or the unit that has the issue without removing the dash.

[hourglass]

i am sure other's who have experienced the problem will repeat me, but you should get analog faria gauges instead of teleflex

[Rick]

Seconh Hourglass

I really like my Faria gauges, i even did the install pictures. I don't think its the sensor as without oil pressure the engine light would light I would check the gauge wiring.

[wakebrdr38]

Well, tonight after work I checked a couple things. Discount Inboard Marine suggested that I remove the wire from the sensor and touch it to the block then turn the boat to the on position without starting it. They said if the gauge works that the gauge will peg and that I should replace the sending unit. They said if it doesnt its somewhere in the wiring or the gauge itself.

Well it didn't peg, however the needle did move and it actually dropped slightly (which I found odd since there was no pressure to begin with.) So I decided to pull the dash and check the wiring after plugging the sending unit back in. All the wires looked to be in place. Turned the boat to the on posision (without starting it) and again the gauge dropped slightly. Any thoughts???

Also for those of you suggesting Faria gauges, would that be the same gauges as in 03? I talked to a dealer that said they could get me a kit that replaced every gauge (including ballast) for $150 or $450 installed. Sounded like a good deal, I am hoping it is the Faria gauges from 03. Since it is the same engine as the 03 boats I wondered if they would work?

[wakebrdr38]

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[hourglass]

cal white lake or skidim. also, the guys at orlando nautiques are very helpful.