Problem with Gauges on 2015 SunDeck 187

FloridaMark

Hi all, new boat owner here. I bought the SD 187 a few weeks ago, and the seller told me the gauges and switches work intermittently, which he thought was a problem with a ground. I poked around behind the panel a bit, wiggling different wires until I found one that made a "click" when I moved it a certain way. I wrapped that wire bundle with a bit of tape and all gauges and switches are back. However, the fuel gauge and the trim gauge are not reading correctly. The needle on the trim gauge is about 1/3 up when the outboard is all the way down, and stops at its max when the motor can still move up a fair amount. The fuel gauge - which I'm most concerned about - is reading about 1/4 tank, but the seller topped it off when I got it and I haven't used it much since then. Any advice is greatly appreciated.  

cjjjdeck

Connections can work loose or get corroded if partially exposed to the elements as the interiors of helm stations can get humid.  You may have gotten lucky in finding a loose connection to a deutch multipin connector.

The trim gauge gets it's signal from the motor/drive sensor, so that sensor needs to get checked to see if it needs to get replaced.

Regarding checking your fuel gauge, you may have a bad fuel level sending unit.  Here's a really good video on explaining a boat's fuel system:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj782kHVGrA