Just 2 weeks ago my new Sierra Eclipse fuel gauge came and it has a backlight on it. How would I wire the backlight? So far, this is the diagram I have found. Would this wiring setup work? The fuel sender it will be running with is a 7" WemaUSA SSL
http://www.arimaowners.com/gallery/10/9512-150218164014.jpeg
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Yes, that should work. It should light up from that ignition wire when the key is switched to "on"
Quote from: Fisherdv on February 15, 2018, 05:17:31 PM
Yes, that should work. It should light up from that ignition wire when the key is switched to "on"
Sweet! Thanks!
A few other questions: How would one go about hooking it up to turn on when the switch is turned on? Will the fuel gauge turn on or just the light?
Quote from: Redhawk on February 15, 2018, 09:18:17 PM
A few other questions: How would one go about hooking it up to turn on when the switch is turned on? Will the fuel gauge turn on or just the light?
From the ignition both
Just make sure your ignition is fused (they usually are)
Dev
If your asking how to find an ignition wire it's usually a purple wire from the harness or a grey wire off of a gauge (tach, speedo, etc). Not knowing what your working with or how old your wiring is or who wired it this may be different. You could also find an on/off keyed ignition wire with a test light if unsure. See if a wire you suspect powers only when the key is turned on. You may also be able to get an ignition feed from one of your current gauges. Probe the lugs on the back with the test light if your unsure which wire is fed from the ignition
Gotcha. Thanks guys!
What should I do if there is no purple wire? The previous owner did not have the best knowledge of electrical systems so I am not sure if the wire has been cut short, disconnected, etc. If it is not there or is too short to make any connection to? In that case should I/would I be able connect it to a fuse block and then to a fuse or would that be a bad idea? Is there any way to add purple wire wire to the harness?
Do you have any gauges on your dash now?
There is a tachometer but the previous owner cut all the wires. There was also an old fuel gauge but nothing was hooked up.
Put a test light to the wires in back of the key/ignition switch and see which wire feed only lights with the key in the on position, or see if there's any unused wire coming from the control box, if so test those
A tone tester can be your continuity friend
Quote from: Fisherdv on February 16, 2018, 12:37:45 PM
Put a test light to the wires in back of the key/ignition switch and see which wire feed only lights with the key in the on position, or see if there's any unused wire coming from the control box, if so test those
So take off the throttle controls, open it up, pull the ignition switch, and test the wires to find which is the positive and which is the negative, then wire accordingly?
Can you post some pictures of the ignition and rear of the dash.
And then give us the make model of the motor.
To find the ign wire first you must find the B- and the constant B+. Then you if you keep the B- connected you can probe the other wires to see which one is switched on and off.
Dev
Quote from: Redhawk on February 16, 2018, 05:01:50 PM
Quote from: Fisherdv on February 16, 2018, 12:37:45 PM
Put a test light to the wires in back of the key/ignition switch and see which wire feed only lights with the key in the on position, or see if there's any unused wire coming from the control box, if so test those
So take off the throttle controls, open it up, pull the ignition switch, and test the wires to find which is the positive and which is the negative, then wire accordingly?
NO, not yet. As Dev suggested take some pics and the make, model, year of the motor
Is your key on the throttle control box or separate on the dash?
I put all my gauge lights on a switch. No need to have them on during the day and sometimes when running at night it's better to turn them off and eliminate the glare.
The switch is a good idea.I cover my gauges with a towel when it's dark the glare kills my night vision.
Yup, if all else fails just run it to the fuse box with a switch
Quote from: Omega3 on February 16, 2018, 06:35:04 PM
The switch is a good idea.I cover my gauges with a towel when it's dark the glare kills my night vision.
Usually we wire all the gauges to your light circuit. If it's to bright you can add a dimmer.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/cole-hersee--electronic-dimmer-switch--5369673?recordNum=1
Dev
Quote from: Fisherdv on February 16, 2018, 05:45:19 PM
Is your key on the throttle control box or separate on the dash?
Sorry for the late reply, we were up at the boat. It is a 1970s Evinrude 70HP 2-stroke with OMC controls. It didn't have any additional wires on the harness so I ended up wiring it up to the fuse block. The key is on the throttle control box.
I will try to get some pictures of what I ended up doing next time I am up there.
Did you put a switch so you can turn it off?
Quote from: Fisherdv on February 18, 2018, 06:20:39 PM
Did you put a switch so you can turn it off?
Yup! The previous fuel gauge set up that was in the boat when we got it didn't have a switch so it would run down the battery. Wasn't going to deal with that again!
Don't forget to switch it off when done!