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2003 LXi Tach w/PP analog part died but PP works fine.


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The analog part of the gage did not work my first ride this year. This leads me to believe that there is a separate sending unit for the analog gage I might have knocked off while de-winterizing the boat. Does anybody know where is it or did my gage just die?

Thanks

Edited by 22off
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Very very common problem, you're tach is dead.

They no longer make those combo gagues and you'll have to proabably upgrade to a multiline display. PP can get you set up or just live with the dead tach.

-Chris

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Thanks Chris. I don't mind living with dead tach because that thing was never really accurate, especially at slalom speeds. Why did it die, just because of temperature changes during winter or what? It worked ok last year, not a glitch...

How much will PP want for multiline display and does anyone have a picture of it? I would like it to blend nicely with these older (mostly black) gages, or should I claim warranty if any? PP works fine, so I am not sure how to claim this one

Besides, should I expect the rest of the gages to slowly start failing now, or is the PP combo gage the only trouble prone gage?

Appreciate your input

Igor

Edited by 22off
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1. Those combo tach PP displays were always junk, they just randomly fail. I doubt an AL winter killed it.

2. I think warrenty is 5 years on the gages...so it may be worth a call to the dealer depending on when your boat went into service.

3. The multiline display requires a chip upgrade also, and of course you can upgrade to the new GPS PP if you really wanted to get fancy. You could call PP and see what they will do since your old gague died on you. They make all different styles and colors to match boats of whatever era. They have pictures on their website if you wanted to see. But the multiline display is pretty nice and shows the RPM's and speed in a size you can actually read.

4. The other gages are much better and should not fail anytime soon.

Most likeley the most cost and time effective solution is to live with it, but that's your call.

-Chris

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Thank you very much for the nice write up, Chris. That is all I needed, I will definitely do some research now and if I need to upgrade the chip, I'd probably go with the GPS setup. I will post what solution I went with in the next few weeks

Cheers

Igor

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Yep, my analog tach just died, same setup except I have the upgraded software 6.5, just not the 2 line display.

Curiuos what you end up doing.

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Don't know yet but Star Gazer sounds too good to pass. It does not require crew and skier weight inputs as well as the other adjustments and sets the speed off of the GPS chip. Pricing for the upgrade on our boats is here ($430 upgrade and $199 for the multiline display) so if the display gets warrantied out I may think about it.

Multiline display options are here: http://www.perfectpass.com/Perfect_Pass_displays.html

But honestly, I am not that impressed with the multiline display. I always liked my gage better but who knows I may like it the more I use it.

We'll see, I'll let you know

I

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Not wanting to stir thing up, but to me, the multi-line display seems like a random layout of info using different font sizes all crammed on a tiny screen or too small a screen to organize that information properly. Just my two cents however, and I've never had opportunityto get used to it. I really don't want to spend any kind of money on this since I have the PP tach which still works, but it would be nice to get the analog tach to work.

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I'm with you on that one. I noticed the same thing on my friends boat and even my wife complained with the same arguments as you did. Actually, I don't even mind not having the analog tach because it was very inaccurate. Like 4-500 rpms off the digital one. And the old digital PP readout looks very organized to me so I may just get some black sticker and place it over the analog gage portion. Maybe a malibu sticker or PP sticker. The only good thing is that while still under warranty, upgrading to GPS pass may be cheaper...

Thanks

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Just an FYI that PP now makes an even larger multi-line display than the original one that is nicer IMHO. It's probably a good 1/2" to 3/4" taller than the older one.

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Just an FYI that PP now makes an even larger multi-line display than the original one that is nicer IMHO. It's probably a good 1/2" to 3/4" taller than the older one.

Did you look at the links that I posted earlier with all the models listed? I wonder if it is any different than those because what is listed there is what I considered too small with crowded digits... Can you find it and post a pic of the new one by any chance?

Thanks

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Question...my analog tach died two years ago (its the one with the built in pp too). I took it in to get serviced bc I didn't have time to do it myself before a trip last year and they fixed it. it wasn't a malibu dealer either just a boat repair shop. anyway...about the end of last summer it stopped working again...now the analog speedo isn't working either. Honestly those gauges don't really bother me because I can look at the pp display and be just fine. BUT about the time the tach went out the first time...I tried using the pp in rpm mode...it reads the rpms but it doesn't even acknowledge the setpoint and won't hold anything. its like its not even on when its in rpm mode. (ps it is on when I try it I'm not an idiot)...I've had some troubles with finding the exact settings I need to hold perfectly in the wakeboard speed mode and was told the rpm mode works really well...do you think there is just a hose knocked out or wire loose? or is it just shot?

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Check the wiring from the master modual to the RPM lead (I think it's a green wire) and make sure everything is ok. Also give Perfectpass a call they are excellent with customer service.

-Chris

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I have a 2004 Response Lxi and my analog tach died a couple of years ago. Digital still works fine. One day while I had nothing better to do I started troubleshooting it. What I found was, there is only one sending unit coming from distributor. It runs through the PP and then to analog unit. I checked the signal with an oscilloscope and found the signal was making it though PP unit to the analog unit. I removed the analog tach from the dash and played with the signal connection post and the analog tach came back alive. However it only worked one or two trips out before quitting again. I never could find out how to remove the back of the analog tach cover with out distroying the unit to see where the bad connection is. I have repaired electronic equipment for 35 years and have a little knowledge on this subject. I suspect the real problem is where the signal post is soldered to the tach circuit board. The solder joint on the circuit board has probably broken and will make a temporary connection when you move the signal post. This is a common problem with large connections that have leverage due to length of post that are made to a circuit board. If you could get in the back to the joint, reheating the connection with fresh solder would fix the problem permantly, but it is a sealed unit. Since my analog tach has the digital readout from the PP setup on it I don't want to take a chance on destroying that part since my digital tach on the speedometer works fine.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have seen a couple of these die on friend's boats and now on mine. My gauge was fogged and I suspect that may have had something to do with corroding the signal contact. I removed it from the dash and it does not appear to be sealed in any way and I am temped to cut the back off it to see if it can be repaired.

It does seem like the signal terminal is loose and from what others have said, it appears that it may be a weak point in the design. I plan on doing some testing this weekend and will call PP to see if they can shed some light on the failure point in these gauges. I really like having the analog tach.

Does anyone know if the signal pin is a pulse of an analog level? And, if a DC level, what the range is?

/Steve

Edit: got this drawing from PP a year or so ago. Thought it might help.

Perfect_Pass_5_Inch_Combo_Gauge.doc

Edited by ibelieve
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Thanks Steve,

Please provide update with what you find out. I would not mind reparing mine either. I talked to the dealership and the 5 yr warranty is only on malibu gages and that is after 2004 models.

Igor

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You will need an osilliscope to display the signal from the distributer. It will be pulses that will be too fast for a Volt meter to read. If you digital tach is working, you are getting the signal from distributer. It has been a year since I had mine pulled out, I am thinking the cable y'ed off after the connecter from the rpm adapter(which is an analog to digital converter or line amp). One line went to signal post on tach and the other went straight to the perfect pass module. This diagram is a little different than mine. I will try and pull mine out this weekend and see.

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I like having the analog. Ibelieve, god speed, I really look forward to any updates on this. I'll warm up my soldering iron... Lightning.gif

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  • 1 year later...

OK … here it is. I finally got the time to dig into this gauge and here is what I found.

I purchased a used Analog Tach/PerfectPass to replace mine, that was no longer working. Unfortunately, the unit I bought was from a Response LX and not an LXI so the bezel and the display color was not the same as on my boat. It did function but the analog tach seemed to be off just a bit from the PerfectPass tach reading … no big deal. However, now that I had one to use, I could afford to destroy the old one.

The failure of my gauge was initially different than what several others have experienced. The analog needle would move on power-up but would not register a reading, once the engine was started. As time went on, I also began having intermittent problems with the PerfectPass, as well.

When I finally open the old gauge to try and repair it, I found that my problems had become even greater and that the needle would no longer move on power-up. However, to my pleasant surprise the fix(s) where not that hard to make. I now have a totally working gauge!!!

To open the gauge, you must remove the front bezel. The bezel is lightly glued on and I found that by running a fingernail between it and the gauge housing, I was able to break the seal and remove the bezel.

If the needle on your gauge appears to be stuck (and mine appeared to be frozen), just use your fingers and twist the needle, at its base, until it moves freely. I had to wiggle mine back and forth several time to get it to where it moved easily. At this point you can re-attached the gauge to your boat and see if you problem is fixed (I didn’t try to lubricate the needle and am not sure how long the fix will last).

If it is not fixed you may need to continue to dismantle the gauge. Next is to remove the RPM face plate. First, remove all the nuts from the threaded studs on the back of the gauge and remove the lamp. From the front it appeared that the tach face was tacked in place in 2 – 3 locations with glue. I used an exacto knife to break these loose and then 2 small flat blade screwdrivers to pry the face up and out of the housing. The circuit board that is attached by wire comes out with it. (Note: you may wish to somehow mark the face and the housing so that you can align it when you put it back together)

Once you have it completely removed from the housing (and it is a cheesy design), check the brass studs where they contact the circuit card (see picture). Mine were green with corrosion, which was likely my only original problem, but after sitting for a year the needle also froze.

I cleaned the studs and soldered them to the circuit card to insure I would not have problems with the contact corroding, again.

Putting it back together is the tricky part. The tach face has no alignment groves and if not turned just right, will read off (mine is currently off 200 RPM but I plan on opening it again and fixing it). The tach face is just press fit into the housing and is easy to get misaligned without marking it before you remove it (you may wish to test it at this point before putting it completely back together).

The needle is also susceptible to binding if everything is not aligned correctly. However, there is no easy way to align the parts (that I know of) other than trial and error.

You can put the glass face back on and re-glue it if it does not want to stay in place.

In short … I had three problems. First was corrosion of the signal line causing the tach not to respond (the needle still worked as it moved during power-up). Second was a corroded ground connection that caused the PerfectPass display to show garbage from time to time. And third, the needle froze after sitting for over a year before I open it to try and fix it.

Good luck if you try to fix yours!!!!!

post-256-1248809159_thumb.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you for the update. This sounds like I nice project for the winter and if it fails, new multidisplay is in order. I believe I have corroded contacts as well as the stuck needle. Mine was off about 400RPMs so I might align it better than that

Good effort!

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