Misc Mtc Issues

[TalleyHo]

Hello all,

I was hoping to get some opinions on a few issues I'm having.

1- The 'up' button on my display on my 07 VLX is starting to flake off and expose the mechanical part of the button. The button still works, but I'm concerned that water will be able to get inside easier and cause issues. I was thinking about getting a cell-phone screen cover and simply covering the whole screen to provide some protection. I'm assuming there is no easy way to just replace the display overlay w/o replacing the whole thing.

2 - Saying I have a slow drip from the packing nut would be saying there is a small leak in the Gulf right now. I have a steady stream, so its time to start cracking knuckles and figure pray that I can simply tighten the packing nut down and not have to pick out all the crap yet. Anyone know what size wrench I need? I tried using channel locks and that resulted in several 4-letter words. West Marine has a crescent type wrench for $20, and Bakes has a wrench for $30. Anyone found a good, local, cheap alternative?

3 - My fuel gauge has recently gone wacko. A full tank (visually) is now 1/2 tank according to the gauge. Sometimes it makes it up to 3/4. I'm assuming I should just go for the more accurate replacement option described in the DIY section, but is it common for a gauge to get stuck or stop reading? This has happened just recently, so...

4- My ballast gauges have been acting up for quite a while. They rarely read the right level in the tanks. They have worked in the past. Are the gauges similar to the fuel gauge? Where is the sending unit located for the ballast tanks? Someone suggested a loose ground wire, but I have no idea where they come in to the dash.

Thanks for any tips!

[tvano]

2 - Saying I have a slow drip from the packing nut would be saying there is a small leak in the Gulf right now. I have a steady stream, so its time to start cracking knuckles and figure pray that I can simply tighten the packing nut down and not have to pick out all the crap yet. Anyone know what size wrench I need? I tried using channel locks and that resulted in several 4-letter words. West Marine has a crescent type wrench for $20, and Bakes has a wrench for $30. Anyone found a good, local, cheap alternative?

i tried smooth jaw channel locks but it didn't have enough gription (a professional term).

i have seen this on this site, i'm going to try it next.

Edited June 14, 2010 by tvano

[TalleyHo]

i tried smooth jaw channel locks but it didn't have enough gription (a professional term).

i have seen this on this site, i'm going to try it next.

Whoa... that's the same wrench West Marine has for $20. Fortunately, I need to make a Lowes run for some lawn mower parts.

[02-Scape]

Whoa... that's the same wrench West Marine has for $20. Fortunately, I need to make a Lowes run for some lawn mower parts.

Ditto - got mine at Home Depot, buy 2 then you can loosen and tighten the lock nut, leave them in your boat tool kit.

[Ndawg12]

That handle might be too long in there. I took a 1 7/8" double open ended wrench and cut it so that I had 2 wrenches and each handle is only about 4" long.

Edited June 18, 2010 by Ndawg12