3208 help....

[steve miller]

I'll be priming the new windshield and engine box today. We've been rewiring the boat, and are getting slightly confused. I have not been able to find a 3208 service manual (for less than $200, that is) which shows a wiring schematic. Any ideas? Just need to know where the gauge wires originate.......

Thanks in advance for any help. I'll post some photos when I get some finish paint on.

[Bruce]

The ground on the gauges would be the main ground comming up to your helm that connects directly to the engine block.

If your ground wire to the helm goes to the battery negative, thats okay also. Don't use something t'd off in the cabin. A good ground for guages is essential.

The + or red would come from the ign side of a key switch. That wire comes off the engine ususally thru a resetable push button breaker on the rear port side of the 3208 on the bracket.
If your engine battery also feeds your house panel, you can feed off that panel using a breaker.

If you don't use a key switch it would come from an ignition toggle on/off switch.

The sender terminal would be from just that, the senders.

If you have single wire senders, that terminal would go to the guage marked sender.
If you have isolated or dual wire senders, one side goes to the guage and the other to a good ground.

The tach wires would come off the sender on the front of the engine just under the heat exchanger in the center.

Depending on the brand of tach one side might be a ground, the other goes to the tach. A third wire might be an ign connection. Not knowing what tachs you have I can't be sure.

If you don't have tach senders then you will take a signal off the altenator usually marked ac or ac tap.

Volt meter would be between what feeds your guages their + voltage and the ground at the guages.

An amp meter would need a shunt and then the two wires that come off either side of the shunt would go to the guage.

Going back to the engine from the ign side of course is your fuel solenoid feed. Make sure you use a resistor between the two terminals on the solenoid to keep the voltage at shut off from spiking.

[scot]

Damn Bruce I'm impressed. You just scribed from memory how to wire a mechanical diesel engine in a boat, in 300 words or less. Nice job. I have already cut-n-pasted for future reference.

You get a Wayne's World for that one......."We're not worthy"

[steve miller]

Yup,Scot..that's about the size of it!! Thanks Bruce. That's just what I was looking for, just didn't know what widget gets which wire.
I got two coats of Awlquick on the new work today...now sanding and fairing. Then 2 more coats of 545, followed by more sanding, and three topcoats of cloud white. Then windows & electronics installed, gelcoat the bilge, then SPLASH!!!

[Bruce]

Like anyone else here in their own line of work, you hope after so many years to retain some information.