Speedo and tack gauge problem

Lenny · March 13, 2009

Recently both my speedo and tack guages quit working. I unpluged the gauges at the gauge pigtail and reinserted with lots of wiggling, same with the sensors on the engine and checked the engine ground. Also there are two white multi wire connectore just over the rear top of the battery. My dealer said the gauge wires goes thru one of these, not sure which yet nor did he know if both gauges go thru one or both. These I also checked by unpluging. One thing I did find is that one of the connectors had a fair amount of sand in it. You may want to check yours. Probably taping these to seal them would be a good idea. I cleaned out the sand hoping that would be the problem, but no luck.

I'm sort of at a dead end except for checking the continuity of the each wire. Doesn't sound real easy to do that. Hoping someone has an idea before I dive into testing wires. I would appreciate any help anyone has to offer.

Lenny

rocmoc · March 13, 2009

Look at each wire in both halves' of the connector. The wires back out of the plastic connector so they do not make contact with the mate when the two pieces of the plug are pushed together. Push each wire into both male and female connectors before you push the connector together. Maybe?

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

Kinarfi · March 13, 2009

Lenny, the tach & speed signals are square waves. I'll check to make sure after a while and post what I find, I have to take my laptop down stairs and use it as an oscilliscope.

Everyone, Open this PDF and save it to file for future use.

Here's the pins for the output signals from the computer.

kinarfi

attachment removed 5-14-09, needed the storage space, if it comes back it will be in the parts and pieces post pinned to the top of the first page, in the mean time, PM me with your email address.

brostar · March 13, 2009

Lenny as rocmoc said plus try white grease spray. It is a water repellent and is 100% water resistant. I suspect it's more water than dirt that has got into your electric connecters and water will travel up your wires. Unplug, inspect, clean and spray all connecters that you can to help prevent future problems. This is a fat based type of grease and would recommend to everyone. It will stop sand & dirt too but it will stick so try not to have to much excess on the outside.

Cheers Mike.

Lenny · March 13, 2009

Rocmoc, thanks for your input on the pins pushing out, I didn't look for that but I will.

Brostar, thanks for the good input about the white greese spray.

Kinarfi, thanks for the wiring diagram and pin numper information. I didn't have the pin information in the manual I downloaded some time ago and printed out. Now maybe I'll have a chance on tracking contunity of the individual wires. Do you know if there is a way to check the gagues themselves? Is there a way I can check for the signal comming from the sensors and the computer with my VOM?

If you guys want to come and live at my house, your welcome. Your wifes too of coarse. You would be awfull handy to have around. Good company too.

Lenny

Russ · March 13, 2009

On the issue of the plugs, I have always used dielectric grease on all plugs. I was always told to not use regular grease because it would conduct electricity. All I know is that I have never had a problem with water in a connector or had any other problems after filling them with dielectric grease.

brostar · March 14, 2009

I did a bit of research with dielectric grease and as it turns out this is the best possible product you can you use for electrical connecters. It's so good, that's all they use in the computer industry now. Forget about white grease spray and use dielectric grease. Thanks Russ.

Cheers Mike.

Kinarfi · March 14, 2009

Did some more checking today, the tach signal is definitely square wave and has 2 cycles per revolution, thus at 900 rpm, idle, it cycles 1800 times per min or 30 Hz, here is the plug that handles the signal. I think it was a gray wire, but that's from memory!

Russ · March 14, 2009

I noticed that most of the plugs on the joyners have a good seal on them, but there are some important ones without a rubber seal and I think that may be one of them. I also had a 1100 sand viper that we went to move yesterday and it was running and then died. Got to checking around because the fuel pump and the fan wouldnt come on when you turned on the ignition, found that the top half of fuse box didnt have juice and started pulling plugs and found one that one pin was bent by whoever put it together and wasnt in the splice for it, it was just touching the side and had got hot and melted the plastic just enough to loose connection.

Also on the trooper, had mine die the other day and wouldnt start, got to looking around and it didnt have any pressure at the regulator, pulled the line off and the pump was working fine, so I took the line that comes from the pump and put it on the return nipple, turned on the key for just a sec. and then hooked it back up and it was fine. Didnt know if anyone has had a problem with maybe a small piece of something getting into the reg and blocking it? It has worked fine every since then.

Sorry about getting off subject, You can buy dielectric grease at about any auto store around.

Lenny · March 17, 2009

Found my problem. I checked all involved wires for continunity and shorting and all was OK. Thanks to kinarfi, the schmatics he provided helped me to figure out te wiring. It would be easier if some of them weren't in chinese. After checking the connectors and the wiring and finding it ok, I figured that it had to be either the RPM senser, speed senser, Tack, speedo or computer. Strongly suspected the computer because both the speedo and tack weren't working. It would be unlikely that both would go out at once. Brought all five items to my dealer and asked if I could change them out with a working Trooper in the hopes to find something bad. He said to go ahead use the super charged Trooper. My tack and pickup senser worked fine so I went right to the computer. When I put my computer in his machine, the speedo and tack failed to work. He is ordering me a new computer. Boy I'm glad I went for the $900.00 three year warrenty. Getting your dealer to allow you to substitute your componets into a good system is about the only way we can check some of these things without having all the specs and testing equipment.

Good to have it behind me, electrical problems can be tough to find. Thanks for everybody's input.

Lenny

Kinarfi · March 17, 2009

Great! and what a good dealer

rocmoc · March 17, 2009

Thanks for keeping us in the loop!

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

brostar · March 18, 2009

Lenny, that dealer deserves a mention. In fact we should have a thumbs up section for people who help others including dealers like JGS UTVS who helped gumball recently with the 4wd actuator. It would be an incentive for dealers over a period of time to stand out as one of the good guys that can be trusted for all future UTV buyers, not just Joyner on this site. What do you think Kinarfi, rocmoc and Paiute3? Buy the way, where is Cinda and flatbed?

Cheers Mike.