1988 Ranger 395V - Questions

[postmortem01]

Hey Bud. Great looking boat! What windshields are those? Mine are cracking and need to be replaced.

FYI, the glove box door is a factory standard and is not homemade.  Here is a picture of my boat showing the glove box.

[Bud Kennedy]

the windshields are also factory standard.  About 5 years ago I thought about replacing them and ranger had some in stock for about $100.00 ea.  I probably should have bought them.  My windshield are not cracked externally but have some fractures internal to the plexiglass.  Not a big deal but would be nice to have some new ones.  I have looked at aftermarket windshields but none really have measured up to fit the right way.   By the way, you have to buy them as port console or starboard console.

[postmortem01]

I talked to Ranger Parts on Friday. They have more on order. I'm wondering if the more rounded windshields will work on my mine. I don't know if mine are original or aftermarket.

[postmortem01]

This is the old girl as she currently stands. I moved her to work last night so i could built that temporary deck extension. There are a few thing wrong with it but this is still a nice solid boat.

[postmortem01]

Ok. I need some help. I know this is probably really stupid and simple but here it goes. This is my first boat. I had some fuel issues on the lake this first trip out and I guess I'm very unclear of how to fill the tanks and what the switches do. I kept getting low fuel indicators on the tanks and I stalled out from lack of fuel pressure. etc. It was a nightmare.

There are 3 gas caps on my boat. Port, Starboard and one at the back Port side.
There is a switch that controls the Port / Starboard fuel tanks.
There is a switch that controls the Auxilliary Fuel On / Off

[postmortem01]

When the fuel switch was in the "Starbard" position, and the "Auxilliary" switch was "ON" the boat would run fine for a while and then stall even while going 30mph. I would have to pump the bulb until I had pressure again and then it would do the same thing. I switched to "Port" and the fuel level showed low but ran fine with no problems. If I didn't have the Auxlliary switch "ON", the fuel level always read as low fuel.

That morning, when I tried to fill the tanks, I filled the Port rear gas tank with 13 gallons of 89. I tried to put gas into the Port and Starboard side gas tanks but they acted like they were already topped off. What am I doing wrong?

Please help.

[Bud Kennedy]

Lets see if I am understanding your "terminology" correctly.  When you refer to fuel switch are you talking about the switch on the front of the bench seat or are you talking about the fuel switch on the dash?

I note that my starboard tank also does not take fuel as well as the port side but just have to go a little slower sometimes.  Must be some form of venting issue but I don't know where it is and have not really worried about it too much.  Probably should do that some day now that the boat lives here instead of down at the lake.

My fuel switch at the front of the bench seat has the aux position to one side and the tank selection is either towards the top or to the side opposite the aux.  Just can't remember which but it is engraved as to the correct direction.

[postmortem01]

Hi Bud. Sorry for my cryptic terminology. I just went and took pictures and grabbed the manual so I can describe whats happening. I pulled the boat apart and found the port and starboard tanks under the seat. On this model, the tank selection is done on the dash panel. Here are a few pictures to show what I have.





So as far as I can figure, the rear tank is the auxiliary tank and obviously the other two are port and starboard tanks. I checked the tanks and they are all bone dry. Hopefully, I didn't run sediment into my filters and/or tank selector.

[postmortem01]

After looking at the hoses closely, what I think has happened is that I was filling the tanks too quickly and not allowing the air pressure to release. There is no reason why the tanks should not have filled at the gas station. I think that I need to fill the left and right tanks slower since they are completely dry and see if I'm able to switch between them properly.

How much fuel do you think this boat holds? The Auxiliary tank took 13 gallons when I pumped it at the gas station. These tanks look bigger like 20 gallon tanks maybe?


Are these the tank selector valves or fuel pumps? They look like fuel pumps. I can't find the fuel switch valve.

[postmortem01]

Can anyone tell me if I'm correct with my callouts on this picture?

[Bud Kennedy]

OK so per the manual page you posted the dash switches are just to select which tank you want to appear on the gauge.  That is just like mine.  Now you manual says the tank selector is in the splash well where mine is on the wall of the bench seat base in the center of the boat aligning with the two tanks under the seat.  Now all you have to do is find the selector switch.  My switch is simply a large round disk with a molded in knob to switch between tanks.  Yours is somewhere in the back.  I can't tell from your pictures but you are indicating something near the splash well that perhaps you may have previously identified as a gas cap.  Check that out to see if it is in deed a switch instead of a cap.

Our boat layouts are indeed similar but not identical

[Bud Kennedy]

I had an old picture in my system that just may better explain the layout of my boat.  Hope I did not confuse the issue

[postmortem01]

Man. Your boat looks so much like mine. Yes. I have those same gas caps and one more at the rear of the boat. The one at the very back fills the Aux tank. I think maybe I just tried to fill the tanks too fast and fuel spewed out. I need to check voltage to those fuel tank switch valves and see if they are working. Maybe they have gone bad.

These are my three gas caps. I don't have a manual tank selector on my seats. I think it may be those electric valves

[postmortem01]

One other issue I had this weekend was that the starter battery was completely dead. I couldn't raise or lower the motor and it wouldn't even click when I tried to start it. I know the battery was charged a few days ago when I took it off the charger. The battery is only about 7 months old and hasn't been kept dead. I'm not sure what caused the drain with the ignition switch in the off position but for now, I think I'm going to do the following:

1. Replace crappy chargers with onboard ProMariner Charger. If I get the 3 bank charger and connect to all 3 batteries at 12v is that ok? Two of the batteries are in series for the trolling motor. I'm not sure if that will be an issue since the charger will be reading 24v. Maybe a 2 bank would be better and set one bank for 24v.


2. Add a mini ON/OFF battery switch inline with the starter battery for the time being so nothing can draw it down.

[postmortem01]

Ah. Ok. I just found the manual for the 3 bank charger and this is the recommended wiring schematic.


So apparently, they've already thought of this and have a charging profile in the charger.

I'd like to install one of these so I can just hook up an extension cord. Have any of you ever used these? Do I need to silicone under it and in the screw holes?

[Bud Kennedy]

Heck, I just use an extension cord for the past 20+years.  works fine for me on a two bank charger, If I have to charge the crank battery after a long period of setting idle, I just use a standard car type trickle charger. and plug it into the same extension cord.

You may want to be sure your bilge pumps are off as well, they can easily be left on and drain a battery in fairly short order.  The only other thing on you crank battery circuit will be you sonars

Being an old lazy guy I just don't like to cut any holes in the boat that is why I use the extension cord.

[postmortem01]

Hey Bud. You're absolutely right. It rained the week prior to me taking the boat out and the cover isn't waterproof. The boat was we inside and I bet the bilge pump automatically pumped the water out. The ignition key was in the off position but maybe there is an automatic position for the bilge pump that kept it running.

After looking at the disaster wiring in this boat, I'm thinking about rewiring some of the boat to avoid any problems. Some of the wiring is wrapped with electrical tape, etc. Speaker wire used on some of it and so on.

[Bud Kennedy]

I have bumped the bilge pump switches with my foot when getting out of the boat.  I would be getting the boat ready to tie down and could hear the pumps running.  So.  Key or no Key the darn thing will run. 

[postmortem01]

Yeah. It's actually strange because the bilge pump must have a float because after it rained, I raised the front wheel on the trailer and the bilge pump automatically turned on even with the key off and the switch off.

[postmortem01]

Ok. I have a new question...

I took the boat out on Sunday and I adjusted the power trim all the way down from the throttle (or so I thought) and when I throttled up, I lost thrust because the motor really was not all the way down. The up and down adjustment on the throttle works but stops the adjustment when the motor is level. Something is stopping me from adjusting the motor all the way down from the throttle. I used the switch on the motor and it goes the rest of the way down without an issue. Any ideas?

[Bud Kennedy]

Sounds a bit like a wiring harness deal.  I am curious, now that you have the boat back on dry land, put your throttle control in neutral and move the trim up and down from the throttle control.  If it works in this position then put the throttle control in forward and try again.  let us know what the results of this kind of test might be.  Just thinking the movement of the throttle lever might be causing the wiring harness to stretch causing a loss within one of the contact points or wiring connection to the switch on the throttle control.   Since you are able to do this from the motor without issue the best place to start is with the throttle control.  Obviously since it works at the motor the tow lock out is not stopping the motor.

[postmortem01]

Thank Bud. The up and down on the throttle works to the same outcome whether in the neutral position or full throttle position. The strange thing is that it just stops at a level position when I lower it from the throttle handle. If I lower it from the motor, it has no problem.

I read a few things about the Trim Limit Sender. Apparently, there may be a little switch somewhere under the motor that tells the gauge up front the position of the motor trim. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. Maybe the switch on the throttle handle is reliant on the limit sensor back at the motor to cut out so you don't over lower the motor?

[Bud Kennedy]

Did not know there was the possibility of a sensor in the motor or where ever.  Guess it sounds reasonable but I would still try to trace the wiring back from the trim solenoids just to check for a possible break or loose connection.  Sounds like your control is like the one in my first Ranger where all the ignition, choke, throttle etc were all in the control.  Never experienced the issue you are having but at that time my first boat was only a year old.

[Bigwrench]

Does the motor actually stop trimming or your stopping it by using your trim gauge as a guide ? Mine had a similar issue I would stop trimming down when I saw the gauge reach full down trim but the motor wouldn't be all the way down, I could push the switch in the throttle handle and listen for the trim to bottom out when it truly reached the bottom stop.
Sometimes the gauge would also read 1/4 trim and I would be at the bottom as well.  Mine was the trim sensor on the mid section , a potentiometer and it was sticking. There is a picture of it here somewhere , let me see if I can find it for ya. Round switch , 2 bolts and IIRC 2 wires.

[postmortem01]

Unfortunately, mine stops trimming by itself before it hits bottom. This only happens when I use the trim on the throttle or up at the front of the boat. The trim on the motor works properly.