New to me 1995 Ranger R70 sport

[jeremyt]

Hi all,

I recently got a 95 Ranger R70 sport with a 95 Merc 115 for a steal.  Have a few questions for you all.

First off the good. 
The motor checked out great.
Previous owner just recarpeted and put in new seats.
Hull is in great shape, no cracks or weaknesses in the transom.
Everything is in general working order although I have a few issues to handle.

Now to what needs fixed.
Hatches, he recarpeted the boat but didn't screw the hatches back on.
Some of the wiring is backwards , front aerator runs the rear lw and the rear runs the front, and  the kill switch if set to on kills the motor.
When I took it to the lake the livewell levers ( not toggle switches but levers) dont seem to make a difference as far as filling the livewells  and the lower one sticks when pushed to the rear.   Which direction do they go for on and off?
The tachometer and the speedometer don't work at all, and I dont know where to begin to check if its the guages themselves, wiring or the sending unit?

Other than those small items I am really looking forward to working on her and getting her ready for the winter poor boys here. I will post pics of her later.

[Donald Garner]

Congrats on getting your new boat 

Sounds has if you got yourself a good winter project to work on.  I'd take the wiring issue one at a time.  Have some one turn on the switch and somehow or another mark that wire with a label or tag.  Once everything has been tagged if possible unplug or cut and resplice the wire to the correct aerators. 

The switches that are sticking try using some can air and spray behind them.  They just might be clogged up with a little gunk.  I have "Rocker Style" switches on my Stratos and when the switches are in the "Down Position" everything is usually turned off.  The only exception to this is my aerators.  Those two switches have to be positioned in the "Center Position" for them to be off.   

I'm not sure about your Speedometer but on my Yamaha I can disconnect the plastic tube and hookup the air can to it.  My speedometer connection tube in located on the outside of my lower unit.  Once I unclogged the enterance hole on the front side of the LU with a small piece of wire I usually shoot some air through there to loosen things up.  After that I connect the air can to the plastic tube at the top and shoot a little air down into the lower unit area.  Another thing and you have to be "careful with this" I connect the air can to the other end of the speedometer tube (end connected to the speedometer on the console) and shoot a short burst of air through it.  While doing so I watch the dial on the gauge to see if it moves.  If you shoot to much air through there it will damage your speedometer.  Again I don't know if you can do this on your Merc.

When you get the chance take some pictures of the console with your switches.   

[jeremyt]

Thanks Donald,

I should have been more specific, the switches aren't really switches, but cable driven levers. 

[Donald Garner]

Thanks Donald,

I should have been more specific, the switches aren't really switches, but cable driven levers. 

I'd try a little WD 40 or something similar on the lever's connections to see if thats the problem.

[Sc Bassin]

Those livewell levers hook to a valve in bilge area of your boat. Look in the battery compartment. Make sure nothing is in the way & is hooked up properly. It sounds to me like you have a bad valve. I just had to change the one I my Ranger. I was told they wear out after several years of use.

[jeremyt]

Thanks SC,

So I take it that you open the valve to let the water in and once the livewells are full you close it and just use the aeroators.

Any one have and idea about the Tach not working and where to start.

[West6550]

As far as the switches going to the wrong spot. Easy fix. Look under where the wires come into the switches. Two of my wires were wrong. All you have you do is unplug it from one switch and plug into the right one. I'd recommended checking all your fuses too. I have a 98 center console. I found a bad fuse which lead me to find why my aerator pump didn't work... lol it was melted. Thank god for fuses lol. It seemed overwhelming when I first bought my boat but over time and tinkering here and there I have it all figured out. Take some time just to look at the "insides" of the boat and you'll have a better idea of what your dealing with in the future.