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Yesterday I got hung up on a stump and to get off of it I had to run my jackplate all the way up. At that point the gauge read a letter (can’t remember which letter). I lowered it and then raised it all the way up again and it then read H. I lowered it all the way down and it wouldn’t read any number except 0 and for a while no matter how high or low it would only show 0. Finally it started registering a number for the setting but it wouldn’t show that number until I stopped raising or lowering the plate. Since I bought the boat new the jackplate would only read 1 at the lowest setting and has never shown a 0 and it has never shown any letters. Is the gauge messed up or do I just need to recalibrate or something? There is an up and a down button at the top of the gauge but I have no idea what those buttons do. 2017 Eyra
Atlas will handle the gauge warranty, however usually not damage and coincidence. They will do whatever needed and most likely replace whatever did not work new.
Mine acted crazy awhile back. After doing some research i found that they can be calibrated. Its possible you moved or broke the L piece at the hydraulic plate. You can loosen the screws and adjust the bracket. The up and down arrows on the gauge are to adjust the backlight. I lowered my plate to wat i wanted to be O then adjusted the L bracket to make my gauge read zero from that point. I ended up having to angle the L bracket a tad as it all works off magnetic resistance. Meaning mine is a 13 model atlas may have changed the style a bit. But might be worth a look
what redngoo said above
Redngoo – thanks for the quick direction. Somehow the L bracket got swung to the side about an inch and was not reading with the magnet properly. A quick twist and it’s back to normal. My only question is how snug are the screws supposed to be? I tried to tighten the screws but they are tight and won’t tighten any more but the bracket is still able to move side to side. My thought is that this is by design to keep from breaking the bracket.
A inch seems like a lot. Best i remember there was 4 machine screws. Was all four screws in place? Not sure of the tightness. But my thought is as yours. Better for the bracket to move versus break the bracket
Probably wasn’t an inch…maybe a half inch but it was obvious it had moved. There are only 2 screws on the bracket on mine. Not sure if that is standard or am I missing others. 2017 year model
I maybe wrong on the 4 screws. It was back in the summer when i messed with mine i will look this evening and clarify one way or the other.
Edit; so i did look it . It only has 2 screws. For some reason i thought it had 4.
Thanks Redngoo for confirming. I’m sure it’s that way to lessen the chance of breakage.
Just checked mine (2018) and it only has 2 screws in the L bracket and they are tight. I had to adjust it once to get gauge to read correct. I think it should be tight to minimize slippage and frequent adjustment. If your screws are tight and L bracket can still move they are probably bottomed out in the threads. Simply put a flat SS flat washer under the head of each one.
That’s interesting 1hoteyra. Mine will definitely not tighten up. I will call BCB today to get clarification if they don’t respond here first. I kind of like the idea that it should be designed to move a little to avoid breakage so I may just leave mine like that and check it every time out. I will post what BCB says to do.
I look at it like this. If it was intended to be “supertight” it wouldnt have a pan head machine screw.! It would have a different type fastner. Sure it should snug up fairly tight and if its not the slide on the L bracket has wear, screws to long, or holes not drilled and tapped deep enough. Add a washer and go on. Your only gna get it so tight using a phllips head screw driver.
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