Water Pressure Gauge

[ndfishin15]

Last week when I had my boat out I noticed my pressure gauge was around 20 psi when idling and off the scale at full throttle. Is this a problem with the gauge or a problem with the engine? I heard water can freeze and break the gauge over the winter which it was stored indoors but not in a heated facility. Any way to test it either way?

 

[SDMF]

I heard water can freeze and break the gauge over the winter which it was stored indoors but not in a heated facility.

That's what you got going on. The one boat I had with a pressure gauge got a new one every spring because every fall I'd forget to unhook the line and get the water out of the gauge.

 

[ndfishin15]

Is a pressure gauge important enough to worry about replacing it?

 

[SDMF]

Is a pressure gauge important enough to worry about replacing it?

Stuff that doesn't work or isn't working properly, especially "fun" stuff drives me bonkers. Water pressure gauges are more important the faster/shallower you run your boat/motor. If one had electric jack-plate and trim tabs I'd consider a water pressure gauge indispensable. The gauge lets you know if your intake pickups are in the water or not. Only real use on a deeper V w/out jackplate and 'tabs is letting you know if something has plugged your pickups before your overheat alarm goes off.