ENgine Gauge Hold-Down Snapped Off - Now What?

[Bene505]

That's right, I can stand at the helm and push one of the engine gauges right through it's opening. Haven't done it, don't want to, and I'd like to get the gauge better secured just in case there's any pressure put on it. (It is somewhat behind a plexiglass window, but that's beside the point.)

Is there an easy way to do this? I'm thinking about drillling through from the outside and using a bolt with something resembling the letter "L" on it to hold down the gauge. Or is there a glue that's trustworthy in this case? (Maybe after roughing up the surfaces with sand paper?)

Here's a shot of the gauge. You can see the normal hold-down and then the place where one has snapped off.


Here's a shot of the top of the panel, above where the broken hold-down is.


And here's a shot of the outside, with the gauge in question circled.


By the way, I plan on remounting the gauge so the normal needle position is straight up. That way I can see a potential problem easier.

Regards,
Brad

[noelex77]

You could replace the self tapping screw near the gauge with a bolt.It would be easy to make a bracket out of some scrap aluminium, to attach to this bolt.
I hate drilling holes in boats.

[Omatako]

The panel looks quite thick and the guage looks to have a rim all the way around so the location of the hold down is not mission critical.

I would try drilling a new hole alongside (use a depth limiter to stop going through) and the as has been suggested, bend up a piece of ali and stick a self-tapper through it.

That's always assuming you can get tools in behind the panel

[Zanshin]

I know that this might be heresy for some, but how about resorting to using some 4200 on the inside to seal the gauge in place?

[Bene505]

Omatako - I could always remove the panel if I had too, it looks like it will come out. Of course, I'd have to move other things to get it out, like the plexiglass protection piece (and maybe the starboard wheel too).

All -- That bent piece of aluminum has to be somewhere, probably below where it was before. Maybe I can find it.

Good idea on the self tapping screw with the aluminum "L piece" already threaded on it. That might work.

As was said on another thread recently, what a great way to make decisions!

Regards,
Brad

[sailingdog]

I would drill through the panel and add a screw in the proper place.

By the way, I plan on remounting the gauge so the normal needle position is straight up. That way I can see a potential problem easier.

Always a good idea and one I recommend highly

[Bene505]

I bought everything I needed - stainless steel screws of different lengths and a little bracket that's normally used to hold mirrors against the wall.

Then after taking the instrument panel off the bulkhead, I found that the plate is not as thick as it looks in the pictures. No way I could use wood screws into it. So I decided to try gluing it in place. If that didn't work, I could always drill through the plate and use a bolt. I used a 2-part epoxy. It turned out really well.

First I removed the plexiglass window.


Then I removed the instrument panel.


Wire brushing the panel and the guage.


Cleaning with acetone.


Mixing 2-part epoxy. I only needed a little, so I used the cap to a 2 liter coke bottle. I stirred it with a screw driver and used the screw driver as a mini putty knife to apply the epoxy.


To keep the gauge in place while the epoxy hardened, I used some electrical tape stretched taut over a small can of WD-40. (Yet another use for the WD-40!)


Here's the finished project. I cleaned the plexiglass with water, while I had it off.


All-in-all a good project.

I am wondering about some things. Like what is the push button switch to the right of the red alternator light. If anyone knows, please let me know. Meanwhile I'll research it online.

What is this push button switch for?


And here is the finished project.



Also I need to find a small lamp socket. They slide into the back of the instrument and light up the gauge at night. The RPM gauge doesn't have the light - it's missing.

Dog - I didn't remount the gauge at an angle (with the needle straight up during normal operation) because I wasn't sure where the needle should be. We are still on the hard. Maybe I'll put a little red dot on the lens at the tip of where the needle should be.

Regards,
Brad

[Omatako]

I guess the important thing now is to hope the guage never packs it in.

[sailingdog]

Originally Posted by Bene505

I bought everything I needed - stainless steel screws of different lengths and a little bracket that's normally used to hold mirrors against the wall.

Then after taking the instrument panel off the bulkhead, I found that the plate is not as thick as it looks in the pictures. No way I could use wood screws into it. So I decided to try gluing it in place. If that didn't work, I could always drill through the plate and use a bolt. I used a 2-part epoxy. It turned out really well.

First I removed the plexiglass window.


Then I removed the instrument panel.


Wire brushing the panel and the guage.


Cleaning with acetone.


Mixing 2-part epoxy. I only needed a little, so I used the cap to a 2 liter coke bottle. I stirred it with a screw driver and used the screw driver as a mini putty knife to apply the epoxy.


To keep the gauge in place while the epoxy hardened, I used some electrical tape stretched taut over a small can of WD-40. (Yet another use for the WD-40!)


Here's the finished project. I cleaned the plexiglass with water, while I had it off.


All-in-all a good project.

I am wondering about some things. Like what is the push button switch to the right of the red alternator light. If anyone knows, please let me know. Meanwhile I'll research it online.

What is this push button switch for?


And here is the finished project.



Also I need to find a small lamp socket. They slide into the back of the instrument and light up the gauge at night. The RPM gauge doesn't have the light - it's missing.

Dog - I didn't remount the gauge at an angle (with the needle straight up during normal operation) because I wasn't sure where the needle should be. We are still on the hard. Maybe I'll put a little red dot on the lens at the tip of where the needle should be.

Regards,
Brad

Does the boat have a diesel engine? If so, it could be for the glow plugs.

[Bene505]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Does the boat have a diesel engine? If so, it could be for the glow plugs.

Yes, she has a diesel engine.

There are 4 (IIRC) pairs of wires connected to the push button. They are not very thick. The button in not momentary -- when you push the button, "it" stays on until you push the button again. I would think that glow plugs would be a "hold the button in" type of switch, and it would only need 1 pair of wires on the switch. (Also I don't think there are any wires on the top of the engine.) But I'm not all all familiar with glow plugs, so I don't know.

When you push the button in, the lights on the engine dials flicker off, right when the buttonis halfway pressed. Once pully pressed in, the lights flick back on.

You can see the back side of the push button switch in the second picture, entitled "Then I removed the instrument panel".

Regards,
Brad