[MedSailor]

Seems fitting that my engine hour meter is dead. Much like the watch that stops when the owner dies. Only difference is that since I've had the engine rebuilt she is now ready to rack up some hours!

Should I replace the current tach/hr meter combo gauge or leave it as a tach and get a dedicated hour meter?

Digital or analog? I know that they're standard but I have a hard time trusting digital odometers...

I think I don't like the idea of a dead hour meter staring at me and reminding me of this mess so im inclined to replace the combo gauge. Defender has VDO combo gauges with a digital hour meter. Think that's the best way to go?

 

[Faster]

Very likely just a bad connection, probably ground? Or have you confirmed the actual meter is shot?

 

[ReefMagnet]

I had the opposite where the tacho was shot, but the hourmeter was fine. Replaced with another tacho/hourmeter combo and it's tacho has never worked properly since day one. Next time I'm going for separate tacho and hourmeter grrrrr.....

And I would choose an analogue hourmeter next time for no other reason than not having to turn the ignition on and waiting for the display to boot with an internal alarm blasting in my ear. Because I don't always enter engine hours into the log book while it's still running!

 

[Minnewaska]

You can do whatever works for you. At a minimum, your engine rebuild documentation should note the total hours on the meter, when it was done.

I would think of it, however, in the mind of whomever is buying your boat. There is no clear answer, but I prefer getting the original meter working. It better shows hours on everything else and you can document the real hours on the motor. Of course, it can easily work the other way around, by installing new and displaying hours on the new motor. Then using the documentation to show total hours on the hull.

The reason I find the replacement meter less attractive is that, as a buyer, I can't really know when you installed the meter. You may not have done so for a year after the new motor started running and, therefore, have tons of phantom hours.

It's also true that tachs can be disconnected or inop for periods of time, so they just aren't all that reliable anyway. But the original draws less suspicion, IMO.

Total possibility this falls in the "over thinking" pile.

 

[capecodda]

Finally, a wicked cheap fix for Med:

Honeywell Hobbs 85094-12 Rectangle Hour Meter at SkyGeek.com

 

[Don L]

I use my hour meter for maintenance scheduling and the hours since I fueled up as a back up to my fuel gage to know how long I can motor. So for me I wouldn't go without the hour meter.

 

[Jaramaz]

Med,

If your primary interest is to measure hours then get an hour meter. (That was easy).

Such can be found for very small money, some years ago I got one for about $5. Electromechanical, they use to be cheap. Pure digital, with an LCD display may be somewhat more expensive.

Finally, Faster is most likely right: something has happened when you engine was installed. Check everything with the existing instrument, connections etc. They use to last forever. Can you put some 12 V over it (right connections, please) and see what happens?

/J

 

[MedSailor]

I like the idea of getting the original running. That's fairly forehead-smacking obvious actually. Of note, when I saw that it was dead, I pulled out my old survey and looked at the photo taken of the hour meter. It reads EXACTLY what mine currently reads. From memory, the photos taken by the surveyors were all taken prior to our 2 hour sea trial.

So..... I don't actually know how many hours are on the engine. Now that she's rebuilt it matters very little, but for things like transmission wear, it does matter. Note to the wise, check hour meter function during your pre-purchase sea trial. In addition, since there were so many changes to my engine, I checked the SN and the rebuild shop did give me back the same block that I gave them.

Also I like the point that was made about entering log data with the ignition off. Little pearls such as this are why I asked this question. Over-thinking has it's merits.

Medsailor

 

[jrd22]

Get a Hobbs meter, install it, make a note in your maintenance log book and don't worry about it anymore.

 

[MedSailor]

Get a Hobbs meter, install it, make a note in your maintenance log book and don't worry about it anymore.

JRD22,

Nice to see you around these parts again! I'm finally a pilothouse dweller myself. Would love to get together some time once we start getting out this season.

MedSailor

 

[Skipper Jer]

These meters run on voltage. Voltage that is present when the engine is running. Got voltage on the terminals of the meter when the engine is running? Yes => replace meter. No? => problem some place else.

Cheaper fix here Round Hour Meter Gauge Quarzt 12 24 48 Volt Boat Searay Bayliner Custom Jetboat | eBay

 

[miatapaul]

Finally, a wicked cheap fix for Med:

Honeywell Hobbs 85094-12 Rectangle Hour Meter at SkyGeek.com

The thing I like about this is it could be mounted next to the old one. You would know exactly how many hours total (by adding the two) and how many hours since the rebuild. The other nice thing is if a potential buyer sees in a log book that it was replaced that you may not believe how many hours were on it before it was replaced. This way they can see exactly how many before it was replaced, and just has to hope it was working up until it was replaced.

 

[jrd22]

JRD22,

Nice to see you around these parts again! I'm finally a pilothouse dweller myself. Would love to get together some time once we start getting out this season.

MedSailor

How about you supply the sauna and I supply the beer We're going to be taking some shorter trips this summer but in between we'll be at Blakely, if you get close by stop in, it would be fun.

 

[MedSailor]

How about you supply the sauna and I supply the beer We're going to be taking some shorter trips this summer but in between we'll be at Blakely, if you get close by stop in, it would be fun.

I will! We should pick a rainy blustery day to go out and laugh at all those poor souls with exposed cockpits. We're doing short trips this year too due to the little kiddos aboard. Once mommy and daddy get comfortable with managing them and the new boat, we'll do some longer trips.

MedSailor

 

[MedSailor]

Well this simple project is turning into a nightmare....

I arrived this weekend armed with my new TinyTach, to be installed at the upper helm and a VDO replacement tach (with digital meter) to replace my main tach.

I opened up the TinyTach and they forgot to send me the transducer. Oops... Called them and they're sending another.

The VDO gauge had about 15 wires coming off the back and the instructions were less than adequate. My current tach/meter has 3 wires. Hmmm.... After getting frustrated with this I went to west marine and bought a boring standard analog meter that just had a + and - spade. The wiring instructions say to wire it into the ignition circuit and once it has power, it'll tick over and count

Wired it in. No dice. I did notice that it wasn't at zero when purchased from the store and had 3/10ths recorded on it. Hmmmm.... a dead unit perhaps? Ordered another one from Amazon with 2 day shipping. Arrived yesterday, wired it in.... no dice.

WTF? The simple hour meter just has a positive and negative spade. I jumpered power off the existing tach (which is only on when the ignition key is on). I've verified that the new meter doesn't get power when the key is off, and when the ignition key is turned on, I get a nice 12.something volts at it's 2 connectors. So..... it's getting power, but not doing anything. Is it not getting ENOUGH power? Surely that can't be the issue.

Any ideas?

MedSailor

 

[Skipper Jer]

I know, stupid question, how long did you leave it on? If you have 12 volts on the two terminals, you have enough voltage.

 

[MedSailor]

I know, stupid question, how long did you leave it on? If you have 12 volts on the two terminals, you have enough voltage.

About 20 minutes. I also tried running the engine, for grins, even though I knew it shouldn't change anything. Another 20 minutes. The meter has a little marked wheel beside the 1/10th of an hour meter that is supposed to turn to indicate that it is working.

On second thought, I didn't run it for very long on the new meter....

MedSailor

 

[capecodda]

Med,

Suggest you connect the meter directly to the battery and see if it turns. If it does, then we need to dig into how you wired it. It somehow needs 12 volts across it to turn (one side + , the other -).

 

[MedSailor]

Med,

Suggest you connect the meter directly to the battery and see if it turns. If it does, then we need to dig into how you wired it. It somehow needs 12 volts across it to turn (one side + , the other -).

Stupid question: Do I need to wire in a fuse before testing this or can I just connect it up for a test? Sniff sniff... "do you smell something burning?"

MedSailor

 

[capecodda]

Stupid question: Do I need to wire in a fuse before testing this or can I just connect it up for a test? Sniff sniff... "do you smell something burning?"

MedSailor

Just touch the 2 wires, correct polarity of course, and un touch them if you see smoke or the wires get hot

seriously...you'll be fine...yes fuse it for actual unattended application.