i am liaising with a local vdo rep and during my quest to enquire about new gauges to suit my 1989 johnson 110hp 2t motor:
I a wanting a temp gauge, water pressure gauge, trim/tilt and tacho.
he has asked me to verify a few things:
"Do you want electrical or mechanical temp?"
"Which water pressure is appropriate - 15psi or 30psi?"
"Trim/Tilt - what sensor are you using?"
i did not know how to answer these questions and kindly ask for your assistance with these questions...
Help?
Splash
Water pressure gauge go with the 15psi, with the 30psi it is really hard to read such small incremental movements of the pointer.
T/Trim. i pretty much thought any t/trim gauge for OMC would do the trick.
A 89 Johno i am thinking mechanical temp.
DoNotFeedTheTrollsAandBelligerent
Mechanical temp would be the way to go too IMO - however where are you going to tap into the water jacket? Can you? And will a mech sender fit?
I agree with Steeler about the OMC tilt trim gauge thing too.
Regards,
Lachie
Don't know about ability to tap into the water jacket? ANy Johnson Buffs out there to assist?
How big is the sender?
How does the trim/tilt gauge actually work and what does it use to measure this?
Splash
http://www.v3instruments.com/marine_...r_pressure.pdf
this link shows the 30psi guage is required for the 1989 johnson.
thoughts?
splash
My 70HP Johnson runs 22psi at cruise, so go with the 30 psi gauge
OK, the temp gauge can be the type that has a small sender that presses against the head and is very simple to hook up and work OK, water pressure gauge is also easy, there is a thousand ways to hook them up, trim/tilt gauge is useless. but if you must have one, you will need to ensure your motor has the sender unit on the transom bracket, tacho, is also a plug in affair (well the genuine one is) To answer your trim gauge question, there is a plastic arm sensor that is bolted to the bracket that bolts to the transom, the motor actuates this as it moves up and down, this is a variable resistor type of sender, and they bugger up all the time. The temp gauge sender is a small device that has a bent bracket that fits under a head bolt and pushes it tight against the head, this then measures heat and converts it to a signal that the gauge reads.
Forget the trim/ tilt gauge Splash, I got one bloody useless things there like an ash tray on a motor cycle.... An extra stubby holder is better value!
Get an AMP gauge instead.
Cheers
A marriage licence should be like your fishing licence!
Expires every year and you get a 3 day pass when you go interstate.
great feedback.
can the temp gauge be provided in digital form?
isn't it useful to knwo how your boat is trimmed for optimal performance?
nolem - so, are you referring to the elctrical or mecahnical temp guage?
should i go with vdo or genuine omc?
splash
Nah Splash, correct trim varies with speed, weight and conditions! to get optimal trim the motor should be 90 degrees to the water, no trim gauge will tell you that. There just a useless indicator.
Cheers
A marriage licence should be like your fishing licence!
Expires every year and you get a 3 day pass when you go interstate.
thanks guts.
i will get the amp meter. what is the hole diameter of these units?
can i get a digital water temp guage?
splash
The temp gauge is just a single wire and an earth setup, so I guess some sort of digital gauge can be found, although most are just a simple analogue thing, I had a couple of sets of them, with sensors you could have had for free from an old OMC motor, but I gave them away about 3 weeks ago. (usual story hey)
Wreckers will have heaps of these.
Most important one is the hour meter . Get a new one every year so you have a new motor
See i would say an amp gauge is useless and a tilt/trim gauge is more useful as a reference. A volt meter would be better than an amp gauge too but thats just my thoughts. Usuall gauge size is 2 inch i think but check with the manufacturer mate as it depends which ones you get. Have a look through the vdo catalouge with the salesman/rep would be the best bet.
Or maybe go see a local outboard mechanic or dealership?
I think you're right too cormorant - there seems to be alot of 10 - 15 year old boats around with only 150 or so hrs on them...
Regards,
Lachie
I do believe all gauges (except speedo and tacho) have a 50mm hole! and a trim gauge is a sort of reference, but the fact is, reference to what? how the boat is going in the current conditions dictates trim, not a gauge, I got trim gauges with my new motors (they were supposed to be hour meters) and I fitted them, but already wished I didn't. I guess I am a pretty simple guy and prefer to have only what is absolutely necessary, rather than a dash full of gauges, just because I can!
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote