Hour meter operation question

CTD2001

Recruit
Joined
Jan 31, 2012
Messages
3
Hi there, been browsing this site for some time now, great info on here, thought i would join and have some fun and see what else i can learn. I have a question regarding the hour meter on my boat. I am fortunate enough to be able to work on my boat in the off season in my garage. I purchased the boat at the begining of last summer and used it all season with zero problems. When i got the boat the hour meter was not working and i asked the guy that i bought it from how long it had not been working for and he said ever since he owned it :-/. Anyways, i pulled it out of the dash last night and looked it over, only connections it had on it was for a positive lead and a ground. I hooked the gauge up to my 12volt power supply, and wouldnt you know it started working and and rolling over the numbers. I said, oh good, guage functions, must just not be getting any power when installed in the boat. I checked the wires that connect to the gauge for voltage when the key was in the run (on) position, and i could get any voltage readings. So i took the wires and connected them to a 12volt power source when the key is in the run position, i now had power at the wires that plug into the guage. So i plugged the guage back in and turned the key to the run position but the hour meter still didnt work. This leaves me scratching my head. With the key in the on position, i had 12.87 volts at the end of the plug that connects to the gauge. When i had the guage connected to my power supply, the power supply was putting out 14volts. I am wondering if that slight decrease in voltage between my power supply and the boats battery would be enough to cause the gauge to not operate. Thanks for your help
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,465
Re: Hour meter operation question

With the key in the on position, i had 12.87 volts at the end of the plug that connects to the gauge. When i had the guage connected to my power supply, the power supply was putting out 14volts. I am wondering if that slight decrease in voltage between my power supply and the boats battery would be enough to cause the gauge to not operate.

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,.... Hit yer "Enter" key now, 'n then,...
It makes yer posts a 'ell of alot easier to read....

I'd sooner think it's a Bad ground...
 

CTD2001

Recruit
Joined
Jan 31, 2012
Messages
3
Re: Hour meter operation question

Thanks for the tips, i double checked the ground. It is grounded in the same place where othere eclectronices in the dash are grounded and is in good shape. Any other ideas, thanks
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,465
Re: Hour meter operation question

Ayuh,... An Hour Meter is the simplest of gauges,...
If ya put power into it, 'n it's got ground on the other leg, it'll Work...

If it don't, yer missin' either Power, or Ground....

That's IT,... end of story....
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
Re: Hour meter operation question

What is the voltage at the guage with it plugged in?
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
Re: Hour meter operation question

He needs to check it while actually plugged into the gauge. A resistive connection somewhere will drop it to zero.
 

Fireman431

Rear Admiral
Joined
Sep 17, 2007
Messages
4,292
Re: Hour meter operation question

Or, it's an intermittant gauge problem. They usually work or are broken, but you could have corrosion or dying electronics in it. Rare, but stranger things happen.
 

RogersJetboat454

Commander
Joined
Jul 9, 2010
Messages
2,964
Re: Hour meter operation question

Thanks for the tips, i double checked the ground. It is grounded in the same place where othere eclectronices in the dash are grounded and is in good shape. Any other ideas, thanks

You see that the ground ends up in the same location that the other grounds are, but that does not mean it has a good connection.

A couple things you can try...
-Use a jumper wire from a known good ground (perhaps the ground for a light on one of the other gauges), and see what that does.
- Load test the circuit (using power and ground wires for the hour meter) by connecting either a real test light (not an LED test light), an automotive style running light, or best of all an old school sealed beam head light, to the hour meter wires. If any of those fail to light, or are dim you have a circuit issue. If they do light, then it sounds like your gauge is junk.
 

Allbutwet

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
209
Re: Hour meter operation question

One more thing to check. Make sure your ground is actually going to ground. A good hour meter circut will ground through an oil pressure switch on your engine. There by only running when the engine is actually running. Instead of coming on with the key. If this is the case it would exsplain why it is not working, and you may have a bad pressure switch.
 

PSG-1

Seaman
Joined
Jul 17, 2011
Messages
50
Re: Hour meter operation question

I had a similar situation, except, with a bilge pump.

I have a float switch, and a switch at the console. I noticed that the console switch wasn't turning on the pump, but it still worked with the float switch. This perplexed me, but not as much as what followed next.

I got the meter, and started checking things. When I turned on the switch at the console, I got a reading of 12 volts. I checked wire continuity, etc, everything looked fine.

I couldn't figure out why the pump wouldn't work when it clearly had 12 volts?????

So, the next thing I checked was AMPS, and guess what? When I turned the switch on, I had little to nothing, it barely registered. This was perplexing. So, I carefully inspected the wire connector going from the switch to the pump, and I found corrosion inside this connector. After cleaning it, I tried it again, and the pump worked.

This was the craziest thing I had ever seen. It could be that you are getting a voltage reading, but if there's only a couple of milliamps due to corrosion, that would stop it from working.
 

M9.9

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Dec 4, 2011
Messages
152
Re: Hour meter operation question

Hi OP and everybody,

Dunno, but are you sure it's a 12 volt hour meter? There are various meters out there that run on various voltages for various applications such as Fork Lifts; 12, 24, 36 and 48 volt being the norm. You might check the model number w/the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to be sure it is 12 volt meter? Good Luck.
 
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