Install Hour Meter - HELP!

Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
18
Well I Have never worked on boat wiring before, so please bear with me.

I have a 2004 Hurricane Deck Boat, With a Yamaha 115 4 stroke. The boat doesnt have an hour meter, so I got one the other day and I would like to install it. In the instructions it said to just take power from a source thats switched when the key is in the run position or ground thru an oil pressure sending circuit.

Ok the back of the gauge has 2 flat terminals. Where can I pull power from that wont cause me to go insane trying to decode the spagetti mess of wires behind the dash? Do I just pull a hot wire off of something, cut the wire then re-solder a terminal on that line with a little extension line to go to my hour meter? Ground to the common ground strip?

Heres pictures of my under cowl.

What is the antenna looking thing and what are the 2 terminal strips?
WP_000724.jpg

Back of gauges
WP_000730.jpg

Front of Gauges
WP_000719.jpg
 

Allbutwet

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
209
Re: Install Hour Meter - HELP!

Looking at your first pic. If you could test those two terminal strips with a mutimeter to see if either is hot with the key you could go off one of those. Or if you plan to mount it in the dash you could again with a meter test your gauge wires to find the positive and piggy back off of one of the other guages for power. you could also find the common ground on the gauges and use it. However the reason for using an oil pressure switch is so you get true engine hours. If you just use the ground in your guage circut then the hour meter will run whenever the key is left on.
 
Joined
Jan 28, 2012
Messages
18
Re: Install Hour Meter - HELP!

Does anyone know where this pressure switch is on a yamaha 115TXRC?

Pictures would really be helpful.
 

Bondo

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 17, 2002
Messages
70,469
Re: Install Hour Meter - HELP!

Ayuh,... Just jumper it from a purple wire from under the dash,...
That should be the ignition circuit, which is powered by the keyswitch...
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Re: Install Hour Meter - HELP!

Your Yamaha is a two stroke engine so it has no oil pressure switch. Look at the back of any gauge. You will see a terminal marked "I" (for ignition). That terminal is hot when the key is on. Hook the POS lead from the hour meter there. Look at the gauge again, you will see a terminal with a "G" or a "ground symbol". Hook the NEG lead from the hour meter there. Done! The hour meter will register any time the key is on (so don't leave the key on when the engine is not running).
 
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