Ordering gauges

[idonthaveaname]

It's time to order a set of gauges for my outboard. I come to the experts for recommendations, warnings, ideas, or anything ya'll would be kind enough to contribute. Faria seems to be a good choice and popular but there are others. Just the basics; fuel, trim, speed, rpm, battery.

Are there restrictions with the manufacturer? In other words, is a gauge a gauge or do I have to match the OB to the gauge type. If I have a newer style Merc or Evinrude or a Yamaha does the gauge maker make a difference? It doesn't seem that way when I look at ordering but I would like to be sure.

Thanks!!

 

[tazrig]

Re: Ordering gauges

With a fuel meter the ohm rating for the gauge has to match the rating for the sending unit. The RPM gauge has to be at least as high as the max rated rpm for the engine. A trim gauge isn't really needed as you can just look at the engine to see where it's at. (i subcribe to the KISS theory of boating) Faria is a decent brand. About the only brand I'd say to stay away from is VDO. They recently got bought out by another company. They used to be an excellent product but no longer! If you have a newer engine that accepts digital input then you can use standard gauges or get multi-function digital gauges from the manufacture such as this

MercMonitor | Mercury Marine

and save on space but you pay for it.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Ordering gauges

Except for trim gauges, they are universal. There are outboard sets and inboard-I/O sets. Trim gauges are specific to the engine because of the sending unit.

 

[jhebert]

Re: Ordering gauges

Except for trim gauges, they are universal.

Huh? Trim gauges are very specific to the outboard engine model. It seems like every manufacturer uses their own design for a trim sender, and the gauge must be matched to it.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Ordering gauges

Huh? Trim gauges are very specific to the outboard engine model. It seems like every manufacturer uses their own design for a trim sender, and the gauge must be matched to it.

Isn't that what I said?

 

[jhebert]

Re: Ordering gauges

Isn't that what I said?

I suppose it depends on what the antecedent of "they" is supposed to be. I read "they" to mean trim gauges, as that is the only other noun in the sentence. What did you read "they" to mean?

I think I am quite correct that trim gauges are very unique to the engine brand and perhaps even the model of engine. The range of sensor resistance and the sense of the resistance change with tilt position is quite variable from engine to engine.

Also, temperature gauges are typically matched only with their intended sensor. The electrical gauge must be matched to the temperature sending unit.

The tachometer must be matched to the engine as well, although in the case of outboards there are some tachometers with calibration controls. But tachometers are by no means a universal fit for all engines.

The only gauges I can think of as universal would be a voltmeter or a water pressure indicator. A Volt is a Volt, no matter what brand of engine, and a pressure of so many PSI is still a pressure. But even those gauges ought to be selected with some consideration of the engine. The voltage range may need to be adjusted for some engines, and the water pressure range would also be subject to variation.

When handing out advice, I'd rather be specific and a bit more precise than ambiguous and glib.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Ordering gauges

It's all so confusing. Some say universal and some say they must be specific. Here is an example http://www.********.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Faria-Chesapeake-SS-4-Gauge-Set&i=76668&aID=601Q1A&merchID=4006

The only reference is:

Faria Chesapeake SS 4-Gauge Set
Product Description
The Chesapeake SS family of gauges provide clear, easy-to-read displays with beautiful styling that will bring your dashboard to life. 4-Gauge Set includes 7000 rpm tachometer, speedometer kit, fuel gauge, and voltmeter.

I could order these but there is nothing with regard to what type of outboard or year comparable.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Ordering gauges

Okay. So iboats blocks any other seller or maybe just ********. Fine. I check iboats and THEY separate by outboard type...that makes sense.

Thanks for all the info gentlemen. It was educational.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Ordering gauges

Wow. They will even block the name *** of a seller if it's in the post. Good grief.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Ordering gauges

I suppose it depends on what the antecedent of "they" is supposed to be. I read "they" to mean trim gauges, as that is the only other noun in the sentence. What did you read "they" to mean?

I think I am quite correct that trim gauges are very unique to the engine brand and perhaps even the model of engine. The range of sensor resistance and the sense of the resistance change with tilt position is quite variable from engine to engine.

Also, temperature gauges are typically matched only with their intended sensor. The electrical gauge must be matched to the temperature sending unit.

The tachometer must be matched to the engine as well, although in the case of outboards there are some tachometers with calibration controls. But tachometers are by no means a universal fit for all engines.

The only gauges I can think of as universal would be a voltmeter or a water pressure indicator. A Volt is a Volt, no matter what brand of engine, and a pressure of so many PSI is still a pressure. But even those gauges ought to be selected with some consideration of the engine. The voltage range may need to be adjusted for some engines, and the water pressure range would also be subject to variation.

When handing out advice, I'd rather be specific and a bit more precise than ambiguous and glib.

Let's try this: The SUBJECT of this thread was gauges. I think we can agree on that. My response to the question about the "Gauges" and whether or not THEY were universal or specific to an engine was quite clear. "Except for trim gauges, THEY are universal." And that was followed by the statement that was remarkably similar to what you wrote.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Ordering gauges

You are looking at a set of gauges that includes a Tach, Speedometer, fuel gauge and voltmeter. It may come as a surprise but none of those gauges are "engine" specific -- meaning they are for an outboard and therefore "universal". If you added a TRIM gauge, that gauge would need to be engine specific since the sender is unique to the engine. A tachometers does not have a sender. It counts pulses from the engine charging system. A dial on the back of the tach calibrates the tach to the engine stator pulses. All you need to know is the number of pulses for your engine. The installation instructions provide that info. The fuel gauge is universal as well since the sender for it is in the fuel tank and has nothing to do with the engine. American fuel tanks typically have senders with 0 - 240 ohms resistance so most fuel gauges manufactured for the U.S. market take that into account. Speedometers likewise are universal as they use a hollow tube connected to a "Pitot" which may be a separate device installed at the back of the boat or to the pitot connection on the engine if the lower unit is fitted with one. Voltmeters are no different than hand-held meters with a positive and negative lead used to measure voltage. Again - in a boat the electrical system is normally a 12 volt system. Therefore the gauge is not engine specific as there is no sender. There is just a +12 volt connection when the key is on, a ground connection, and a connection for the internal light which is typically the NAV side of the NAV/ANC switch.

 

[jhebert]

Re: Ordering gauges

Let's try this: The SUBJECT of this thread was gauges. I think we can agree on that. My response to the question about the "Gauges" and whether or not THEY were universal or specific to an engine was quite clear. "Except for trim gauges, THEY are universal." And that was followed by the statement that was remarkably similar to what you wrote.

It was not clear to me what "they" referred to. The readers now have the benefit of your clarified comment.

I don't agree with the assertion that other than a TRIM gauges, all other gauges are universal. That was my other point. See my earlier reply in which I explain further my thinking about how other gauges, besides a TRIM gauge, could be quite variable with different engines.

 

[jhebert]

Re: Ordering gauges

...A tachometers does not have a sender. It counts pulses from the engine charging system. A dial on the back of the tach calibrates the tach to the engine stator pulses. All you need to know is the number of pulses for your engine. The installation instructions provide that info.

This is correct only if the tachometer is intentionally made to be universal and have a calibration control. It is wise to confirm this before choosing a tachometer.

 

[jhebert]

Re: Ordering gauges

..The fuel gauge is universal as well since the sender for it is in the fuel tank and has nothing to do with the engine. American fuel tanks typically have senders with 0 - 240 ohms resistance so most fuel gauges manufactured for the U.S. market take that into account.

Again, the fuel gauge must be carefully matched to the sender. There is a general tendency for the fuel tank sender to conform to a standard, but this is not a guarantee.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Ordering gauges

Great information. My thanks to all of you.