thinking about adding a tach

[1980Galaxy]

sorry, i know there have been a bunch of these posts but the search didn't provide many answers for me.

so i bought a new bass boat this year (2011 lowe skorpion, 60/40 mercury jet outboard), and it didn't come with any gauges. so i want to at least have a tach (so i can get more hp out of the motor).

i have no idea what i would need to add one. obviously a gauge... i have seen gauges where the back takes a wiring harness, and others that just have the prongs for each wire (ground, lights, etc.). what should i look for? what will i need to complete this project?

thanks for all the help... oh, and i know everyone is about to jump on me for the comment about getting more hp with the gauge, i was kidding lets see how many people dont read the whole post and just yell at me.

 

[NYBo]

Re: thinking about adding a tach

Does the boat have a console, and if so, are there wires bundled behind the helm? You have the manual for the motor, right? That should give you the color-coding info you'll need if the wires are already there.

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: thinking about adding a tach

that would be great... i will look tomorrow. and yes, i do have the manual for the motor.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: thinking about adding a tach

A tach will not get you more HP out of the motor. It will only tell you what RPM it is running at.

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: thinking about adding a tach

A tach will not get you more HP out of the motor. It will only tell you what RPM it is running at.

I knew there would be one...

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: thinking about adding a tach

ok, so i looked under the dash and there are a bunch of wires under there. what specific ones do i need to hook up a tach? would i need any other parts (ie. a sending unit or something)?

the manual for the motor doesn't have any useful information in it.

thanks.

 

[NYBo]

Re: thinking about adding a tach

No wiring diagram for the motor in your manual?

 

[NYBo]

Re: thinking about adding a tach

I knew there would be one...

So did I, but I never thought it would be Silvertip!

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: thinking about adding a tach

No wiring diagram for the motor in your manual?

no wiring diagram in the manual.

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: thinking about adding a tach

ok, like a dummy i didnt see the "generic wiring diagram" thread until now. cleared it up quite a bit.

BUT, where does the wire go for the sensor? is there a sending unit? or could there be a wire that i could splice into?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: thinking about adding a tach

There is no sensor for the tach. The tach counts pulses from the charging system (the stator to be specific). The stator produces alternating current that is converted by the rectifier to DC for charging purposes. It is those AC pulses that the tach is counting. I don't know about the Chrysler outboard but Merc and Johnson have a gray wire that feeds the "S" (send) terminal on the tach. That wire is part of the harness that runs from the engine to the control box. There is usually a pigtail hanging in that bundle near the control box or under the console.

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: thinking about adding a tach

thanks a bunch, silvertip. i will give it a try one of these days. good thing i dont have a chrysler i guess..