Help me find a gauge cluster

[Tom.B]

Hey y'all,

I am looking for some 80's Taiwanese trawler parts. Specifically, I want a gauge cluster for a single-engine Senator brand (with a Perkins 130 hp 6.354) It. has a cluster at the lower helm with temp, volts, oil press, tach, buzzer and lights, however, the flybridge helm only has lights and the tach. Since I do 99% of the steering from upstairs, I'd like to also have critical engine gauges up there too. I'd like to find the entire cluster all wired up. I know I will need some dual sending units too. It doesn't have to be an exact match to the lower helm unit, but there weren't many variations of them back then. So just about anything from that era will be pretty darn close.

Can you guys help me out?

 

[sunchaser]

My first stop would be a Perkins dealer. It could get $$ though. I have a similar setup on my fly bridge. It is a Perkins staple. I have not seen the need for gauges up top. Personally, a functioning audible alarm is not all that bad. I'd have to check my book, but my engine stop solenoids are apparently connected to the engine alarms - I'd not want to obviate that setup.

You may want to consider an exhaust water*flow alarm only - wired to a loud alarm. Borel and others make these and they are a lot better than a temp gauge - instant trouble warning. Cummins guys love them since many Cummins raw water pumps are V belt and not gear drives. Oil pressure not too relevant to see all the time and volt meter as a separate unit easy to do.



-- Edited by sunchaser on Thursday 13th of May 2010 01:02:57 PM

-- Edited by sunchaser on Thursday 13th of May 2010 08:36:41 PM

 

[Marin]

Somebody--- I believe it was Keith in Texas--- put together an extensive list of most or all of the second-hand marine stores in the US with phone numbers and URLs. While it could take a fair amount of time on your part, you might want to peruse the list and call some of the outfits listed there.* You should be able to find the list by searching the archves of this forum.

There are two that we've used in the Puget Sound area, Denato's Second Wave in Seattle and Pacific Marine Exchange in Bellingham. I have seen engine instrument clusters in both these stores although I have no idea what kind of boats they were from, or if the instruments worked. But it might be worth some search time--- you never know......

-- Edited by Marin on Thursday 13th of May 2010 01:23:22 PM

 

[Keith]

That list is posted as a sticky on one of the topics here; don't remember which one but it's right at the top. I didn't really come up with it...it was someone on T&T, but I cleaned it up and completed missing info. I probably need to update it one day, but it's very useful.

 

[troy994719]

You might give this company a call, they sell new perkins instrument panels.<a href="http://www.tadiesels.com/">

http://www.tadiesels.com/</a>

http://www.tadiesels.com/instrument_panel.html

 

[Baker]

The OEM panels for most engines are EXTREMELY expensive. It is why you see production boats(ie Mainship, Sea Ray) build their own. They save a ton of money by just using off the shelf guages to cover all the needs. I priced a Yanmar panel once and if I recall correctly, it was in the 800-1000 dollar range.

 

[Keith]

If you need the panel, there are companies that have free CAD downloads, and you design what you need and they build it for a reasonable price. You then just install your own gages.

 

[Tom.B]

Thanks y'all. Looks like it may take a while to find one, but I'm not in a huge hurry. Maybe I'll just make one myself. I'll keep looking though. Just in case.

*NOTE* I've emailed about 5 salvage yards... Not a single one has replied.

 

[troy994719]

If you build your own this site is one of the cheapest for VDO.
http://www.egauges.com/

 

[AllanY]

Sunchaser


"I'd have to check my book, but my engine stop solenoids are apparently connected to the engine alarms - I'd not want to obviate that setup."


Does that mean that when your alarms go off the engine shuts down??

Allan

 

[Baker]

AllanY wrote:

Sunchaser


"I'd have to check my book, but my engine stop solenoids are apparently connected to the engine alarms - I'd not want to obviate that setup."


Does that mean that when your alarms go off the engine shuts down??

Allan

I was wondering the same thing. *I don't think I would like that set up. *I do know some engines are wired up that way. *Pathfinder(VW) comes to mind. *I had some dock neighbors that had an Islander 36 sailboat and it was rigged up that way. *There was a short in the system somewhere(they weren't all that handy) and were having quite a time keeping that engine running because it would autoshutdown all the time. *Let me put it to you this way....Sea Tow cancelled their membership!!!!....no lie!!! *They always came back in under tow.

 

[sunchaser]

As I understand it, low oil pressure and high temperature shuts the engines down - I will double check the book. I'd much rather a shut down due to losing raw water than a fried engine Picture $15 -25K and a year lost due to replacement time. Take a look at the "shut down alarm on a new common rail electronic engine*if you want to see "protection." And your newer car probably works the same way by cutting fuel back.
Yes, diesel technology is in a new century!

My Westerbeke genset shuts down due to high temperature.* I*found *this out*for sure* when I*once lost a raw water pump impeller.



-- Edited by sunchaser on Monday 17th of May 2010 06:03:59 PM

 

[AllanY]

I would be concerned especially if I only had one engine that it would shut down automatically and put my vessel in danger.
What if it happened coming into the marina?
With high temps it might be as simple as pulling back the throttle a bit
I would rather the alarm sound and give me the choice of what to do

Allan

 

[Baker]

I agree with Allan. And Sunchaser, most generators are wired that way. A generator shutting down is not that big of a deal. An engine shutdown in the middles of a busy channel is. SOmething as simple as throttling back can get you out of the overheat situation while still maintaining mobility((I have had a situation like that). Generally solenoids wired the way Allan and I are talking is that it is unpowered open while requiring power to shut off the fuel. The VW Pathfinder was wired the opposite way. It required elec power to keep the fuel valve open and when the "overheat threshold" was crossed, the power was removed and the fuel valve closes. Now, there are a lot of elec gremlins that can interrupt power to that solenoid....and that is what my dock neighbors were battling. A electronic diesel is a different animal altogether.