My current project...

Hey, there was even a pun in that title.

My OEM gauges were not really working all that well and looked like crap and some were even falling INTO the panel. SO I thought it was time to replace them. Due to faulty readings I also got new senders and rewired the whole damn thing from the engines to the flybridge. I say "I"....a close friend is a marine electrician so he is doing the work. I am just providing moral support....and Money!!! We are also adding the "Turbocator" gauge from Seaboard that displays boost and EGT. Anyone with Cummins engines(mechanical) should do this as it is very easy. The tap for the pyro is right there aft of the exhaust flange. And the boost tap is right on top of the engine on the intake manifold. The hardest part is simply getting the wire to the gauge. I am learning a lot about wire runs on boat from down below to the flybridge. Quite a daunting task but not too bad overall. You can say what you want about boat like Carver, but the guys that built the boat were thinking...and making sure you had access to things. Of course some access is compromised simply by the fact that it is a boat. Anyway, looking forward to getting this thing back together and taking it for a ride!!!

First photo is one of the panels. Second one is the very particular job that my friend does with his wiring up on the flybridge! Definitely a step above OEM!!!

Looks like a fun project!

Here's what we did with the dash when we repowered.

ksanders said:

Looks like a fun project!

Here's what we did with the dash when we repowered.

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Very nice!!! I see you used Isspro as well. How do you like the digital tachs? Do you miss the "sweep of the needle"? Are the Aetna? I am thinking I still might install some if I can find room and if they will run two devices off of one sender. IOW have both analog and digital tachs.

If you notice, my buddy doesn't really believe in volt meters although he kept it in the bunch. There is a digital ammeter for each Alternator so you can see what is going on with them at any time. He is more of an electrician than a mechanic so he gets off on that stuff. He is also the one that did my inverter/monitor/BMK.

That's beautiful work! I won't post pics of the rat's nest of wires in my 40 year old Californian.

No doubt there are countless dead wires buried in my cable runs that have never seen the light of day in 40 years! I'm sure much of the rat's nest has been done by POs, but some must be original as I still have some original gages and controls.

Baker said:

Very nice!!! I see you used Isspro as well. How do you like the digital tachs? Do you miss the "sweep of the needle"? Are the Aetna? I am thinking I still might install some if I can find room and if they will run two devices off of one sender. IOW have both analog and digital tachs.

If you notice, my buddy doesn't really believe in volt meters although he kept it in the bunch. There is a digital ammeter for each Alternator so you can see what is going on with them at any time. He is more of an electrician than a mechanic so he gets off on that stuff. He is also the one that did my inverter/monitor/BMK.

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The tachs are Atena, and I really like them. Knowing that they are 100% accurate means allot as well. I'm mixed on Ammeters vs voltmeters. toss up on that one.

Voltage tells you more info about your charging system and your battery (me, tossing a rock in the pond, merely to see the reaction!).

Do you have the 5Bs or 6B engines? More info on the pyrometer, please, although due to the total lack of control over mixture, reading it once is probably sufficient until something bakes.

I assume these 2 panels mount on each side of the helm and the small flip switches have the same function on each side. Did they stay in the same order on ea side or are they in mirror image positions?

Baker


"It's ok to be comfortable!!!" Fix those things. Looking great Mate!!!


Cheers!


H.

"some were even falling INTO the panel"

If that was the only problem a single wrap of black #10 or #14 wire between the gauge and panel usually is not noticeable .

Also works to fit instruments with miss matched holes.

Xsbank said:

Voltage tells you more info about your charging system and your battery (me, tossing a rock in the pond, merely to see the reaction!).

Do you have the 5Bs or 6B engines? More info on the pyrometer, please, although due to the total lack of control over mixture, reading it once is probably sufficient until something bakes.

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There will be a volt gauge as well. But since I have somewhat of a single bank system, there will only be one. I have 3 tanks so there are 3 gauges(not how it used to be). So 3+1=4 for symmetry sake. I also have a very fancy Magnum inverter/charger with the BMK(Battery Monitoring Kit). So I have a bunch of different data as it relates to my batteries and their health how they are being charged.

They are 6Bs. 6BTAs to be exact. I do not think Cummins ever made a 5B. Cummins nomenclature is 6(cylinders)B(is the actual series)T(turbocharged)A(Aftercooled). So I do not think they ever made a 5 cylinder engine.

The pyro gauge simply reads EGT...Exhaust Gas Temperature. Your assessment is somewhat correct. But there can be a trend to monitor. Under the same conditions you should read the same temperature. It is when that temperature deviates you will know something is up. Maybe you realize a crab trap is going under your boat before you can do anything it wraps around a shaft and binds up. Not so much as to cause any appreciable loss in performance. But you look down and your pyro gauge now reads 200 degrees hotter. You can surmise that yes, something is causing an extra load on that engine and since you saw the crab trap go under, you could also surmise it is wrapped around the shaft....even though everything is running just fine. Remember, Diesel engine governors work on spring pressure and you set that spring pressure with your "throttles". SO nothing will be out of whack except that your governor is adding more fuel to get to your desired power setting. SO with no pyro gauge, you would carry on as "normal" and cause excessive wear until the problem either fixes itself or you fix it or the engine bakes.

Sorry for the long explanation but just trying to give you a practical example. A pyro gauge really is a load gauge. It tells you how hard the engine is working. And as we know from science class, heat=work(or energy or load).

FlyWright said:

I assume these 2 panels mount on each side of the helm and the small flip switches have the same function on each side. Did they stay in the same order on ea side or are they in mirror image positions?

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There will be symmetry on each side but the switches do not do the same thing. 3 of those switches are bilge pump switches. There is a switch for panel lights...anchor/nav lights...deck lights...and an "electronics" switch for the electronics. For some reason the chartplotters had a separate switch so we are keeping it that way. As stated above, I have 3 tanks and previously, there were only two gauges that were "dead" until you activated a toggle switch to read them. For the "main tanks", you would toggle to left to read the left tank. And toggle to the right to read the right side. On the other panel was another setup but that would only toggle to one side to read the center tank. That system is being replaced with 3 gauges that come alive with the ignition switch. And with the 1 voltmeter gauge, there is your symmetry although not reading the same thing on each side.....if that all makes sense.