Perkins 6.354 rewiring

I am rewiring my CHB 42 trawler. In doing so I have decided to also rewire my Perkins. The original looms and wiring are quite degraded.

I have some questions for all of you smart folks:

1. Are there any issues if I totally get rid of the harnesses (with the plug joints) and run direct lines with net new wire from the sensors, etc. to the panels?

2. I was thinking of using one of the converters to put digital gauges on my ChartPlotter. Should I keep my analog gauges as well?

- I may be able to reduce the wiring if I just run the lines to the converter (short electrical runs), and then its just NEMA 2000 cable to the chart plotters.
- But then I lose the redundancy of having the analog gauges.

3. Time to replace the alternators? The originals are OEM. They have external regulators. But as I have disconnected them all I am wondering if I should put them back or replace them with something new.

Chris

Id atleast run the new harness or wires to a bus bar if you eliminate the plug.

Your alternators id keep em if they work. Get them tested and pick up a spare of each.

Are there any issues if I totally get rid of the harnesses (with the plug joints) and run direct lines with net new wire from the sensors, etc. to the panels?

Chris,

That is what I did when I rewired the Perkins in the Green boat. It was a 1979 engine and did not have plugs. I ran from the engine to a buss bar at the lower helm.

From there to the gauges and upper helm. I replaced all the gauges at the same time and upgraded the alternator. All wires were enclosed in a split loom. Much easier to insert and/or remove wire than a spiral wrap.

Rob

Greetings,
Mr. TL. One major, IMO, advantage of keeping the analog gauges is you can quickly scan them and determine if things are within operating limits. You actually have to read digital gauges.

I just rewired my twin Lehman 120's on my CHB 41. I chose to go with an Albacombi converting the senders to SeaTalkNG then to my Raymarine MFDs.

For redundancy I kept the alarm senders totally separate, wired directly to analog alarms at both helm stations (engine coolant temp & oil pressure and exhaust temp at the elbow)

For me this gives the best of both worlds - analog redundancy but digital convenience. I haven't fully configured yet, but I believe it's possible to set "warning" parameters flagging abnormal (but not yet alarm level) temp or pressure so you'll get an early ping from the MFD if you want the additional margin.

I'm 95% done. I think it's a good solution, particularly for these old simple NA diesels that just don't have much to keep tabs on. Pricing versus 2x analog gauge packs is pretty comparable, even with an extra MFD.

You can buy a wireless gauge set. Not cheap.

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Mr. TL. One major, IMO, advantage of keeping the analog gauges is you can quickly scan them and determine if things are within operating limits. You actually have to read digital gauges.

Click to expand...

Or one better, rotate the gauges so "normal" is straight up. You really don't have to read them that way. The numbers become irrelevant, if a needle isn't pointing up something is wrong.

Why are your wires degraded? Mine are 52 years old and fine.

You will want to keep your analog gauges if for no other reason but you will have a large blank to fill on your dashboard. An old boat with no anakogue gauges would look unusual to say the least. Run electronic gauges in parallel.

Do keep your color coding correct. Getting purple (for example, especially tinned) wire is a pain but find it and recreate the loom accurately by keeping the gauge wires bundled throughout the run.

No problem not having disconnect plugs. Those were used for ease of engine install.

Good luck.

When I repowered my old Mainship I used a waterproof junction box to mate the new Cummins with the Perkins ship wiring. No issues


I also like analog gauges, as they are easier to glance at as mentioned above.
I also like to choose gauges that have meaningful numbers on them. For example, I found a temperature gauge that had a 180 mark so I didn't have to "guess" where the needle was actually pointing.
Most gauges will have the needle "up" in the normal range if the scale is appropriate.