Engine Hours Meter

[shemandr]

With the talk about how often to change the oil in diesel engines I thought it would be nice to have an engine hours meter, which I do not currently have. How hard would this be to do? I have a Yanmar 3GM30 F with a panel in the cockpit. The panell is like the "B" diagram on page 17 of the Operation Manuel. I don't really want to cut holes in the boat but for all I know the panel could already have a provision for this.

 

[Ron20324]

Some folks wire it off the blowers, which run when the engine runs. You could mount it near the engine since you wouldn't need to see it all that often.

 

[rardiH36]

An after market hour meter doesn't need to be on the engine instrument panel. A PO of my boat mounted it on the interior bulkhead next to the boat's main electrical switch/breaker panel. Mine just taps into a +12v wire that is energized only when the engine's key is in the "on" position. So the hour meter only counts when the engine is on.

 

[Snotter]

Am I the only one who's hour meter shows many hours over the actual because of not turning the key off? Good thing I live aboard. I can usually hear the hour meter's motor run when I hit the bunk at night.

 

[Steve Dion]

Ditto what Rardi indicated. I found wires in the engine compartment that were energized and tapped into that. It is not like you need to look at it or the fuel level every fuel minutes so mounting it down below should be fine.

 

[SailArkansas]

I have an engine hours meter on my boat. But does that tell the whole story? I am just saying that I drive my diesel a whole lot different than my son-in-law does. I rarely have the engine over 1/3 throttle where he drives it full speed ahead. If you are the only one driving your boat then a meter may be more meaningful to you than to me. I change the engine oil every fall regardless of hours. I have read that diesel fuel has a high sulpher content and that equates to sulfuric acid in the oil. Just my 2 cents and it may only be worth that.

 

[Warren Milberg]

I personally think that a No. 2 pencil and a spiral notebook is a much more efficient way to keep track of your actual engine hours than an electronic meter that may, or may not, clock the actual running hours of your engine. And, since it's a good idea to keep some sort of log on your boat, adding the actual hours of engine use after each sail should be relatively easy.

And, FWIW, most diesel fuels available today are categorized as Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD). Such fuel has about 15 ppm of sulphur compared to the 500 and/or 5000 ppms of sulphur that diesel fuel contained just a few years ago. In any event, changing one's oil every season and/or at 50 hours of use seems like an inexpensive way to increase the lifespan of our diesel engine. It may seem counter-intuitive, but depending on the type of diesel additives some sailors use today, these additives can also increase the formation of organic acids in your fuel. My advice is find a source of clean and fresh fuel and stick with it...

 

[Joe]

I agree with Warren, just keep track in your maintenance log... that said, an hour meter is simple enough to add.. But, I certainly wouldn't make major modifications to a boat's panel for one...just screw it to the bulkhead somewhere and run the wires to the ignition.

 

[Steve Dion]

SailArkansas:

Running your engine at 1/3 is doing a lot more damange than your S-I-L at full speed.

http://www.yanmarhelp.com/operate.htm

PS: You should thank him for saving your engine.

 

[navigator97]

I have always had an engine hour meter. It failed in late 2005 and I bought and installed a new one in spring 2006. It is located at the nav station to the right of the main electric panel. I refer to it every time I shut down for the day anf log it into my logbook. I also use the engine hours as a reference when I replace anything on the engine, that way I always know how many hours of use when something is replaced. I also use it along with fule usage to keeptrack of GPM between fillups and as an indicator of when the mixing elbow needs replacement (increasing GPM approaching 50%. I got the last one, a Faria M/MH009E, at Shipsstore.com for $56.26 including shipping.

 

[Maine Sail]

When adding one I prefer to tie them into the alarm circuit / oil pressure switch. This way the hour meter is only on when the engine is actually running and is a more accurate reflection of actual hours..

 

[SailArkansas]

SailArkansas:

Running your engine at 1/3 is doing a lot more damange than your S-I-L at full speed.

http://www.yanmarhelp.com/operate.htm

PS: You should thank him for saving your engine.

Thanks for the link as I am always looking for more information. I liked the fact that the author suggested that for boats without tachs to run the engine where it 'sings' best. For me that is between 1000 and 1200 rpm. I do have a tach but my engine is smooth as silk at those rpm's. Now that I have read the article I won't worry so much about running it full throttle. Thanks

 

[Steve Dion]

SailArkansas:

I do not want to get into any discussion here about what is right or wrong. I think the article in YanmarHelp was very specific that running your diesel engine for extended periods of time at low RPM's is one of the worst things you can do for it. Just because you have a sweet spot at 1000 - 1200 rpms was not the point that they aurthor of the article was trying to say. These engines are designed to be run at 70-80% of max rated RPM. If you do this and take care of the machine they can be expected to last for 10,000 - 12,000 hrs. If you don't it is your choice.

 

[Jalepeno]

I added a TinyTach DTL-6 to my Yanmar.

http://www.tinytach.com/tinytach/diesel.php

 

[Ken13559]

I got my round engine hour meter from a motorshop that sells truck parts. Cost <<$ then one for boats. Looks good too.

 

[Rick]

Am I missing something here. I have a tachometer. I only works when the engine is turning. Keeps hours nicely and it came with the boat. Since I dont trust my fuel guage at all, I use the "hours" to figure my fuel burn.

Easy as pie

 

[Paul356]

I put an hour meter in my 356 on the bulkhead just above the engine, in the companionway. Easy access to cut a little mounting hole from the rear. As I recall, I tied in one wire where shown and kind of fussed around with the other until I found one that worked. A pretty simple project.

 

[JVB]

Aircraft piston engines use an ignition pulse counter to generate "tachometer hours". A tach hour is one hour at a standard RPM. Run the engine slower and tach time accumulates slower. To work on a diesel some kind of pulse generation device is required. I assume the Tiny Tach Diesel posted above includes the required pulse generator or it wouldn't be able to display RPM. The "transducer" accounts for the price difference from gas model to diesel model.

 

[Rick]

Aircraft piston engines use an ignition pulse counter to generate "tachometer hours". A tach hour is one hour at a standard RPM. Run the engine slower and tach time accumulates slower. To work on a diesel some kind of pulse generation device is required. I assume the Tiny Tach Diesel posted above includes the required pulse generator or it wouldn't be able to display RPM. The "transducer" accounts for the price difference from gas model to diesel model.

Wow did not know that.

Gonna have to test that against my watch in the very near future.

Thanks

 

[Steve Dion]

Rick:

I doubt that any standard hour meter works this way. The hour meter is triggered from the key being on. There is no connection to anything like what was mentioned by JVB. Those meters probably cost several hundred dollars and would also require something in the fuel pump/distributor to send signals.