Installing and calibrating an outboard tachometer
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- čas přidán 7. 12. 2017
- In this video I install an tachometer in my boat. I wire up the power and then select the number of pulse or cycles my outboard has to get the correct reading.
This is the tachometer I used www.marineengine.com/products/...
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6 years and still the best video on here for this subject.
Man I just got a boat for 400$ and I didn’t realize how in over my head I was. Regardless, I decided to give it that good ole college try and I have to say your videos have helped me significantly..
Just got a new boat and the tacho is not working, so glad I found this video. I am fully confident I can tackle this after watching your video. Thank you
Just finished installing my tachometer today after watching your video a few times. Thanks for the video's!!!
You're welcome mate. :)
Great how to vid , I love the channel . When I wire up my dash lights I wire them with the running lights because I feel there is no need for them during the day . Keep up the great work . Cheers
how you explained the frequency conversion to rpm calculation was great. thanks for another informative video
This is the video that I needed. Shows what to expect when hooking up the meter and what those numbers mean. Thanks!
Thanks, I found the math sequence quite helpful. I have installed several tachometers without a frequency meter (didn't have one and wouldn't have known how to use the data before now). When I installed a Sierra tachometer on my BF40, I looked in vain for number of poles info from Honda. I asked the dealer, he said probably 4 poles. The chart from Sierra said 6 poles. In actual trial runs, neither of those gave reasonable RPM numbers. So I used Honda's statement that the engine idles at 800 RPM (this is an early fuel injected engine) as a calibration point. I tried different pole "P" settings on the tach until I got 800 RPM at idle. That setting was 2 poles. With a "2" setting, full throttle and trimmed up, The tach showed 5600 RPM (5500 is rated power) using a 15" pitch 3 blade alum Solas prop. I have used this setting for several years now and I believe it is a good one for this engine and tach. I just wanted to say, there are other ways to get a tach calibrated, though sometimes it's a case of poke and hope.
I definitely think trying different pole numbers until you get a sensible value is an entirely reasonable way to go. You can't do an damage.
Great video Stu. Missed a bunch of your videos and have some catching up to do! A tach on a boat is incredibly useful. From dialing in your idle rpm to seeing if you are propped at the right pitch. I wouldn’t leave the dock without one.
Thanks Jack, I've still got to sort out that power problem at the forward control, but other than that I'm loving having it.
Love your videos mate please keep them coming!
I really enjoy your videos and love your sense of humor.
Thanks Dane! :)
I second that. I’m going through the older stuff again just for entertainment
Great video Stu, as usual.
Thanks Bob.
One additional tip with the centre bit of a hole saw, the drill bit its self has no relief to the flutes so they do not cut the substrate and act as a guide once they have formed the initial hole. A standard drill bit has the flutes reliefs to give a cutting age and these ream the hole as it is cut, if used on thing plate with a hole saw they can oscillate and make the guide hole bigger than it should be then the hole saw will start to wander and give an oversized or oval hole.
Always use the correct centre bit for the hole saw 👍👍
Coming at you from Nashville greatly enjoy the show , keep up the great work.
Thumbs up just for the happy hr wrench. Getting ready to put in a volt meter and a tach for the 76 chrysler i rebuilt.
thanks Stu, very helpful and easy to follow.
Welcome! :)
Thanks for the tips
Now I know much more about tachometer calibration and how to use the Hz setting on my meter.
Cheers from Canada
Another helpful video. Thanks for posting.
Thanks Gary.
Once again, a great video!
Thanks John!
Good vid as well, was waiting for someone to explain how to do this on an outboard without a taco sending unit
Thanks mate, glad you liked it. :)
great explanation of how to and not to when setting up a Tach. I'm new at this rebuilding a bass boat, be I have a Mercury XR6 150 which I'm thinking is at the high end of the gauge.
Another great tutorial. Thank you for doing all the math! You're doing a terrific job Stu!
Thanks John! :)
Been waiting for this vid, tach install. Thanks a bunch, keep up the good work.
Thanks Rob, hope it helps you.
Rob Ez lui
Exact same tach on a 1991 70HP 2 cycle Johnson with 12-pole. Have arrow set to 6P and reading on tach at idle is high. I assume I should chose 3-pole and try again. Video is bookmarked for reference so I am hoping come spring time I can get my tach to read correctly. Glad you had this video posted!
Hi mate. It does seem like a bit of a black art translating the motors poles to the setting on the tacho. Fortunately no harm comes from trying different settings, but you do need to know what the motor is actually doing so you can confirm when it is right. Good luck! :)
Happy holidays Dangar
Thanks Bruce. You too! :)
Hi mate really enjoyed your vids .im in the process of rewiring my own boat found extremely helpful thanks again. Davie
Thanks David, glad the vids are helping you. :)
Dangar Marine do you have any videos on wiring up a key start to an outboard ( marinar 25 is what’s on the boat) just on the off chance Thanks again
Another great video. Thank you!
You're welcome Andrew, glad you liked it. :)
nice install video Stu.
Cool, Good video on how these work. I put a long look on mine just for testing rpm back while doing final tune. I want to rig up a short one just from the engine but didn't want to wire it to the wrong leads
Thanks Tim, they certainly are handy for doing tune ups.
Interesting using Hz on a multimeter and convert to rpm too
Looks like you've been gettin some sun!! Nother great vid!
Thanks mate. I managed to get myself burnt again at the meet up...
You the man Drew
Great Vid, this is something I should put into my boat. Currently only have a fuel guage. See you tomorrow.
I'm glad to have it now, I certainly think it is worth installing.
Hi Stu...can't make it to the meet up 'cos of logistics...but would def try and come if I was in the area! Thanks for a very entertaining vid as usual...It's great to be able to connect via youtube with someone like yourself...totally honest and completely free of any shonky 'dealer' profiteering!...have a great xmas, and keep pumping out those vids Stu!..
And he , Dave and Arn are nice people even off camera. Am glad to have been able to meet the crew a few times now.
Thanks mate, glad you've been enjoying the channel. You have a great Christmas too! :)
Thank you somuch for showing all the steps
I've found that apps that listen to the sound of the outboard and tell you the RPM are really good. They could easily be used for initial calibration if the multimeter doesn't have a frequency mode.
I have experimented with a few some years ago now, I should try a newer one and see if they work better these days.
Perhaps I was lucky in that our two-stroke is quite loud. Plenty of noise for the app to grab onto! :D "Acoustic Tachometer" is the name of the app (for Android).
Love your videos!
Nice one Stu.👍
Thanks Norman!
Hey mate, could you do a video on fuel management? Like using a flow meter to get an estimate on fuel usage at different speeds. The only fuel management systems i can find are crazy expensive and over complicated or built into the newer outboard.
Yes, I'd like to add something like that to the trawler one day.
This is how EVERY project seems to go. A solid plan turns into 4 new smaller projects before the first project has been completed.
Every ten minute project turns into a 2 hour fiasco/....adventures in Dodgeyness. I have 2 boats, So if I do the Math there will a 1/2 hour of actual boating per week....and then it snows in November. So it's mid May now, I might get 5 good hours without tinkering with shit...:)
Faria instruments... literally right down the street from my house... world leader in gauges for many years...
Cool, they do make good stuff!
I wish your "steering wheel remover" worked on bearings!
Super helpful, thank you!
Thank you so much for this video sir! I need to replace the tach and fuel gage on my 86 Carlson and this is some really great info.cant wait to be able to watch the RPMS on my tower of power.I owe you some 🍺👏👏👍
You're welcome Chris, glad it helped you. :)
Hi thanks for all the vijeos. However that tab you pointed at for fine calibration is most likely the light bulb.
Excellent- as usual
A good tip for useing hole saw drill polit hole and turn bit around and use smooth side of drill bit,, it will keep bit from wondering and making hold oberlong giving you a nice hole
My tach seems to be turned off most of the time, except when I place an electrical load like tilt/trim then it jumps up to an accurate reading. Any idea why?
I replaced the voltage regulator (using an off-brand) and at some point re-did wiring under the dash and so either thing could have screwed something up. Maybe the behavior means something to you to point me in the right direction.
I didn't know you could get that kind of information from a tachometer. I thought, you don't shift a boat, but for forward and reverse. Thanks for the Education Stu, I'm going to need to watch this again on those math problems. Got the jest of the installation, Thanks Buddy !!!.
Thanks Angelo, it can be a useful tool, even though you aren't changing gears like a car.
Hahaha your funny. Same exact thing happened to my cordless drill. Very good educational videos tho. Thanks for sharing.
great show
Do you have to disconnect the tach completely or can I pig tail off the back of the tack send wire and ground and test that way?
Great video. It would be worth mentioning that holesaws clog very quickly so you need to in and out a lot to clear the chips. Cheers
Thanks mate. Yes, they do clog a lot. Someone else commented below that they drill a few small holes in the groves to give the shavings somewhere to fall through which helps too.
hey stu..great tutorial... and great timing.. my boats tacho has just given up & im in the process of changing...just a question... was recommended a Faria Tacho... they any better/worse than the sierra? Running a 99 mercury 60 thanks again... ok..just noticed the instructions you showed were the faria ... must be the same
Thanks mate. I'm not sure which brand is better, they are different and marineengine.com sells both of them so I guess they carry both brands for a reason. It may be just personal preference I guess but I would expect there would be a reason to stock both.
Thanks for the video. I have a question. My multimeter reads the frequency but the signal cable tension is too low. (2VAC) What is the working voltage range of this signal?
Hi Stu another great video thank you I just wondered is it possible to connect these to any outboard even if it's an old one with points and condenser would you be able to take a wire off the coil for it many thanks Lee keep up the good work
You'll need to check with the manufacturer to be sure, but it should work just fine as it gets engine speed from the charge coil, not from the CDI unit.
great video thanks stu
Thanks Chris!
I can’t figure out how to set my tach and where to connect it to
Hi, I need some help. Yamaha's remote control have two green wires for tacho signal. Faria's tachometer have one stud for the Signal (other 2 studs are for power and ground). Where I have to connect the second green wire?
Excellent, just the video I was hoping for.. Planning on putting a tachometer on my racer over winter..
Something I would like to see is installing a fuel sender and gauge in a normal tank.. Theoretically should be possible although perhaps would involve a bit of experimenting...
Cheers Stu! :)
I did start a video on that using a sender / gauge kit, but unfortunately the sender didn't fit in the tank I had. I'm going to be doing a series of vids on building a boat from scratch soon and I'll definitely put a sender in that tank.
Dangar Marine I'll be looking out for that project, sounds awesome! :)
Great video , can you mention tach input from ECU output vs grey wire from rectifier.
I have mercury 60hp efi with ecu . Thanks bill 🇺🇸
Thanks Stu, having the math to prove out the reading will be helpful. Every year an upgrade on my tinny.
You're welcome mate, good luck with the install if you go for it. :)
Hi Stu. Thank you for your Chanel. I recently bought a flood boat one of hurricane Michael boats. it’s a 2016 Carolina skiff with Honda bf50 im trying to order new gauges do I need to order Honda gauges or can I order any aftermarket brand ? Thank you in advance
I appreciate all your videos. i'm having no luck trying to get a service manual for my F50tlrx yamaha outboard. The few i have gotten online are not very good. Any suggestions?
Try readmanual.com and tradebit.com
tach can be calibrated in neutral also with either math or inductive tester right? Is it important to set at WOT? I know it's important to know what output is at WOT but asking specifically about calibration? Awesome video and thank you so much for sharing!
1 cylinder fires twice.
Once on compression and again on exhaust.
A 4 cylinder has 2 coils
6 cylinders has 3 coils
If u r counting ignition pulses u should keep that in mind.
Example: 1 cylinder will count double rpm. Because it is thinking exhaust stroke is compression. So its like compression compresion per 1 rpm. But reads 2 rpm.
300 rpm will read 600 rpm.
Great vid. I have a Merc/Tohatsu 50hp 3cyl 2 stroke do you know how many poles it is or what I should set tach on 🤷♂️Any help appreciated 🤷♂️
Hey Danger
With which one goes the Tachymeter wire with? I lost the trace of it... sorry
Thanks for the info. Any instruction manual should begin with “No.1 -suck down a bottle of your favorite stout”.
For sure. ;)
Hey there, great channel great content. Would you know if there is a unit or if it is possible to make a unit that can take all that analog information and convert it into digital? Engine temp and RPM's. I have a 1998 60 HP outboard 2 stroke motor and would like to use my Humminbird unit dash feature. So I would need to somehow convert the analog information to digital and then run it to a NMEA 2000 system then into my Humminbird Unit. Some of my thoughts are, maybe using a Rasberry pie or an Arduino or maybe you might know if there is something out there that already does this?
Any chance you can show how to adjust a trim switch
?
The crank is rpm.
The cam determine s the stroke. The ignition fires at same time place of the crank shaft regaurdless of the stroke. Firing on exhaust stroke mesns nothing but on compression stroke it explodes the fuel air mixture making the power stroke. ( 2 sparks but only 1 fire.) This is why u get a false double rpm reading
Good one.
love the advice on the steering wheel puller. way to hammer it home. lol .i have an optical tach for machinery that picks up a reflected light.ya place a reflective sticker on a shaft or flywheel. would work great. most dont have meters. and in amongst my 10 or so i dont recall one of them that reads hz. which leaves me thinkin....... will an automotive tach pick up the ignition coil on a cdi ignition??? i've never tried it. the higher cdi voltage may not be good for it.
Yeah, I wouldn't recommend you do that on a CDI:-) A meter with Hz (frequency) capability is pretty cheap from Jaycar - about $20 .
The little ones you get have a wire you can wrap around the HT lead and then configure it with the number of cylinders and whether it is two stroke or four stroke. The meter itself lives under the cowling but I can't see why that same system could be used for one on the dash.
Stu, the 'wire wrap' system has a few issues you need to take into account. 1: the wire wrap itself becomes a transformer- so if you wrap 5 turns onto an ignition lead, you multiply the voltage accordingly. So if the leakage voltage is say 20 volts, the wire is carrying 100volts (with almost pico amp current , so no real risk to anyone).2: The spark plug voltage rise rate is very fast . 1 & 2 together with the longish wire run means you will be creating an aerial with ignition hash - not good for radios , fish finders etc. The normal car tacho needs a current pulse to count (normally 12v, goes to ground when the points close) - because it is triggering a transistor - so that long wirel is unlikely to work- car tachos are designed for milliamp current levels, pico is a little too low. The wire wrap tachos use capacitive coupling and trigger on the induced voltage spike.
good points Ron Powell. those wire wrap tachs are ok for repair work , i wouldnt think to try to use one as a dashboard unit or as a permanent solution. the whole point being that the universal one stu got for the dash needs another one to make sure of the caliration is correct. i/o's typically run modified car engines so a vehicle tach works fine. most if not all outboards run cdi's. having watched other video's i got to thinkin. a lot of people have car tachs and "tune up analyzers" sitting around in thier garages. and hooking up one of them wouldnt be good. why buy another tach to calibrate another tach if one of these are available? so its on my list to find a cheapy at a garage sale and tear it apart to see if it has any protection in its circuitry. perhaps some two dollar resistor voltage divider circuit could be added to make it possible. i do see online that people make adapter boxes but at $40.00 might as well buy a tiny tach wire wrap one. of course had stu taped the instructions to the beer in the fridge we might have seen the selector adjusted to the proper setting that would have put it in the ballpark to start with . lol cheers
If you want to use a car tack for CDI, you need a converter.
You can build one your self, if you are not afraid of the soldering iron.
I have instructions in one of my videos...
Greetings from the other side of the planet by the way (literally)!
I have a 1997 see ray 185 ,do you know where are the hours ? Thanks for your help
@ 6:57 Never heard a Dolphin saw before =)
lol hahahaha
In America we call it a tach, its much cooler.lol Thanks dangar i now have a working calibrated tach guage
Can you use the square wave function on a multi-meter as opposed to Hurtz function to test the tach signal?
I know this an old post but I liked it so me commenting should be ok right? I wonder about you connecting the light wire to always be on when your ignition is on. Do you ever boat after dark? Why wouldn't you hook a jumper up to your boat lights so it's only on when you have your lights on?
Awesome video! Beer-so so.
Thanks mate. How can you not love Coopers! ;)
So, did the illumination jumper work?
Hi dangar Marine i'm need help. How yo install sense point in evin rude 70 for rpm meter. Im from Panamá.
This may be a silly question, but I'm trying to learn! I've got a 1982 Mercury 40hp. I installed a Mercury tach and the instructions say to set it to 4P for SN 5823918 and up, mine is 6084617, but the tach isn't reading at idle or low rpm, only higher rpms (in the driveway with motor flusher). All the wiring is brand new. Ideas? To calibrate, does the motor need to be under load (e.g. in the water)? Thanks for the videos!
thanks would you think a speed meter installation
I'm not a big fan of a speedometer in a boat. 4 knots is walking pace, 8 knots is just off the plane and everything else is fast. :)
What should be the proper range of a Johnson J115ELECM voltage at tach gray wire. I keep blowing tach. It works at idle and when I go wot it stops working. Changed out the rectifier regulator and checked for shorts. NEED HELP
I’ve synced tachs off of my shop timing light/tachometer. That’s the way I was taught, but the way you did it is interesting and valuable for those that don’t have a shop tach to sync with.
Thanks mate. Yes, having the right gear is always best, but most DIY people need to make do with what they own unless they can rent or borrow those types of specialist tools.
dose it matter what size hp engine you have to fit one
Hey mate! trying to hook mine up now but i have a saltwater series 115 yammy... its a 12 pole but mine only has up to 6 poles same as your guage.. is there anything you can do to make it work correctly without the 12 pole setting?
Cheers!
Hi Stu, love your videos. I'm am completely new to boating, with a half built boat in the garage, so finding your videos very informative.
I have an old 25hp Merc, pull start only. Does this mean no charging coil? Can I still fit a tachometer?
Cheers
GJ Yes you can add a tach. There is a product called mini tach or something like that, pretty cheap if you don't have a center console to mount a larger gauge
jimbo gasoline
Thanks Jimbo. This is all new to me, so appreciate the info. Will need to go and do some research. Cheers
Those mini tachs that Jim mentioned are really cool, but you may well find the motor has an AC outboard on it still as they were originally designed to just run some simple lights on small boats. A Merc guy will probably be able to tell you more.
Jimbo- and Stu- I reckon one of the mini tachs on a tiller steer could work well. Stick the tach on the front of the cowl, the sense wire could have a bullet connecter in it for when you are servicing the engine so you could remove the cowl. I have a couple of wire wrap tachs from go karting - water proof and cheap. CPR sell some decent ones but you can get the same ones from ebay at a bit less.
sorry for silly question, but does the "poles" refer to the number of magnets rotating to create a spark? or something else?
thanks
john
Beer helps to fit or fix anything!
I just got a tach and a gps speedometer that I'm going to try and hook up tomorrow.
Good luck! Hope the installation goes well for you.
I actually paused your video to go search for that snap-on 8mm happy hour bottle opener... can't find it anywhere. I have a co-worker that would love one of those. Did you make make it?
I bought mine from an AutoOne store, but this is very similar www.kincrome.com.au/10mm-spanner-bottle-opener
Nice to know that it's similar... But the grey "DISCONTINUED" banner across the upper left corner suggests I will have to look elsewhere. LOL Maybe over here in the States. Thanks anyway. Great and informative videos you have. I appreciate your work.
Could u tell me what Pole setting i would need too set the tach for on a 1996 40 hp johnson,,i cant find the info in my manual
Great video ... would you think a temp meter worth it on a four stroke??
Micheál Cleary Being a 4 stroke shouldn't make a difference. Most motors have an overheat alarm. These motors are water cooled and where I live people are bigger on a water pressure gauge than temp. Our local boat mechanic says " I like looking forward, instead of backwards while driving a boat. So no looking back to see if motor is pissing!
I think it would be interesting to be able to monitor the block temperature rather than just have an alarm once its already got too hot.
I use a turkey temp gauge. You have to put the prong on the head of the engine
Me too i think is a good thing to have a temp meter. A temp meter can advice you that your thermostat stay partly open, That make the engine running too cold . A 4 stroke shave to run a the good temperature.............Too cold make engine sometimes not running good, more hard on the fuel and many other short or long therm problems, especialy in cold water........And overheat alarm can't do that.
Stu, maybe adding a water pressure switch or gauge would be a good mod for many - use the 'pee' hole fitting in the block to fit a T piece and run it off that?
Same my led Nav lights are always on they only draw so much power.
With nav lights I'd just put a separate switch in rather than running on the ignition power.
How that gauge works/ counts I dont know. So I explained why sometimes peoole are confused. In olden days it was 1 for 1. But nowadays its 2 for 1
Hey Stu, dose poles relate to the number of charge coils on the stator or the number of magnets on the flywheel. Every time I have set up a tach I always need to set different to the number of poles stated in the specs for my motor.
DMF351 - Poles = charge coils normally, with 2 poles = 1 charge coil. However I am finding that some tacho signal wires are taking the signal directly before the rectifier, others after the rectifier. I'll let Stu show how that makes a difference on his blackboard, but basically it means you may be over or under by a factor of two . So a 3 pole alternator may need to be set to 3 or maybe 6, with no way to really know until you try it. You wont harm a tacho by supplying too many or too few pulses, you will just get a bad reading. In the one I did last week I had to add a resister (100ohm, .5watt) to the signal wire as the raw alternator pulses were going to 17V (rms for the techies- so about 24v peak) and overloading the tacho signal circuit. The needle was going all over the place . The resister cuts the voltage down to around the 9V rms level and the needle is now pretty smooth in operation.
I have an old merc that has 10 coils + 2 trigger coils on the stator. I have an aftermarket tach that fizzles out at 3000 rpm. I'm chasing a genuine merc tach.
Fantastic informative video....but more importantly explained everything in layman's terms. Way to go am SUBSCRIBRD !
Thanks and welcome
I know I’m about three years late Stu but, I’m planning this install on a Suzuki DT 90 V4 motor that I mounted on my 16.5 ft Smoker Craft replacing a DT55 that was decidedly under powered so, I’m going from three cylinders to four. First, in the early parts of the video you kept referring to charging coils, I think you meant ignition coils? That makes sense to me. The other thing is about the hole saws and drill bits for them. I notice that the bit that comes with the saw has a short part of actual cutter. I also checked on my newer ones and find that the part of the pilot drill that is straight across the blade teeth has no drill flutes. I guess this is to stop the saw wandering and causing the pilot hole to creep, and that’s exactly what happened to me last week when I was cutting a 4” hole in a piece of 1/8” plywood. I ended up with a 1/2” pilot hole and an oval 4” hole 😳😂. Anyway, great video as usual. Cheers.
Is it possible to use a quicksilver tach on a johnson outboard? The tach doesnt have any sort of dip switches on the back
I just installed a new Faria Tach on my 1989 70 HP Mercury outboard. it does not register any RPM. Will that result occur if the setting is incorrect? Thank you very much