Installing and calibrating an outboard tachometer
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ธ.ค. 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
how you explained the frequency conversion to rpm calculation was great. thanks for another informative video
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
Love your videos mate please keep them coming!
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.
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. 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.
Coming at you from Nashville greatly enjoy the show , keep up the great work.
Great video Stu, as usual.
Thanks Bob.
thanks Stu, very helpful and easy to follow.
Welcome! :)
Once again, a great video!
Thanks John!
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.
Another helpful video. Thanks for posting.
Thanks Gary.
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
Been waiting for this vid, tach install. Thanks a bunch, keep up the good work.
Thanks Rob, hope it helps you.
Rob Ez lui
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 👍👍
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. :)
Another great video. Thank you!
You're welcome Andrew, 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.
nice install video Stu.
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
Happy holidays Dangar
Thanks Bruce. You too! :)
Another great tutorial. Thank you for doing all the math! You're doing a terrific job Stu!
Thanks John! :)
You the man Drew
Looks like you've been gettin some sun!! Nother great vid!
Thanks mate. I managed to get myself burnt again at the meet up...
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! :)
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.
Super helpful, thank you!
Excellent- as usual
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
Nice one Stu.👍
Thanks Norman!
Hahaha your funny. Same exact thing happened to my cordless drill. Very good educational videos tho. Thanks for sharing.
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
great show
Faria instruments... literally right down the street from my house... world leader in gauges for many years...
Cool, they do make good stuff!
great video thanks stu
Thanks Chris!
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...:)
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!
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.
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 🤷♂️
Thanks for the info. Any instruction manual should begin with “No.1 -suck down a bottle of your favorite stout”.
For sure. ;)
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?
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.
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?
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?
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! :)
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.
Hey Danger
With which one goes the Tachymeter wire with? I lost the trace of it... sorry
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
I wish your "steering wheel remover" worked on bearings!
Great video , can you mention tach input from ECU output vs grey wire from rectifier.
I have mercury 60hp efi with ecu . Thanks bill 🇺🇸
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?
Awesome video! Beer-so so.
Thanks mate. How can you not love Coopers! ;)
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!
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.
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?
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
Is the wire providing the rpm-info available on remote or do I need to wire from the engine itself? Also, did you use, with Hz-meter, capacitor and/or resistor? Or directly wired? I am planning to install tachometer to my Honda BF20 (w/ power tilt&electric start). Thank you for your excellent video!
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 have a 1997 see ray 185 ,do you know where are the hours ? Thanks for your help
Good one.
So, did the illumination jumper work?
sorry for silly question, but does the "poles" refer to the number of magnets rotating to create a spark? or something else?
thanks
john
hey. i have a mercruiser 3.0l with a bad tach. im trouble shooting to see if i need a signal wire. the alternator.i have is a saej1171 from mercury. i need help figurign out if i need to run a signal wire or buy i new tach? any advice?
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!
I have a yamaha e60h, he has 3 w points, is that 3/2 = 1.5?
It doesn't feel right with the tachometer.
Fantastic informative video....but more importantly explained everything in layman's terms. Way to go am SUBSCRIBRD !
Thanks and welcome
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!
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 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
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?
Hi dangar Marine i'm need help. How yo install sense point in evin rude 70 for rpm meter. Im from Panamá.
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. :)
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
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.
I can’t figure out how to set my tach and where to connect it to
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.
Man this is like taking my ham radio lic I like
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
Hope you enjoyed the beer!
Mmmm, beer. What's not to enjoy? ;)
What engine is this on? I’m going though this now on a BF50A it has 2 charge coils and an exciter coil. So it that 2 or 3 pole
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.
I just bought the same tach. Goes to zero when powered, but not indicating any rpm. Checked both the coil and tach signal end with multimeter for positive signal. Adjusted setting on back of tach and still nothing. Is it possible this tach does not work with my old Mercruiser 2.5L I/O?
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.
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.
Dont know what i did wrong hooked up the same way you did and only got 2.9hz on the multimeter didn't change when reved moter or maybe the multimeter iscto cheap its a johnson 3cyl i counted 8 poles plus the charge coil so what would be my pulse count be iam thinking 4 but it reads about 1200 on tachometer and with a laser tachometer it read close to 700rpm so do i need a different tachometer for a 3 cyl
@ 6:57 Never heard a Dolphin saw before =)
lol hahahaha
Please. Do you know how many polos does Jhonson 85 hp v4 1980 have? Thanks
And then there are engines that have a coil for each cylinder. Lol
Any chance you can show how to adjust a trim switch
?
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.
Hi...how much poles has the Johnson 70HP from 1994?
I have a new rpm tacho, and the script for programming ask me to poles and speed ratio...
i can set 4 poles to 2 speed r. ,or 6 to 3, or 8 to 4, 10 to 5, 12 to 6.
adjustable range at instrument was 1.0 - 360 for programming
thx a lot
uli
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.