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Intermittent hour meters

Posted: Wed May 30, 2018 9:59 pm
by John&Ria
I would be interested to hear from anyone who has experienced intermittent operation with their digital hour meters, and if so whether you've been successful in correcting the problem. Ours are fading in and out more frequently now, and it is not clear whether they are recording data any longer. Our engines are 4JH4-HTE's, with what I believe are typical Yanmar branded tachometers.

Thanks.

John

Re: Intermittent hour meters

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 8:30 pm
by John&Ria
After ongoing issues with our Yanmar hour meters - and online research that indicted any repairs would be temporary at best - I decided to install two independent digital units (purchased online for about $16 each, although cheaper versions are available). I wired each unit to the positive and ground connections at the back of each respective engine switch, and mounted the displays next to the Yanmar instruments on the overhead panel. Drilling and cutting the required small holes with a keyhole saw was easy to do because of the very light density wood that is in place there. Altogether the job took about 2-3 hours.

The units are operating as they should - they count only when the engine switch is turned on - and the look fits well with the other instruments. The only negative is the displays are not back lit, which means they're a bit hard to read in low light conditions, but it's not a big deal.

If you have similar issues with your meters and are looking for a simple and relatively inexpensive fix, this approach is worth a look.