Hour meters

[Beefer]

Do hour meters 'go bad'? Mine isn't working, and it just seems like too basic of a piece of equipment to break. I'd be more apt to think the wiring has deteriorated, but I'm finding it nearly impossible to trace the wires. Any idea what they're usually connected to?

 

[dan t.]

Re: Hour meters

Switched power and ground

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Hour meters

To elaborate, the switched power lead may come off of the ignition 'on' circuit, the ignition 'run' circuit, or even from the engines coil source. You can easily use a test light or multimeter to see if you're getting power and ground to it. Try it with the key in the on position and then in the engine running position, and then with the engine actually running.

If you have positive power and a solid ground and it still doesn't work, it's a bad meter.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Hour meters

99% of the hour meters in use DO NOT get power from the ignition circuit or coil. They are very simple 12 volt clock movements that just happen to be calibrated for accummulated time rather than a 12 or 24 hour display. The meter only needs +12 volts and ground when the key is on. It will click off time whether the engine is running or not. Thus the value of these devices is really questionable. It cannot be impossible to trace the wiring. There are only two of them.

 

[sasto]

Re: Hour meters

99% of the hour meters in use DO NOT get power from the ignition circuit or coil..

I'm confused.

 

[Beefer]

Re: Hour meters

When I say it's impossible, it's that both wires go into the spaghetti bowl of wires behind the dashboard. I lose them at the first twist in the group of wires. From what I'm figuring, the pos is most likely attached to one of the gauges (oil, temp, tach, etc.)?

 

[Don S]

Re: Hour meters

I'm confused.

I'm sure he means it's not picking up power after the coil or from the distributor. When installed on the instrument panel, the hour meter usually gets hooked up to the wire coming from the ignition switch that powers the rest of the instruments. If mounted in the engine compartment, it could be hooked up to the + terminal on the coil, but NOT on the - terminal of the coil.

Do hour meters 'go bad'?

I have yet to see anything built by man that doesn't or can't go bad. Everything fails eventually. And hour meters go bad all the time.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Hour meters

Just to clarify: Regardless where the hour meter is located, the power to operate it can indeed come from any +12 volt source including the +12V side of the coil. Hour meters do exist that are true hour meters in that they require not only +12 volts and ground, but a tach signal as well. It is the tach signal that signals the meter that the engine is actually running. Those meters can be found in many of the higher end factory instrument packages. Some of the remotely mounted tachs are also available in that configuration but they are relatively rare on the smaller recreational boats. Most of the EFI/DFI systems today don't need an separate hour meter since the ECU contains that data and it can be displayed via appropriate instrument clusters or diagnostic tools.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Hour meters

I assumed Beefer's original post was regarding a separate, standard guage "look" hour meter. 99% of these get their 12v+ power from the ignition 'on' circuit, the ignition 'run' circuit, or even from the engines + coil source.

 

[sasto]

Re: Hour meters

From what I'm figuring, the pos is most likely attached to one of the gauges (oil, temp, tach, etc.)?

I'd say your probably right, Beefer. Likely a purple wire that runs off your ignition switch to all your gauges. Let us know what you find.

Good Luck!

 

[Beefer]

Re: Hour meters

Well, what I found were two black wires. :facepalm: The negative was 'grounded' to the back of the stereo. :facepalm: The positive runs up into the spaghetti bowl, and taps into some + wire. They used those cheap/easy 3 wire crimp connections to splice into the pos supply. :facepalm::facepalm::facepalm: A test light showed that the meter is getting power, but no ground. I used the back of the stereo as the ground to make sure when I tested the pos. So the meter is bad, or at least that's what I've gathered from all this. Also found out that the meter gets power when the key is in the ACC/ON position, so it's not a true measurement of running hours. Looks like my maintenance will be a bit early based on clock hours.

 

[stylesabu]

Re: Hour meters

when i re-wired my boat my ign switched triggered my hour meter. i had installed a toggled switch to power radio ff bilge/livewell, light.the ign switch had to be on to monitor dash gauges, start engine,run hour meter. everything powered through master dash key. no master key nothing works. I used 30 relays branched off to individual fuses or resetable breakers to handle curcuit protection.wasn't that hard to do.remove hour meter check for power and ground at meter then connect hour meter directly to a good battery