The SS Wilbur Eaton lives!! ....and needs a temperature gauge....

[GoodnightGraphics]

So about 3.5 years ago I was on this forum asking all sorts of questions after I let my grandfather's old Chrysler 45HP overheat. I nearly gave up hope on keeping the 45HP because they don't make the internals for it anymore. But about a year ago, I did a random search on ebay for "Chrysler Outboard" and the only listing that came up was for a Chrysler 45HP powerhead. It looked exactly like my motor.

I contacted the seller to try and identify the year without much luck. So, for $130 bucks including shipping, I took a chance.The powerhead arrived and looked incredible. The paint looked so good that I thought it might have been a recent cover-up, but it wasn't. I removed the head to inspect the cylinder walls and they looked clean. About a week later, I removed the old powerhead from my boat with all components attached and set it on my workbench. I set the new engine next to the old to begin the rebuild. Then life happened.....

Fast forward a year (through job changes, Houston flooding, home renovations....life, etc) to last weekend and I finally got back to that workbench. Amazingly no parts had wandered off. It took me a full day to get the new powerhead on the boat and transfer all the parts over from the original engine. Then the big moment had arrived. I was finally ready to do a compression test to see if my $130 fix was worth the effort. I was surprisingly nervous. Both cylinders showed 120PSI and I could not have been happier.

I sprayed some starter fluid in the carb just to see if it would start, and it did with no issues. Now that I know I have a viable engine, I will be doing some more work: fuel pump diaphram, thermostat, impeller rebuild, carb rebuild, timing, and adding a temperature gauge.

That brings me to the second part of my post: Can anyone recommend a good temperature gauge/sensor kit for a 1978(ish) Chrysler 45HP outboard?

Thanks!

 

[jerryjerry05]

I've found that a temp gauge is a good thing but nobody watches the gauge all the time.
​The overheat system usually has a buzzer that sounds off.
Most times it's buried under the dash and is almost impossible to hear.
If I was worried I'd use a motorcycle or car horn and you should be able to hear that.

A couple guys on here have bought the gauge but I have no idea where.

 

[GoodnightGraphics]

My boat didn't come with the overheat buzzer, The wiring is there, but there is no buzzer or sensor installed. From what i have read, once that buzzer goes off it is already too late. That's why I was hoping to find a gauge instead.

 

[Nordin]

No the buzzer comes off earlier than the engine overheats.
If you go for a gauge you have to install a sender for it. The sender or more correct the switch for the buzzer is intergrated in a bolt for the head and can not be used for a gauge.
It is actually a switch made of bimetal and it grounds when it gets to warm.

The wire for the switch is orange and you wire the buzzer with a 12VDC hot wire at one terminal and the orange wire from the switch at the other terminal of the buzzer.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Yup, the buzzer is a warning(danger Will Robinson) that it's on it's way to self destruct.
​The reason most destruct is people don't hear the buzzer or the buzzer doesn't work.
So louder horn is needed.

I think the theromo's open at 130 and the buzzer goes off at 160 and too hot is 180 and destruct is anything above 200

 

[GoodnightGraphics]

Okay, that's good to know. Now I want to run both! :joyous:

I'll have to see what i can find....