Engine's clock

[doritsrbr]

Hi,

i have a boat with a Mercruiser 350 Magnum engine.

Is there any way to decrease hours on the boat's engines clock, or to stop it from moving forward?

what part exactly saves the number of km of the clock?

Thanks,
Dora.

 

[HVAC Cruiser]

Re: Engine's clock

Is there a particular reason you want to turn the clock back?
In the automotive industry the vehicle would be referred to as Clocked which is highly illegal. I don't know the same legalities with clocking an odometer or hour meter holds true with boats, I imagine it might.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Engine's clock

or to stop it from moving forward?

Ayuh,... Unplug the wire,...

Of course that defeats the purpose of it though...

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: Engine's clock

And why would you want to unless your getting ready to hose someone in a sale....and the snakes are out there...'nutcase

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Engine's clock

The hour meter runs when the key on. Could be the OP left the key on and now the hours are higher than actual.

 

[stubbsboogie]

Re: Engine's clock

Today 11:51 AM
bruceb58 Re: Engine's clock

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The hour meter runs when the key on. Could be the OP left the key on and now the hours are higher than actual.


Really!! So all that time sitting at the sand bar is actually outting hours on the boat?

Why? that is ridiculous!

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Engine's clock

Most of them are activated by the coil or by an oil pressure switch.

 

[achris]

Re: Engine's clock

Today 11:51 AM
bruceb58 Re: Engine's clock

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The hour meter runs when the key on. Could be the OP left the key on and now the hours are higher than actual.


Really!! So all that time sitting at the sand bar is actually outting hours on the boat?

Why? that is ridiculous!

And can you suggest something that isn't 'ridiculous'?

 

[achris]

Re: Engine's clock

Most of them are activated by the coil or by an oil pressure switch.

Wrong! Most hour meters are powered by the ON position on the key. Leave the key ON without the engine running and the hour meter happily ticks over the hours....

 

[chadelliott]

Re: Engine's clock

Wrong! Most hour meters are powered by the ON position on the key. Leave the key ON without the engine running and the hour meter happily ticks over the hours....

Some, not MOST are. My hour meter is activated when the motor is running. Because it is hooked up to the coil.

 

[Don S]

Re: Engine's clock

Some, not MOST are. My hour meter is activated when the motor is running. Because it is hooked up to the coil.

That doesn't mean much, which coil wire. It (the hour meter) will still be running anytime the ignition switch is in the run position.

If the hour meter is hooked up per the installation instructions for the meter, it will be activated any time the ignition switch is in the run position.
There are a few that think there is some reason to get EXACT hours of when the engine is running. Usually by hooking it up to an oil pressure switch. The problem is, is this is usually done on old boats with some undetermined amount of hours, and is then said to be accurate.............. I mean, come on guys, what is the EXACT amount of running time good for anyway?

 

[sr280da]

Re: Engine's clock

Depends on the year. Engines with ECMs record the hours and at what RPM in the ECM. So if you leave the ignition key on and run up the total hours, a Merc tech with a scantool can determine how many are at zero RPM.

To answer the original question, yeah buy a new ECM, they are about $ 1500 each, but then you hve to explain why your boat has zero hours on it!

 

[Rocky_Road]

Re: Engine's clock

Mercury (Quicksilver) has had a neat small service monitor for years...and it only records actual engine running time:

"This is a great digital tachometer and hour meter for your engine. It features LCD display and re-settable hour meter. It is usually mounted close to the engine and it is small (about 3 inches by 1″ 1.2 inches) with a digital read-out.

When the engine is running, the display will indicate the RPM of the engine, when the engine is not running, the display will switch to run time, initially in minutes and then switching to hours once the total time reaches 60 minutes. It has a pressure point that can be pushed at any time to reset the hours back to zero.

It only counts when the engine is actually running instead of like most gauges, when the key is on.

There are three different models that fit either Mercruiser and Mercruiser Hi-Performance engines, 2-stroke outboards, or 4-stroke outboards. Yamaha has a similar monitor for their applications.

This is a great item to have, especially if you do not have room or the budget to install a full in-dash gauge."

This unit has its own power source, and only needs one wire wrapped around a spark plug lead, and a wire going to the engine ground. This is why the helm key has no effect on the time recorded.

Happy boating!

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Engine's clock

Hi,

i have a boat with a Mercruiser 350 Magnum engine.

Is there any way to decrease hours on the boat's engines clock, or to stop it from moving forward?

what part exactly saves the number of km of the clock?

Thanks,
Dora.

Disconnect it under the dash.....
My boat doesn't have one, so I don't worry about it.....
For the above mentioned reasons, it really isn't a reliable way to meter an engine's over all health anyway....
Welcome to iboats, btw.....​

 

[chadelliott]

Re: Engine's clock

That doesn't mean much, which coil wire. It (the hour meter) will still be running anytime the ignition switch is in the run position.

If the hour meter is hooked up per the installation instructions for the meter, it will be activated any time the ignition switch is in the run position.
There are a few that think there is some reason to get EXACT hours of when the engine is running. Usually by hooking it up to an oil pressure switch. The problem is, is this is usually done on old boats with some undetermined amount of hours, and is then said to be accurate.............. I mean, come on guys, what is the EXACT amount of running time good for anyway?

Thought it would have been obvious when I said it only records when the motor is running!

 

[cr2k]

Re: Engine's clock

We seem to have gotten away from the real question here, Why do you want to DC the hour meter? If it is ticking in the ON position reconnect it to the + side of the coil so it will only tick in the RUN position.

Ok for a reference on my truck it records the hours and the miles so
3000 hours is roughly 100,000 miles. So a boat with even 500 hours is not that bad.

 

[achris]

Re: Engine's clock

.... If it is ticking in the ON position reconnect it to the + side of the coil so it will only tick in the RUN position.....

AHHHH?????

'RUN' and 'ON' is that same thing!

3 positions on a boat ignition switch, OFF, RUN, START....

Electrically the ON side of the key switch is exactly the same as the + side of the coil (for points ignition), both are powered with the key in the RUN (ON) position!

Sheesh!!

Apart from all that ^^^ there are just 2 things wrong with that plan....
1. On some electronic ignitions, the + side of the coil is hit with 400v. Your hour meter is going to freak when that hits it.
2. On Points ignition, with a ballast resistor, the + side of the coil only has about 7.5v on it, with the key on. Your hour meter may not run with that low voltage....

So, back to the OP... Why do you want to decrease the hours count?

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Engine's clock

most of the old analog ones can be popped open and the numbers spun to any reading you want....
new hour meters can be installed
used ones can be installed
in the end it all means very little in boat value and isn't worth the effort or moral remorse if you have any

 

[havasuboatman]

Re: Engine's clock

If the motor is EFI it doesn't matter if the dash clock is working or not. The computer keeps time...Always.