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Barrus/Yanmar Control Panel Issue


Froggy

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Folks, I've just received a worrying text from my other half saying she went to start the engine and the control panel 'lit up like a Christmas tree' and started buzzing. She says she turned it off immediately. I'm not sure whether she actually had the engine running. The boat is in a poor signal area and I can't get her on the phone to find out more. Everything was OK yesterday when I was onboard but I won't be back until tomorrow. I'm thinking she has disturbed some wiring when she reached into the recess to get some tins of paint out, but it's only a wild guess and could actually be an engine fault. Any ideas? It's a Barrus Shire (Yanmar) 1950 and has the basic control panel, i.e. the one with just the rev counter and warning lights for oil, water temperature etc.

Edited by Froggy
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I used to have a Barrus Shire with the full panel & I seem to remember the panel's lighting up & buzzing occured when you first switch on the ignition & before you turn the key to engage the starter and it also does it when you stop the engine & before you turn off the ignition. Could that be what your other half was experiencing?

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I have a Barrus Shire with basic panel (warning lamps for battery, temperature and oil).

 

I have just part-turned the key to remind myself what happens. The battery warning light and buzzer both came on. The temperature and oil warning lights did not.

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43 minutes ago, BargeeSpud said:

I used to have a Barrus Shire with the full panel & I seem to remember the panel's lighting up & buzzing occured when you first switch on the ignition & before you turn the key to engage the starter and it also does it when you stop the engine & before you turn off the ignition. Could that be what your other half was experiencing?

 

13 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

I have a Barrus Shire with basic panel (warning lamps for battery, temperature and oil).

 

I have just part-turned the key to remind myself what happens. The battery warning light and buzzer both came on. The temperature and oil warning lights did not.

 

 

Thanks for the input folks, but this won't be the issue. We've had the boat about four years so my other half is familiar with starting and stopping the engine. I'm now thinking maybe the belt snapped, or water/oil got low, but the latter would indicate a leak because I check levels every time before starting engine as per Barrus recommendations. What I'm looking for here is any suggestions as to something more untoward. I'm still trying to get in touch with her to find out whether the engine was actually running at the time or whether the issue was just on startup. 

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4 minutes ago, Froggy said:

 

 

 

Thanks for the input folks, but this won't be the issue. We've had the boat about four years so my other half is familiar with starting and stopping the engine. I'm now thinking maybe the belt snapped, or water/oil got low, but the latter would indicate a leak because I check levels every time before starting engine as per Barrus recommendations. What I'm looking for here is any suggestions as to something more untoward. I'm still trying to get in touch with her to find out whether the engine was actually running at the time or whether the issue was just on startup. 

One stoopid ?. What time was it? (Told you it was stoopid). Remember that the rev counter has a lamp in it (for when you travel after dark !!)

Alternatively, take a careful look at the belt(s) - I had one instance where the bulk of the belt fell off leaving just the backing so it appeared intact to lazy inspection. Panel + buzzer (and eventual overheating) with engine running.

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2 hours ago, Opener said:

One stoopid ?. What time was it? (Told you it was stoopid). Remember that the rev counter has a lamp in it (for when you travel after dark !!)

Alternatively, take a careful look at the belt(s) - I had one instance where the bulk of the belt fell off leaving just the backing so it appeared intact to lazy inspection. Panel + buzzer (and eventual overheating) with engine running.

 

Thanks for the input. I finally got in touch with other half and she says the rev counter light is still working. Incidentally, there is a design flaw in this control panel setup imo. Apart from the fact that the hour counter hardly ever gives a visible reading (something I posted about in a separate thread a few years back), you can still run the engine with the ignition off, but the hour counter won't then accrue, therefore an unscrupulous owner wishing to sell at a future date could vastly understate the hourage.

Edited by Froggy
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The other half rang back and she says the engine was running for about 45 minutes before she heard the panel buzzing. Apparently the water temp light wasn't on but the others were. I'm hoping it is just a slack belt and will report back, but if anyone else has suggestions of anything else to look out for I'd be grateful to hear them so i can be armed with the information when I return to the boat. I'm slightly perturbed if, as she implied, the oil level light was on along with the battery light. Additionally, if I remember correctly from the Barrus manual, the water temperature light doesn't come on when you start the engine, only if the engine overheats, so if the bulb blows you wouldn't get any warning.

Edited by Froggy
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Yes, the multi-plug(s) in the main engine wiring harness.

 

Also remember electrical senders are arguably the most unreliable part of the installation so cause false alarms, but I can't see how a faulty oil pressure sender would put on the charge blight unless the diode pack in the panel had failed. Ditto a drive belt and the oil pressure lamp.

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4 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

Yes, the multi-plug(s) in the main engine wiring harness.

 

Also remember electrical senders are arguably the most unreliable part of the installation so cause false alarms, but I can't see how a faulty oil pressure sender would put on the charge blight unless the diode pack in the panel had failed. Ditto a drive belt and the oil pressure lamp.

 

I see what you mean. I'm assuming the drive belt only drives the alternators (it's a twin alternator version of the 1950) and the water pump and that the oil is totally unrelated to the belt and is pumped around by an impeller from the main drive shaft - in which case no risk of damage due to oil deprivation, just the possibility of damage from overheating. She's just sent me a photo and the belt is indeed in a bad way. Hopefully she heard the alarm sounding as soon as it began and turned the engine off immediately and therefore no damage done. I'm also hoping that the belt replacement isn't too much of a faff. I'm fairly sure we have a spare belt onboard. I'll be back at the boat later so can then investigate.

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3 hours ago, Froggy said:

 

I see what you mean. I'm assuming the drive belt only drives the alternators (it's a twin alternator version of the 1950) and the water pump and that the oil is totally unrelated to the belt and is pumped around by an impeller from the main drive shaft - in which case no risk of damage due to oil deprivation, just the possibility of damage from overheating. She's just sent me a photo and the belt is indeed in a bad way. Hopefully she heard the alarm sounding as soon as it began and turned the engine off immediately and therefore no damage done. I'm also hoping that the belt replacement isn't too much of a faff. I'm fairly sure we have a spare belt onboard. I'll be back at the boat later so can then investigate.

Good luck with finding that spare belt - we had to tear the boat apart to find ours!! Knew I'd seen - just not where 🤔.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 14/08/2021 at 15:41, Opener said:

Good luck with finding that spare belt - we had to tear the boat apart to find ours!! Knew I'd seen - just not where 🤔.

 

No problem finding the belt - and that was actually the problem. The belt was shredded and it took almost no effort to snap it in two.

A simple solution, and for once no cost to us because the replacement belt was on the boat, from the previous owner I believe. 

 

Except now, two weeks later, the alternator light has come on again and this time the belt is sound!!!  😱  I'll start a new thread for this one.....

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