Engine hour counter...

[trundler]

Hi all or anyone with an answer.

 

Our engine hour counter on a beta43 engine. When its cold or damp will not register. When its hot, it works intermittently,. I don't know enough about this to take it to bits to have a look. any knowledgeable person out there have any ideas, please. many thank.s

[Machpoint005]

Is the counter getting a constant signal? It may perhaps be yet another manifestation of the multi-disconnector we discussed yesterday.

(That's without looking at a wiring diagram, so the usual riders apply...)

[Roger Crown]

Hi, you may find the answer here, albeit a quite complicated one !

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=71195&hl=%2Bvdo+%2Bhour+%2Bmeter

 

 

[john6767]

The recommendation from Beta it to take it off and put in in the airing cupboard for a few days to dry it out. That did not work for me so I went the simple, but expensive route, and replaced the unit.

[Leo No2]

I had that problem a couple of years ago with a Beta 43 instrument panel. It did dry out in the summer and had been keeping an accurate count of the engine hours but just not displaying them. I now have half a dozen silica gel 'packets' around the tachometer which I replace every six months or so and have had no further problems.

[Iain_S]

The Beta hour counter on Kelpie didn't work. I was resigned to the complex route above, and took the tacho apart on a reconaissance mission. I gave the hours counter display ribbon cable a rub with a cloth and switch cleaner where it plugs into the instrument and re-assembled it.

 

It now works, but it's only been a few months, so not too sure how long it'll last.

 

The instrument was a bit of a pig to take apart and put together again, and that was without removing the needle and black display label

 

Iain

[Chewbacka]

If you don't get it working, these are easy to wire in and much cheaper than a replacement rev counter/hours meter.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hour-meter-6-80V-Counter-Tech-Generator-Car-Boat-Motorcycle-ATV-Dirt-Bike-12V-/360735159789?hash=item53fd7db5ed

 

I put one of these on my boat but switched by a spring operated micro switch (actually a motorbike brake light switch) which only operates when forward drive is engaged on the gear box. So just for my amusement I know know the engine hours from the original meter and propulsion hours from this.

[ditchcrawler]

If you don't get it working, these are easy to wire in and much cheaper than a replacement rev counter/hours meter.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hour-meter-6-80V-Counter-Tech-Generator-Car-Boat-Motorcycle-ATV-Dirt-Bike-12V-/360735159789?hash=item53fd7db5ed

 

I put one of these on my boat but switched by a spring operated micro switch (actually a motorbike brake light switch) which only operates when forward drive is engaged on the gear box. So just for my amusement I know know the engine hours from the original meter and propulsion hours from this.

I thought about that but never got round to it, just to see how many hours the engine idles for without using it just to charge batteries, what sort of numbers/percentages did you get?

[Bunny]

Ours gave up altogether, no hours no rev counter ect . Had a new one fitted about 4 years ago , fine so far . Bunny

[Chewbacka]

Depends on how many locks etc - I tend to leave the engine on idle in locks - but from memory it's often less than 50% propulsion, but of course the engine is working harder when moving, so for diesel usage I'm probably about 60% propulsion which surprised me. But no diesel boiler.

[trundler]

Hello again,

 

Thank you very much for your replies and I will give some of them a try.. thank you.