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My gauge is accurate, but not in line with the quarter markings. The device is just a cork on a wire line. It shows 3/4 full when it is actually full, and then goes all the way around to 3/4 again when it’s empty, so..each “quarter” is actually a 1/5th, or around 16 gallons per quarter. I’ve done several tests to prove that out.
I use a flashlight to shine a light through to the gauge to see the indicator. That is awkward but effective.Of course yours’ may be different, but filling it and measureing how much you put in vs where the needle is indicating the level in graduations of 15 or 20 gallons, should give you a good feedback on the accuracy of your paricular gauge.
fair winds,
Joe Steiner
S/V Half Moon
Trinidad.— On Wed, 5/13/09, kalinowski <> wrote:
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Dan,
You can replace the lens in the deck portlight with new acrylic, and the fuel gauge with an identical unit from West Marine. Then it works well enough.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Hi Dan,
I've replaced the gauge head and left the original float thing the way it was. You can still purchase the dial – it's like $15.00. Mine is pretty accurate. As far as the portlight goes, replacing the acrylic is a royal pain in the ass if the inner ring has corroded. You can polish the lens with flitz or something like it. I have a little light inside that is on when the ignition key is on and allows you to see gauge easily at night and with difficulty during the day.
I'm thinking of going electric for around $80.00 for the whole kit and kaboodle at West and replacing the portlight with a watertight stainless steel or bronze deck plate.
Bob
On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 8:48 AM, Silver Heels < ([email][/email])> wrote:
Quote:Dan,
You can replace the lens in the deck portlight with new acrylic, and the fuel gauge with an identical unit from West Marine. Then it works well enough.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Original Message
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Just an observation FWIW. I flew airplanes for twenty years, and became adept in each type of knowing fuel time versus power settings. Obviously in an airplane running out of fuel is a problem. Most of the aircraft I flew had four to eight tanks. SO you had the additional issue of running out of fuel from the intake tank if you managed say the other five poorly; or you could lose fuel if the fuel not burned and returned to a particular tank, if that tank was full when fuel was being returned. In either case running out of fuel on an airplane is not a good practice and a career limiting move. My 424 has eighty gallons capacity. I know if I use a particular power setting I can count on fuel burn of one gallon per hour. I keep track on a little loose leaf note pad about 2 inches by 4. How many hours’ run time. When I get to 40, I add fuel.
I bet if you did your own measurements at say 2750 RPM you would find the same fuel burn with the standard installed westerbeke. If you are grossly off, well, you know something needs attention.
After all those years flying airplanes, I must confess, I really don’t worry about fuel the same way in a Pearson, as opposed to say a Pilatus. And, after all, an airplane doesn’t have sails.
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Dan
I replaced mine along with everything else. Notes found at http://www.richardcarter.net/repower/index.html
The original uses a swing-arm type transducer. It drops slowly as fuel is consumed first, then rapidly close to the bottom. This is partly due to the design of the tank where it gets smaller toward the bottom. The replacement transducer is electronic and slides up and down a tube. The slider provides a more linear relationship to fuel level. The fuel gauge is on the instrument cluster. Looking through that stupid peep-hole to see fuel level was stupid.Regards
Rich
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I converted my mechanical fuel sending unit by replacing the caspule with Tempo #420110 electric caspule and installing a fuel gauge by the Nav Station. With this caspule you can still look at the gauge through the viewing port (if your glass is not shot) and read it or read the inside fuel gauge.
Look at page 16 for more info on the attached URL http://www.tempoproducts.com/pdf/tempo_2004_catalog_low.pdf
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The original Westerbeke manuals (somewhere on this site in .PDF format) have fuel burn graphs that are really accurate – from 1900 rpm or so, a burn of a little less than a gallon an hour to 2300 rpm with a fuel burn of 3+ gallons per hour only increases speed through the water with clean hull from about 6.2-6.4 kts to 7.2-7.3 kts – hardly worth the extra fuel burn in my opinion. This is for the W58.
Bob
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Bob Fine
s/v Pelican
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I find the original gauge on Easy Reach easy to read if I clean the sight glass and shine the beam from a small flashlight on the gauge through the glass abd peer through the glass at the same time. The gauge is accurate, but then we are hull #206, one of the last built in 1983.
Norris Larson
— On Wed, 5/13/09, Silver Heels <> wrote:
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I don’t remember whether I used Plexiglas (acrylic) or Lexan (polycarbonate) when I replaced the portlight lens above my fuel gauge. I think (I hope) it was acrylic. My understanding (thanks to Google) is that acrylic, while less impact-resistant than polycarbonate, is more scratch-resistant. It will remain clear a lot longer, and in this application it seems to me clarity is the overriding factor. Polycarbonate (Lexan), in addition to scratching, also yellows over time from ultraviolet rays, further reducing our ability to read the gauge beneath it.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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But acrylics have not so good chemical resistance and will stress craze. Polycarbonate is very tough, (though damaged by gasoline), is very chemical resistant to oils and diesel and much much tougher to impact. It does cost a lot more.
— On Thu, 5/14/09, Silver Heels <> wrote:
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Decisions, decisions.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Or..tempered glass !
— On Thu, 5/14/09, Silver Heels <> wrote:
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How do you cut & drill tempered glass?
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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I don’t…..unless you can find a piece that is already shaped. I was just adding to your delemma to make a decision….poor attempt at levity…
— On Thu, 5/14/09, Silver Heels <> wrote:
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Any glass place can cut you a tempered glass circle to fit. Before plastic, all sight glasses were glass (hence the name, and not 'sight plastics'). Tempered glass cuts like regular glass – the difference is that safety glass does not – it has a polycarbonate film between sheets and therefore doesn't cut properly.
Still, you could get a piece of 1/2″ thick glass from a glass place that isn't safety glass. You'd have to be careful of dropping large hammers, wrenches and the like on the thing – but glass is surprisingly strong, especially if it's thick.
That said, for the cost and aggravation of replacing that plastic, I'd go the whole hog and put an electric fuel gauge in and put a deck plate over the hole for access. I may even do that. I think about it every time I go past the things in West Marine. The whole job is just about 1 boat buck ($100). For a bronze or stainless deck plate add two more boat bucks. Maybe less if you go to a salvage place.
Right-o! Back to work for me.
Bob
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Bob Fine
s/v Pelican
Hull #8Post generated from Pearson424 Forum using Mail2Forum
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Sorry, didn’t mean to step on your joke there, Joseph. Anyway, my decision was made 2 years ago when I replaced the lens with (as I said earlier) either Plexiglas or Lexan. I believe at the time I opted for the more scratch-resistant Plexiglas. Today it’s as clear as when new.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Well, Bob, I do admire big spenders. The “cost and aggravation of replacing that plastic” in my case was a couple of dollars for the plastic + a couple of boat hours (equaling half-a-day for me) to cut and install it. I figure it’s now good for at least 10 years, perhaps more. Even putting cost and aggravation aside, I generally prefer simple mechanical devices over electronics when they accomplish the same end without undue extra effort. Of course, I’m a technologically challenged wrench blowing smoke at an engineer. I’m sure your way will be an improvement over Pearson’s original.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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I found a slightly larger stainless portlight at minneys
(http://www.minneysyachtsurplus.com/) for $26 and just replaced the whole
unit. I just had to expand the hole like 1/4″They had a bunch of them when they bought the inventory of pacific
seacraft. (quality stuff!) maybe they still have more?http://www.ontheboat.net/gallery2/v/Ra/Projects/portlight/IMG_4085.jpg.html
Quote:Well, Bob, I do admire big spenders. The “cost and aggravation of
replacing
that plastic” in my case was a couple of dollars for the plastic + a
couple
of boat hours (equaling half-a-day for me) to cut and install it. I figure
it’s now good for at least 10 years, perhaps more. Even putting cost and
aggravation aside, I generally prefer simple mechanical devices over
electronics when they accomplish the same end without undue extra effort.
Of
course, I’m a technologically challenged wrench blowing smoke at an
engineer. I’m sure your way will be an improvement over Pearson’s
original.Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Very nice!
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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