Corky's Build

[Papee]

Great info Corky, some aren't aware of matching the sending unit to the gauge. For those that don't want to get into this whole electrical end there are complete gauge kits a available with sending units included.

[Corky]

Here's the rule bilge pump and float switch installed in the hull.. I am waiting on the stainless steel mesh to finish up the install...

[Corky]

The fine print on the float switch/ bilge pump states they're not for structural failure of the hull where water is coming in at a great volume......OK then...That's exactly why I bough such a big pump !! .. Like I said I'll be going down with the ship if it can't keep up...What I've done before is simply beat the rip together to keep the water from pouring in and shoot for home...

I do have an epoxy stick that's going in the toolbox on this boat so if I do split the hull I'll head for shallow water,knead up the epoxy and slap it over the damage and hopefully get it home...

Next up in the electrical component line-up is the rectifier....I bought a finned harley davison unit that Chuck{airboat pros} had suggested... It's a new unit from japan that replaces a number of rectifiers ...Part numbers it replaces are Regulator/ Rectifiers # 74510-75A, 74512-79A, 77510-75A ....If anyone wants to search for one to use I snagged this one off Ebay for $27.00 dollars shipped to my door...Can't beat that...Here's the link if anyone is interested...http://www.ebay.com/itm/252415823785...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Next problem was where to place it on the boat...On the motorcycle they're mounted up front facing forward to catch air for cooling...So I wanted to install it where the air can pass over it to help keep it cool...
Here's what I did...I made a custom bracket by modifying the original 084 choke solenoid pull-off bracket...Then mounted it to the Circle S redrive case where the air can pass over the fins...Here's the pics..

[Corky]

Here's the progress with the bilge pump system...I made an inclosure for the pump and float using a high grade stainless mesh...I cut holes for the two to sit in the inclosure then screwed the mounts down over the mesh...It fits tight against the bottom of the hull...This should keep any large debris from clogging the system...I then cut the through-hull fitting hole and installed the fitting with some sealer between the components...And lastely the 1 1/16 bilge pump hose was installed and clamped down...Other than possibly a "P"clamp to hold the hose at the rear gusset it's ready for the wiring when I get to that point...

[Corky]

On to the oil temperature gauge's sending unit..
This unit is a faria single station,american resistance,standard ground sending unit with 1/2 inch {NPT} threads...These come in different size mounting threads depending on where you need to mount it....
I chose to mount mine in the oil pan...My reasoning is : It's a happy medium of the oil temperature throughout the system...Taking the reading close to where the oil is getting picked up and sent through the engine...Mounting it in one of the lines before or after the oil cooler or possibly somewhere on the engine block would make the gauge read accordingly higher or lower depending on where it's located...

Why 1/2 NPT threads ??? Well, I was hoping to simply screw this into one of the 084s oil pan plug holes and be done with it...But after recieving sending unit I quickly realized it's not going to fit at my first choice of locations in the front oil plug hole because of the limited clearance using the Circle S three point engine mounting system..Not only will I not have enough room to install it... Even if I dropped the oil pan and installed the sending unit then reinstalled the pan it still would'nt have enough room for the installed unit !!! ..That leaves me with the right rear pan plug...

I've read different threads on here where some have suggested to install the oil temp unit in the 084s oil pan but have'nt seen any pics or real info on doing this..Now I know why...The sending units have NPT{national pipe} threads...These threads are tapered with an increasing diameter through out the run so as you screw the unit in it gets tighter until the resistance fit seals the threads...The oil pan drain plugs have 3/4-16 NF{national fine}threads that are the same diameter and rely on a brass washer to seal up the pan...

So technically it's over,done, not going to happen with the mismatched threads...BUT!! and as usual you knew there'd be a "but" in here...The 1/2 inch NPT threads are VERY close to the 3/4-16NF threads without the obvious taper of those NPT threads...What did I do ??? I cut new threads on the sending unit...Basically cutting the taper out of the threads to give me the 3/4-16 threads I need to make the sending unit work in the pan...It worked perfectly !!! Now the sending unit threads in easily all the way to the tapered seat where the threads end...All that's needed now is a nylon spacer behind the brass sealing washer and it's a done deal...

Here's the pics.. First up is the original configuration with the NPT threads...Second pic is the 084s original magnetic pan plug and brass washer and the sending unit with the cut, matching threads... And lastely the sending unit in it's new home..It threads smoothly but snug without any binding...

[Corky]

Next up is plumbing the oil cooler... I'm using -6AN fittings for the system...The hose is -6AN{3/8} stainless steel/nylon braiding that has a 1000 psi burst pressure and a 500* operating temp...

I wanted to leave the 084s original engine block hose fittings intact...So what I did was to cut the aluminum union fitting from a 1/4-18NPT thread to the 084s thread size which is a 1/2-20 NF thread...Again these threads are very close to each other basically taking the taper out of the aluminum NPT union fitting threads making them into the desired thread configuration... The annodized union already has a backcut/taper on the end that mates to the 084s brass hose fittings all that was needed is to cut the threads and let the union bottom out in the 084s original brass hose fitting...

Pics show the anodized union with original and cut threads...And the system configuration line routing...I have some nice clamps coming to keep the lines in check...

[Corky]

I'm in the process of wiring the boat and wanted to share some details on the type and color of the wiring...I'm going to use the accepted standard of wiring colors..Sounds easy right ??? Well, it's not that easy..It seems some manufacturers use a different "standard" than others.... View 5 different site's color chart and there's always some small variation with some wire colors and tracers{the small contrasting stripe on the wire}...Here's an example of what I'm refering to.. http://www.cpperformance.com/t-boat_wiring_colors.aspx Now view some outboard manufacturers wiring color codes and it gets confusing real quick...The best advice I can give on this is make your own wiring chart for the colors you've used if even just for your future reference...Trust me, you won't remember the wiring a year from now when you need to deal with an issue...

Here's an example of the wiring I'm using...This is the marine wiring harness for the ignition switch...

[Corky]

According to the boat wiring standards...Starter solenoid gets a yellow/red wire...Magneto kill wire gets black/yellow...Oil pressure switch gets light blue...And speaking of oil pressure I snagged the 084s original water tight connector and added it to the new sending unit...Same with the stator wiring connector the original water tight connection is getting reused...A little dielectric grease and the connections will stay trouble free for years...

[Corky]

Well it's a good thing the garage is climate controlled...We have a heat wave going here for days with temps close to 100 and high humidity...So I worked in the garage most of the weekend on the wiring routing,soldering and the wiring loom...
The marine wiring gets all end connectors crimped,soldered, and finally the heat shrink tubing...I'm using the higher grade"double wall" marine heat shrink tubing...It works well and the sealer flows nicely out each end of the work...The engine starter pos{+} cable has a thick sleeve over it from the oil pan up to the starter for added protection against abrasion over the years....After all the engine's wiring connectors were finished the wires were then routed through the convoluted split wiring loom...I use a band of heat shrink tubing on the loom's ends to keep it from opening up...You could use electrical tape for this but I don't want to deal with the tape unraveling in the future from the heat...The loom intersections have the marine heat shrink tubing also...It makes for a nice,clean harness...

The harness routing took alot more time than I was thinking ...Hours and hours of planning dealing with safety,maintence,possible component failure, and heat as the major factors in the routing...All charging system wiring has it's own harnesses..All fused pos{+} leads have their own harness..Sending units have their own harness...Neg{-}returns have their own harness etc... I could have run all the wiring together and up to the console but ANY system failures with all the wiring together spells disaster so with each system separated I should be able to get home in the event of catastrophic failure..

Speaking of catastrophic failures there's now a master electrical disconnect switch to isolate the battery that's within easy reach of the operator I'll cover that later...

I settled on running the wiring harness'es down to below the oil pan and forward from there...I've got the harnesses secured to a degree I'm happy with...I just cant run the wires and let them swing in the air with too much slack to make problems...Anyhow, here's some pics of the harness work in progress...I also installed the 6AN hose separators for the oil cooler you can see them in these pics...Also I ran the thermocoupler for the CHT gauge so the engine life support system is coming together nicely...

[Corky]

It's amazing how simple the wiring appears when you're designing the system...But then you start to actually get the work done and reality sets in...... I've been in electrical system mode for days now and I still have a long way to go...But I'll give a quick update...I've installed the wiring master switch...And made an access door to the fuse panel..

[Corky]

I'm now ready to add the upper console to the wiring process...As we've discussed before the console is {from what I can tell} an ABS plastic that needs some UV protection...That translates into painting the console...There's no way of telling if any UV ray inhibitors were added to the plastic during manufacturing so we'll assume not...

I use an adhesion promoter before I spray the actual dye on the part...The stuff I like to use is Bulldog brand..It's worked very well for me over the years on all plastic surfaces to keep the color coat from peeling off...Bulldog is'nt a paint it softens up the plastic and in general acts much like the etching primer step for metal paint prep...Here's a pic of the two cans being used for the process...I was going to take the easy way out and use Krylon fusion paint but guess what ??? It's being phased out and is hard to find... With that being said the Bulldog and dye is actually a step up from that route and I know I'll get years of service from the coatings...

[Corky]

In the meantime, while the console is drying the Faria gauges are recieving their new LED illumination lights...These are Samsung T10 that use only 1watt of power !! Compare that to the standard bulb that's close to 4 watts and you'll see why I've used LED lights everywhere on the boat...It adds up to a big savings on charging capacity...I'm only using a small lawnmower size battery and every watt counts with the 084s charging system from what I've heard...

[Corky]

With the Faria gauges installed I can make up the custom subharnesses for the illumination circuit...Each harness has soldered and sealed connections... The gauge lighting will be run off a toggle switch so they're not on all the time...I'm giving myself enough wire so I can lift off the top of the console from the base and set it aside{on the seat} to make any future repairs/additions to the assembly if needed...
Toggle switches are wired as follows:
The navigation lights are wired to a double pole double throw toggle so when centered it's off, one position will illuminate both the bow and cage light...The other position will light only the cage {mooring}light...A heavy duty marine power port can be energized by a toggle, I did'nt want it hot unless it's being used..Another toggle is the bilge pump manual override...Speaking of bilge pump it's also wired directly to a battery fused connection routed through the float switch for it's extended summer docking here at the house..
That sums up the choices of how I routed the circuits...

[Corky]

Another area of concern for me was how the cage and bow navigation wiring will get to it's destination...The bow light wiring gets run up the length of the boat through the gunwale P channel that's the easy choice...But how do I get it from the console to the boat hull ???...And what about the cage wiring ???... I don't really want plastic loom running all over the cage anymore than needed...Especially up close to the prop and exhaust...Not to mention how cluttered the plastic wire loom looks when it's run all over the place...Less is definitely better IMO....But the wires need to be run somehow......Well, here's what I did...I drilled a few stragetically placed holes in the cage tubing...Fished the wiring through the tubes..Then installed rubber grommets to keep the marine wires from rubbing on the way in/out of the tubing...A few bullit connectors were added so when the cage gets detached the wiring is not an issue...

At least the navigation wiring is hidden for the most part and I feel better about trying to do something about keeping the cage uncluttered...

[Corky]

I'm down to the final stages of the wiring..The master kill switch gets closed up which involves a protective coating on the terminals..A silicon grease on the access lid to help with keeping moisture to a minimum...And finally a set screw in the lid so it can't slip off during operation..

I'll throw in a pic of how all terminals are crimped and soldered...Combine this with the marine heat shrink tubing and I should get years of service from the wiring harness..

[Corky]

Finishing up the wiring and last on the list is the fuse block and console mating...Tethered engine kill switch is located front, on the console base....There's a seal on the fuse block door and a seal for the base/console to help keep the water out as much as possible...
As recommended for an aluminum hull all grounds go to a central,isolated grounding point{leading back to the battery neg terminal} and no circuits are run back "through the hull" so there's no free current running through the hull ...The motor mounts isolate the engine for the most part which has the main negative cable for ground..But the exhaust is grounded so the hull bonding is through the exhaust {it's reccomended a single,small bonding wire to the hull keeping the stray currents the same value between the components..The muffler brackets should do that job...Combine that with a magnesium sacrificial annode{more on that later} below the water and I should'nt have any corrosion trouble with an extended stay in the water...

Anyhow, here's a few pics of the fuse panel and the final configuration of the gauge console...

[aerokirk]

Nice job on the wiring Corky!
I noticed your hand written text on your CHT but it should read max of 475 degrees instead of 375. That's per Table I (Operational Temperature Limits) in the 4A084 Specs document. I'm sure you'll blow through 375 degrees quickly when you accelerate as mine runs close to if not a bit above 475 degrees at high speeds.

Also, you'll find out that the bezel is not watertite on that CHT gauge and you'll most likely get condensation inside if you leave it out in the rain. I made a vinyl cover for my instrument panel when not in use and it seems to work well.

[Corky]

Hi Ted...Well heck...I guess I'll reconfigure the gauge operating colors and specs...I'm glad you caught that I was doing too much at one time I guess... I was looking at that bezel during install and was thinking about adding an illumination light but the supplied hole in the back is really small...I saw there was a kit available for it but I thought I might be able to bump up the size to match the rest of the gauge bulbs...I'll save that battle for another time...

On the watertight issue...I did'nt seal around any of the gauges when I installed them into the console{I still may do that in the future with some "dum-dum" butyl ribbon} until the operation of them have been confirmed...I have no illusions of this being watertight no matter what I do...But I wanted to do the best I could if only to keep the majority of moisture and insects out...I was'nt happy with the horn button in the original layout and have replaced that with a marine grade button if anyone has caught that..

What I am doing is having some rain covers made up for the engine/prop inside the cage...A cover that will go over the console area including the grab bar so everything is covered there...And lastely the seats will get some covers as well...Hopefully that will keep the rain damage to a minimum...I have'nt reached the point of what I'll be doing for the winter weatherization yet...One thing for sure once the boat goes on the trailer it's NOT going to fit in the garage even with the higher door openings I can see that already....

[Corky]

With the electrical system finished up I'm on to the last area of construction !!! .. Time for round two of the rudder designs...First up is the easy part..The red stripes...

[Corky]

While the stripes are drying I'll finish up some odds and ends...Consisting of changing the CHT gauge working range from 375* to 475* and moving the color coded bar up to the proper redline {Thanks Ted}..Then I reinstalled the starter after I reclocked the moisture drain hole {see the thread that has the details on that}....And rounding out the "to do" list for the day is drilling the Circle S reduction's idler adjuster so I can add a safety wire to hold everything together and not customize the prop...The cotter pin is just for illustration purposes...Thanks again Ted you sure are keeping me out of trouble ..