engine hour instrument display problem

[superboots]

I have a VP engine hour display on my panel. This year the digital display within the Rev counter has mostly been blank. Sometimes the reading is shown - and when it does show it has added to the total hours of engine running time. so the counter is working but the display is intermittent and faint. How can I fix this?

 

[sailorman]

I have a VP engine hour display on my panel. This year the digital display within the Rev counter has mostly been blank. Sometimes the reading is shown - and when it does show it has added to the total hours of engine running time. so the counter is working but the display is intermittent and faint. How can I fix this?

It is a known problem, my Nanni panel has started to do the same. its the cold weather with mine heating up the panel & it will come good for a short time. i have considered adding mechanical counter into the ignition switch

 

[VicS]

I have a VP engine hour display on my panel. This year the digital display within the Rev counter has mostly been blank. Sometimes the reading is shown - and when it does show it has added to the total hours of engine running time. so the counter is working but the display is intermittent and faint. How can I fix this?

There is a published method of adding a new counter to the tacho but it is a new counter, counting from scratch, not just a new diplay

www.dolcetto.org.uk/downloads/Replace Volvo Penta Hours LCD.pdf

Alternatively you could simply install an hours counter over the chart table wiring it to run when the "ignition" is on.

In either case you could connect the new counter to a power supply and run it until the reading matches the total that the old one should show if you wish

 

[Spi D]

An ebay search for MARINE HOURMETER shows many, digital or analogue. Inexpensive..

 

[nigelmercier]

There is a published method of adding a new counter to the tacho but it is a new counter, counting from scratch, not just a new display.

As the editor of that document, the preferred site is in my signature below, click on the Downloads link.

You might first try opening the tachometer and putting it in a warm place for a few weeks.

If you do replace the LCD, could I ask that you send me the old LCD glass that you remove? I'm trying to source a replacement.

 

[FullCircle]

I replaced mine with a Farnell counter. I hooked it up to a 12v supply for a few weeks until it read 810 hours, then I fitted it to the boat.

 

[VicS]

As the author of that document, ..............

Note duly made so as to give you full credit next time

There was also an article in the July 2011 PBO magazine by Stu Davies ( "Skipper stu") that shows a similar repair.
PDF copies are available from the copyshop at £6.95.

 

[nigelmercier]

I replaced mine with a Farnell counter. I hooked it up to a 12v supply for a few weeks until it read 810 hours, then I fitted it to the boat.

Yes, there is a link to the item on the Farnell web site in the document. It is also available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00G5M42IS/dolcetto-21

I left mine at zero hours, as I had no idea when the old one failed.

Note duly made so as to give you full credit next time

I've changed my post above slightly. I actually compiled the document using details sent to me by Richard Davis (as noted at the end), it was a bit random originally.

 

[superboots]

In my case I don't think it is to do with temperature. This happened when the ambient temp was above 20 degrees. I was wondering if there was a way to restore the display as clock is working

 

[DipperToo]

Had the same issue with a Yanmar panel. Eye watering to replace.
Instead, bought one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LCD-Digit...tEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item33744d0c14 which I left on 12v until I had the same hours as on the original meter. No problems since last year. Just wire it to the +ve and -ve from the engine switch.

 

[Heckler]

In my case I don't think it is to do with temperature. This happened when the ambient temp was above 20 degrees. I was wondering if there was a way to restore the display as clock is working

What happens, if mine is anything to go by, is that the "glue" holding the ribbon cable to the "glass" gives up the ghost. Warming them appears to renew the connection and it works for a while. I sourced the display, carefully cut the plastic in the instrument and glued the display in. it works by taking power from the ign side of the instrument and so counts how long the ignition is on.
Stu

 

[bert49uk]

There is a published method of adding a new counter to the tacho but it is a new counter, counting from scratch, not just a new diplay

www.dolcetto.org.uk/downloads/Replace Volvo Penta Hours LCD.pdf

Alternatively you could simply install an hours counter over the chart table wiring it to run when the "ignition" is on.

In either case you could connect the new counter to a power supply and run it until the reading matches the total that the old one should show if you wish

Did this, quite an easy job to to apart from waiting for a month for hours to catch up!

 

[[70521]]

I record the engine hours in the log.

 

[gjgm]

Well, after not bothering for years as it looked somewhat tricky to dismantle the helm fixings to get the tachos out, I thought I might as well give it a go.
So, for anyone as hamfisted as I turned out to be, these tips may save you some grief and further costs !
I found that of you runa hairdryer aginst the old unit for 20 minutes you might just get a reading, so you know what to set the new hour counter to.
The job is pretty much as described. The original unit sits in a recessed tray and is held with some doubled sided adhesive strip, so you lever it out from the topside/front with a sharp knife, and its easy to unclip the ribbon from the circuit board.
The new unit is not an enclosed unit like the original, so you cant glue it back into the tray; you have to cut the recessed tray away so the circuit board sits far enough into the tacho. The new unit is also a different size. I drilled lots of holes around the tray edge and so sort of cut it out. I woudnt worry too much about being super tidy as you are going to have to use some sort of glue to hold the new pc board in place anyway.
Now, as the new unit isn't the same size it isn't so easy to ensure the readout aligns with the view window in the tacho dial fascia. You need to wire up the new unit and make sure it is aligned with this or your numbers will all end up at an angle. I used a tiny tiny amount of double sided tape and attached the unit to the back of the fascia, powered it up and wiggled it until I was happy it was dead aligned. The Perspex mount has three legs that take the mounting screws through the main tacho circuit board and the unit sits damn hard right up against one of them, so getting this to fit is a bit of an effort. Anyway, one you have tested it fits back together, you can permanently mount the new circuit board into your new cut space with glue/epoxy/whatever. I guess it may be practical simply to permanently fit the unit onto the back of the tacho fascia but I didn't want to do that in case this one went wrong too.
Ok, so hopefully you now have the new unit fitting nicely and aligned. There are 4 pins, one is obsolete for us, a + and - and one to "count", which also goes to the +. No need to cross the pins together- just take the two to the + supply. I solder them both onto the circuit board side of the tacho unit.. the large single blade is +. I thought I could also then take the - from one of the blades, but I got an erratic reading, so I cut a TINY V in both the tacho circuit board and the plastic mount and led the - wire up to the back of the tacho, and from there I will wire into a - on the helm somewhere.
Ok, so where I fouled up was soldering the wires to the new board as I dismounted two pins (and on both damn replacement boards). If you don't want to risk that use some of these
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281200991638?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648
and connect one end to the pin and the other end to your + or - , and then you aren't soldering anywhere near the board itself.
I also found some of these useful when trying to align the unit against the tacho fascia, as mentioned earlier
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140528431612?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649.
Then just wire up the unit at home for a few weeks and let it run up to your known hours, as mentioned right at the beginning.
So, second time round this was reasonably straight forward. I hope the suggestions save anyone else the irritation I had !

 

[johnalison]

Our VP engine hour counter packed up two years ago. This means that it was 11 years old at the time. Is this a record?

 

[sailorman]

My Nanni one only works in the summer, it doesnt like the cold these days

 

[Afraid Knot]

Well you can always have it repaired, we used http://www.speedycables.com/, based near Swansea, just over £100 for each gauge BUT they did manage to save all the readings, so our 20 year old plus Sealine shows the correct (lowish) hours. Speedy were quick, and good to deal with - no connection just great service.

 

[Stork_III]

Our VP engine hour counter packed up two years ago. This means that it was 11 years old at the time. Is this a record?

My 1995 HR31's VP gauge was still working when I sold the boat in 2010.