Yanmar Instrument Panel

[Plomong]

Hi all.

As the attached photo shows, the unrelenting summer sun in these parts has finally destroyed the outer layer on my Yanmar instrument panel. What is not visible is that the engine hours counter has not been showing data now for some three years.

A replacement panel, without seal, costs 104 GBP from www.yanmarshop.com, to which must be added post and packing for delivery in the Basque Country.

Several questions come to mind before doing this job as a DIY project:
A) Is it easy to remove the existing tacho, LED mounting board (for alarms), key switch, stop button, etc from the existing board without damaging them, and then remounting them on the new panel ? Or is this a job for the experts ?

B) Is the Yanmar seal (another 30+ GBP) really necessary, or will a decent bead of sikaflex be sufficient ?

C) The Yanmarshop web site does not give a price for a replacement tacho, but it looks like it could be very expensive so replacing the unit would not be economic. An independent, possibly mechanical rather than LCD, unit wired onto the alternator W terminal would obviously be cheaper -- I did this installation on a previous boat that had a Volvo-Penta engine. Any hints as to a source in the UK ?? The ones I have been able to locate (Force4, Acastillage Diffusion) have all been 2-terminal units and so count hours the batteries are connected and not motor running time.

D) Is it possible to read out from the tacho the current count, possibly using some bench-top electronic trickery ? Once dismounted, I would be game to try to extract the data if that were at all possible without destroying the unit.

E) The website does not specify a price for the panel facia itself, the part that has been destroyed by the sun. Can it be purchased separately ? Is removal of the existing facia possible ?

F) Can anyone recommend a reliable and cheap supplier for the panel or facia, and and for the tacho (if that is the best route) or running-hours counter (if choosing to install an independent unit) ?

G) Any caveats, gotchas, recommendations, etc, known to forumites who have solved this problem, maybe some other way ???

Plomong

 

[jwilson]

I am among probably thousands of others with similar Yanmar panels and nonworking-LCD tachos heading for a similar state. I know the dismantle and replace the LCD job has been done successfully by some, but I am reluctant to try it. I feel there is scope for an enterprising person with the knowledge and skills to build better quality replacement complete panels, at about half the cost of the eyewatering official Yanmar spare part price. A Volvo version could also be offered - their LCD tachos die too.

 

[RichardS]

Removal of all the attachments to the panel is easy so if you choose to buy the new panel it's easy to swop everything over.

My identical panels have split at the corners but I've bought some brass corner pieces after a link from a forumite which I will fit this Spring.

There is a long thread from last September about cleaning the tacho internally and getting the hours to work again. I've had some success with the method outlined and posted my results on that thread. It's fiddly but do-able and the ideal time to do it would be when you have the panel apart as you have to completely remove the tacho to do the cleaning.

I don't think there's any "amateur" way to get the stored data off the hours memory.

My seals were in perfect condition so I don't think you will need to replace them.

My stick on logo layers are in perfect nick but it's the plastic "chassis" which is broken. I think if my logo layer was broken like yours I would just remove the panel and take the logo layer off. I'm not sure what the transparent bit over the warning lights looks like but I'm sure you could do something neater with a sheet of thin clear plastic and some dymo-tape type stuff.

Richard

 

[ksutton]

I think the price of £104 you mention is for the panel only without the Tacho, buttons and warning lights. These are easily changed from old panel to a new panel, not high tech at all, providing they are in reasonable condition. I would recommend changing the gasket at the same time and wouldn't recommend alternative resealing.

I did a lot of research locating a supplier three years ago when I had to replace my panel and French marine were one of the few Yanmar suppliers who had reliable information, reasonable pricing and immediate delivery. Unfortunately looking at these latest prices there seems to have been about 50% increase since I got mine 3 years ago.

Here is a link to their Yanmar panel web page.

www.frenchmarine.com/searchresults.aspx?search=yanmar panel

 

[mcanderson]

I did mine 2 years ago. Takes about an hour. No need for any seals. I used some silicon to help it seal in the instrument panel. No issues since. My corners had also packed up and the key mechanism had been pushed in by a guest on board.

At least they are back in stock. I had to order one from Australia as they did run out for a while.

Had already replaced my tacho. Could be bothered try to adjust the hours, my maintenance log has that covered.

 

[Plomong]

Removal of all the attachments to the panel is easy so if you choose to buy the new panel it's easy to swop everything over.

Spent quite a bit of time today sitting in the cockpit locker studying and photographing the rear of the panel. I'm now more confident that what you say is true, so I'll get a new panel and seal and do the job myself.

There is a long thread from last September about cleaning the tacho internally and getting the hours to work again. I've had some success with the method outlined and posted my results on that thread. It's fiddly but do-able and the ideal time to do it would be when you have the panel apart as you have to completely remove the tacho to do the cleaning.

I'll search for the thread you mention and study it carefully. Thanks for the reference. I would be delighted to get the counter to show its reading again.

When you cleaned the gung inside the tacho, did you reseal the internal cavity beside the LCD panel, or apply any protection to the chip or wiring inside ?? I saw a few days ago a short post (found it on another forum via Google)where someone had done this repair and suggested adding protection on the exposed wires.

I don't think there's any "amateur" way to get the stored data off the hours memory.

Didn't think so, but thought that maybe there could be a way in which a more capable professional could do the trick. I'm retired now, but worked in Ingeteam (look up website www. and .com) where former colleagues would regard such tricks as trivial, even on a home workbench.

Anyway, if the unit cannot be got to work again the loss of the existing count is not the end of the world.

My seals were in perfect condition so I don't think you will need to replace them.

My boat was incorrectly delivered with a wheel and converted to tiller by the dealer. In the process, the motor panel was moved to the cockpit side wall and Sikaflex added between the seal and the glassfibre cockpit wall, so the old seal will not be reusable.

I think if my logo layer was broken like yours I would just remove the panel and take the logo layer off. I'm not sure what the transparent bit over the warning lights looks like but I'm sure you could do something neater with a sheet of thin clear plastic and some dymo-tape type stuff.

When I have the new panel in place I'll add a protective cover for when the boat is not in use to keep the sun off. That should prevent a recurrence. The panel faces SW and has the full force of the sun on it in the summer for most of the day, hence the deterioration.

Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts,

Plomong

 

[Plomong]

I think the price of £104 you mention is for the panel only without the Tacho, buttons and warning lights.

Yes, the price is for the bare panel, no instruments, and apparently no seal.

. . Tacho, buttons and warning lights. These are easily changed from old panel to a new panel, not high tech at all, providing they are in reasonable condition.

That is reassuring, so I'll go the replacement panel route.

I would recommend changing the gasket at the same time and wouldn't recommend alternative resealing.

OK. I'll follow your recommendation, and also omit the sealant. If experience shows water ingress I can always reseal it later with Sikaflex.

I did a lot of research locating a supplier three years ago when I had to replace my panel and French marine were one of the few Yanmar suppliers who had reliable information, reasonable pricing and immediate delivery. Unfortunately looking at these latest prices there seems to have been about 50% increase since I got mine 3 years ago.

Here is a link to their Yanmar panel web page.

www.frenchmarine.com/searchresults.aspx?search=yanmar%20panel

Thanks for the recommendation -- will contact them tomorrow for a quote including post and package.

Plomong

 

[RichardS]

When you cleaned the gung inside the tacho, did you reseal the internal cavity beside the LCD panel, or apply any protection to the chip or wiring inside ?? I saw a few days ago a short post (found it on another forum via Google)where someone had done this repair and suggested adding protection on the exposed wires.

I just cleaned up the crud (although the crud in mine was very little compared to the photos on the walk-through). I did think about plastering some silicon grease around the IC to protect it but in the end I just cleaned it up, my thinking being that if any residual moisture gets under the grease then it's well and truly sealed in and even the "hair-dryer" treatment won't produce a temporary respite from the blank screen.

If you do the clean-up method carefully it is impossible to tell that the tacho has been dis-assembled and rebuilt so, if it's stopped working again when I return to the boat this Spring, I might clean it again and bung in the grease next time.

Richard

 

[davidmh]

On my Bukh 20 I had no engine hours counter originally and a friend who was re-equipping had a mechanical hours counter he did not want. I connected it to the engine key terminal which is on when in the run position, the meter then clocks up the hours run when the key is in the on position which is effectively the same as the engine running hours, had no problems in 20 years, You cannot reset the numbers but thats not a problem.

David MH