I've got a new toy...

[jwalker]

OK. Dash has seen a rewire, keeping it simple just the multi-function display, depth and fuel gauges.

Now I need to tease apart the rat's nest, identify the cables, check them out and lengthen or shorten them as necessary, make into a harness and route up to the back of the dash. And it's just started pishin doon so that's put an end to that plan for a while... Grrr... I need a barn...

Oh yeh, she's had her name added. It's her original name so I'm sticking with it...wouldn't want to upset old Neptune!

[jwalker]

Advancing slowly but surely.

The dash wiring is completed and terminated in multipole connectors. The top of the console and the screen have been refinished, now rebuilt and is ready for refitting.

[jwalker]

New panel is moulded directly onto the console to get an exact fit. It's going to be bolted through to regain strength for the area of console which had been removed during the previous fit out.

Batteries are fitted and the wiring has been untangled, spliced or replaced as necessary and brought out of the console top.

Tomorrow's job is to trim the cables to length, tidy them then terminate them in matching connectors to mate up with the dash connectors.

[jwalker]

Out with the old and in with the new....

[jeffstevens763@g]

nice neat job that JW

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

nice neat job that JW

Ta.

More work today. Made a passenger grab rail, heated, of course and began the reassembly. Keeping it nice and workboaty in style. Tomorrow is forecast rain so maybe a day off.

[Poly]

[QUOTE=jwalker;771579]Made a passenger grab rail, heated, of course /QUOTE]


Are you encouraging softies to join you onboard?

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by Poly

Are you encouraging softies to join you onboard?

Are you angling for a ride?!

Well that rain didn't arrive so wiring continued. All the connectors waiting to be connected!

Fingers crossed that I've kept my head around it all. Dash to fit later then switch on...Woo...

[Poly]

[QUOTE=jwalker;771636]Are you angling for a ride?! /QUOTE]

I’ve got gloves - you didn’t need to go to all that trouble for me ;-)

[jwalker]

Hehe, good one!

[jwalker]

Wiring done. Everything worked first time. Surprised? Me too!
Still to make a functions strip for the switches but otherwise complete.

There's a small cubby for the stuff needed to hand, sunnies, gloves etc, and there's an intercom in there too along with the VHF radio.

Interestingly, there were two Vtronix antennas, neither of them working, one with a whip the other with a stub inside the base. Turns out the the whip is broken off the stub in the other antenna and fitted into the hole in the second base. Who does this stuff? And on a police boat too!

However, after refurbishing one of them and fitting a new whip of the correct length, which I just happened to have!, the SWR is given as 1.2:1 on my meter - amazingly good, and confirmed by a radio check to the coastguard whose antenna has got to be 20 miles away over a hill, minimum.
I tried a tapered whip to prevent the fatigue that these antennas are prone to but it was about 45mm shorter - SWR down to 3:1 so not good but interesting that the standard length is spot on. I'm impressed by the Vtronix performance.

Next step is to give the engines a once-over......

[jwalker]

Been busy the last couple of days. The outboard skegs and props had been in the wars and needed a bit of TLC. The skegs were bent sideways and chipped and the props were a bit dinged with an old, not so good, repair to the left-hand one. Anyway, skegs are straightened, repaired and refinished and the left prop is done.

The props are modified in shape to give some bow lift and hold the water better when surfaced. Having grip when the boat is hopping out of the water makes for a much softer ride, and I like comfy...

Pics are:
Tidied up skegs.
Taking a pattern off one finished blade to use as a template for the other 2.
A bit of welding to repair the previous life repair and fill in the wee dings on the leading edge.
A comparison of the before and after modification showing the added curvature to give a more spoon shape blade. It doesn't take much blade adjustment to make a significant difference.

Tomorrow's job is a refurb and mods to the right-hand prop. Matching the left one, hopefully!

[jwalker]

Well, quite a lot has gone on since the last post. Drives off to check over impellers and pressure test seals - all ok. Compression test all 12 cylinders, all are good with no more than a couple of lbs difference between them. Spark plugs all good. Serviced the oil transfer pumps and generally cleaned up the sticky goo of years of oil drips and spills, rerouted a few pipes and cables - time to connect the muffs and start the engines!

Primed the fuel and turned the key - instant start - blimey! Ran steadily at 600rpm but sounded a bit burbly - mmm, not sure about that... Second engine the same instant start but a nice even beat... bugr, need to investigate the first motor.

So, ran the first motor again and pulled the plug caps one by one - two cylinders not firing - bugr again... Pulled the spark plugs and sure enough, no sparks while running but strangely big fat sparks for about 1/2 a second at start up, hence the instant start I guess.

Searched the old box of tricks from previous times and found the wee circuit for checking the ignition coil primary voltage - 165 volts on the good cylinders, 0 volts on the bad ones, bugr and feck!! Now I'm into big fault finding. Checked the stator - all good, checked the trigger coils - all good, checked the wiring - all good so now it has to be the CDI unit... What CDI unit? It's incorporated into the main ECU so that's gonna be big bucks. Anyway, dismantled it and dug out the injection control unit and the ECU. A replacement is, hopefully, on its way so the project is stood still awaiting its arrival.

There is a back story to all this. There was problem with one engine not revving as high as the other before I purchased the boat but it went off to a marine engineer for a couple of weeks, cost the seller fair few quid, and came back declared fixed by the professional. I had my doubts but took the boat. So now I find out how good the 'professional' is. Am I surprised? Not a bit. You'll have gathered by the state of the wiring in the first pics of the thread that I'm not overly impressed by 'professional' workmanship. If you happen to be a professional and good at your job then I apologise but, in my experience you are a rarity.

That said, I have to say I am impressed by the build quality of the Delta, no leaks, no wet wood, no stress cracks. There's a sizeable deck plate at the stern, got that out and it's all good inside the hull too.

In the mean time the Humber has had a check over and it needs nothing but a change of oils and filters before it goes its holidays. Which won't be long.

I'll update when/if the ECU arrives... ttfn...

[Bigplumbs]

A trifle OCD on the wiring me thinks

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Bigplumbs

A trifle OCD on the wiring me thinks

Aye, would've been ok with a bit of old lawnmower cable[emoji6]

[Bigplumbs]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Aye, would've been ok with a bit of old lawnmower cable[emoji6]

Yup you got it as ever

[69cmw]

Originally Posted by Bigplumbs

A trifle OCD on the wiring me thinks

Or someone who knows what he’s doing and won’t accept a shoddy dodgy job ..... unlike a few others on here [emoji848]

[Bigplumbs]

Originally Posted by 69cmw

Or someone who knows what he’s doing and won’t accept a shoddy dodgy job ..... unlike a few others on here [emoji848]

Or neat wiring which is too tight and all lined up is notoriously bad for connections pulling and potential disconnections and hence faults

Seen this many times in other areas.

Neat is not always best.

As I said OCD

[jwalker]

Well, OCD boy here. What pish some folk talk.

Anyway, boat is sorted, firing on the correct number of cylinders. You'll notice I said correct number of cylinders not all cylinders...there's a story... I'm going to tell the story because if you happen to have a Yamaha HPDI you might need this info some day.
During the testing when there was a fault I did consider that the engine might idle on four cylinders and run on 6 when in gear or at a certain rpm though the left turning engine did run on 6. Just a vague recollection about some 2 strokes. I did test it by holding a spark plug against the block while having the engine put into gear and the throttle opened - still no sparks. So that clinched it... but too soon, I shoulda investigated further.

It turns out that some Yamaha 2 strokes do run on four cylinders at idle, I've got one that does and one that doesn't - 2 years younger engine runs on 6. But it didn't explain why there were no sparks when revved. There is a small microswitch on the engine's gear selector which tells the ECU when the engine is in gear and it should then fire on all cylinders. It's closed in neutral and open in gear. Faulty microswitch not giving the ECU the signal. Well you might think easy fix, just leave the switch open and it'll run on 6 cyls all the time - nope. If the ECU doesn't find a closed switch on start up it presumes a fault and when it finds a fault it runs on 4 cylinders. You gotta have a working switch. So there you have it, pocket a bit lighter! but a working engine.

I'll post a pic of the microswitch location. Blue lead.

I'm going to give the trailer the once-over but it'll have to wait so, so will the first launch. ttfn.

[Bigmuz7]

Originally Posted by jwalker

Well, OCD boy here. What pish some folk talk.

Aye listen fella ... your biggest fan has just chimed in .... and not been around here in months I'll be expecting a call when the motors warm up could do wit a wee blast