Re: 311 Gauge Replacement
 

It's close but on mine it came out without any dissection. I created a problme by mounting the genset right over the sender flange.

Re: 311 Gauge Replacement
 

Hey Poorsche- is your boat a 311? What kind of gene did you add and how did you plumb it for intake air and exhaust? What do you use it for?

Re: 311 Gauge Replacement
 

The seat is in the way. We replaced the sender on my 311 with a Livorse sender. It is new and has zero moving parts and slides right into the tank. You have to have them calibrate it to your VDO gauge because VDO is diferent. Most likely you will destroy the old foat sender when you pull it out. Trick Marine carries these units.

Re: 311 Gauge Replacement
 

I've got an SR357--1986. We mounted 5KW Kohler across the beam on top of the stringers in front of the engines/partially over the fuel tank.

Had to put another thru hull with strained and seacock in for intake cooling water. The fuel line we just "T'd" into main fule line. Not really a problem since I rarely run genset with the main engines running.

Had to make a cut-out in seat back for wiring and/or started so we faked a special center cushion to cover it up in bottom of seat back.

Really pretty neat--but TIGHT.

Re: 311 Gauge Replacement
 

I'd be surprised if the Livorsi sender wouill work with the old style VDO fuel guage. VDO fuel guages are A$$ backwards and different ohm range from AMERICAN guages--ie Teleflex, Livorsi, Gaffrig, Faria etc.

Gaffrig even tried to make me a special guage to work with the VDO sender--coudn't make it happen so I pulled the sender and did it right.

Re: 311 Gauge Replacement
 

Here's a picture of dash in older SR357 with Livorsi/Gaffrig guages. At this point I was still trying to make the VDO sender work with the Gaffrig guages and it just wouldn't work so I had left the VDO in place. Also was still trying to live with the Redlines.

You can see that a new panel with the convuluted shape of dash is a pain to find an insert for,

Re: 311 Gauge Replacement
 

Yeah, guages are on my "to do" list this winter as well. My dash lights work when the motors aren't on, that or there a firefly in there someplace that glows red. Just about worthless.

I'm having trouble with my starboard temp guage. Needle bounces around, sometimes doesn't work at all, sometimes works perfectly. Replaced the sending unit and now it reads about 12 degrees higher than before. Figures......

That will be part of my paint the interior white project this winter. New guages and new white interior.

I kinda like my old tub too. It's paid for, still looks good, and not one of them dangerous life threatening stepped hulls that we all know are just accidents waiting to happen....:D :D

Re: 311 Gauge Replacement
 

Formula- let me know how you proceed with a dash. Now, Poorsche, is that a factory dash? I have the old "square" VDO's, so I am presuming my dash is either not going to work with new round stuff or it will be 2-tone from the elements.

Re: 311 Gauge Replacement
 

I think the insert you can see outlined around all the instruments wasn't factory. The VDO's had a square trim piece around them so that area especially around tach's and synch do show the sun fade. The holes for VDO's and Gaffrigs are the same so that part wasn't a big deal. The terminals on the VDO's are slide-on connectors--the Gaffrigs are rings. It was a major exercise in frustration to cahgne all of those out because wire was old, had to clip a few of the tie-wraps to get enough pigtail to re-terminats.

Caused much swearing and drinking--but got 'er done and everythinhg worked except the fuel guage (because of sender/guage incomapitbility).

Re: 311 Gauge Replacement
 

Slide on vs. rings. Wouldn't have it any other way, would you? I did a set of Fountain switches on my old Baja- took me 3 hours to simply rig the wiring harness. Like I said, wouldn't have it any other way. :D
BTW- did you swap out the senders (other than the fuel)?