Guys,

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...852dd4476.jpeg

Fuel delivery hardware is installed. Awaiting delivery of all the AN fittings and pushlock hose.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...eae9b4d8c.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...41003dab8.jpeg
Found this little bugger on the top of the tank pickup. It has a .308” through hole. Shoutout to Neil Wallace for a heads up on this issue. It would have been a significant restriction in fuel flow, and a major PITA to address once the engine is back in. It’s going into the circular file, getting replaced by an 3/8” ID elbow, and a proper check valve is going in on the outlet of the pump, where Weldon says it should be.

Now to work on getting the oil filter and drive oil reservoir mounted on the other side.

Thanks. Brad.

That picture reminds me, are you going to get rid of that cable power assist steering and go with at least a half hydraulic?

Wildman,

Sadly, not at this juncture. It’s just not in the financial cards.

I know, I know…..

It’s not falling on deaf ears. It just seems everything is $4-500, if it’s a dime, and the little sh!t is starting to add up. I told her I could keep it under $10K, and we’re well on track to keep it that way. At some point, though, the CFO is going to ask when it ends, and start looking at open bow Rinkers again, like she was before we bought this boat. She doesn’t mind the speed, but she doesn’t need it. She only concedes because I “need” it, but that will only get me so far.

To be fair, even at 75-77MPH previously, the boat has been stable and solid; not even that first hint of it wanting to do anything wonky. It does develop a little chine walk, but I can usually steer that out and it runs true. I’m a pretty vanilla driver. I only run hard straight and never in anything but relatively calm water, only in a traffic clear path, and I NEVER air it out.

It’s on my radar, but, for right now, it’s a “prove it to me” problem.

Thanks. Brad.

Thank you for not saying happy wife happy life , every time I hear that I think my God man , get your balls out of her purse and put the pants back on.:D
Erica was scared to go fast so I kept making the Cig. faster, She didn`t really want a cat but I got one anyway, Happy Husband Happy life is her motto. :lolhit:

FYI in speaking with Weldon dude he told me the pumps are not sealed from water intrusion and recommended I dab some silicone on the screws and pump body joints. Odd being a "marine" pump it would not come this way but ok...

Speaking of water intrusion, did you seal all those new holes in the transom?

Ryan,

All the fabricated parts will be going for black anodize once they are all done (there are a few left), and the screw holes will be sealed with 4200 upon final assembly.

Thanks. Brad.

I have said this many times on here, but I will say it one more time. Hydraulic steering is the single best improvement you can do to a boat, especially at 80mph. It is a safety issue as well. I realize that there is always a budget, but some things should not be overlooked or put on the back burner. I am sure you have seen pics of what happens when a boat swaps ends at speed.

This !!!

If I would have known how much of a difference it would have made on my old Fountain, it would have been the FIRST thing I did to it. Full hydraulic was literally the single best thing I did to that boat, and it already had external add on hydraulic.

I have always said the 2 best upgrades I have done to any boat was full hydraulic steering and a full cover.
I didn't realize how s#itty my boat actually handled.

Id do full to helm twin ram hydraulic steering before I did anything else, fwiw. I initially did twin ram external on my Baja 272, my gimbal was still "tight" with no slop and it still chine walked over 65/70 once you were no longer accelerating . When I added the char lynn helm valve and made it full, boat was night and day different. Another consideration is twin ram hyd supports the drive/gimbal ALOT, I did NOT have a hp gimbal on that boat ever and even doing a partial spin at over 95 mph sideways did NOT break gimbal, I attribute that to the twin rams supporting drive in each direction.

Guys,

I’ve been keeping myself busy working on cleaning up the electrical and planning for the fuel and oil plumbing. I’ve got all the plumbing fittings and hose ordered, and they should start arriving momentarily. I’ve got a fused distribution block and am planning on making a ground strap. I plan on having two 3/8 tapped holes for battery negative connection and connection to the block, and several 10-32 holes for other connections. Is it OK to make it out of aluminum?

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...db120574e.jpeg

Thanks. Brad.

All I would say and I am sure you know aluminum and SS don’t play well with each other.

Wildman,

I’m well aware. The only potential contact between stainless and aluminum in this case would be the heads of the wood screws that would hold the strap in place. If I should worry about this, I could easily use nylon washers.

My question is in regard to conductivity. Obviously, we all know aluminum is conductive, but not nearly as much as copper. I would never even consider using aluminum for a 12v hot strap, but a ground might be a completely different thing. I’m better with DC than AC, but electrical in general is not my wheelhouse. I have this piece laying at the shop and it suits my purpose, even if it’s probably bigger than it needs to be. I could easily buy a piece of copper, machine it as intended, and have it nickel plated as a corrosion barrier. I just don’t know if the difference in conductivity is significant enough to go to the trouble and expense, and was asking if anybody had any experience with aluminum to verify or advise otherwise.

Thanks. Brad.

Aluminum and copper don't play well either.

There's better options. Tin plated copper. Something like that. If you use a grease on the terminal connections, it isolates the moisture and salt as well as isolates the oxygen etc. Regular EP2 grease, is the most tacky. Yes it works. No it doesn't stop conductivity.

Although it doesn't 'look' pretty, it's reliable. Make a cover or something. Or tin the copper. Use a high tin electronics solder and torch to heat up the copper buss. Knock off the excess when molten.

BlueSea’s ‘Power Bar’ Bus Bars say they are tin plated copper.
https://www.bluesea.com/products/cat.../PowerBar_1000

On my boat I used a couple similar to those, why make what is easy to buy.

EDIT:

BTW I blame you for me doing buss bars Brad, its when you were making battery covers and I have to many wires going to the battery so I installed the buss bars. My engine compartment even with twins has more room but it still was a PITA during Florida summer installing them.

So,,,,,, I don't like you,,,LOL.

Yeah... I'm (not so) slowly talking myself out of the aluminum. I'll be calling one of my regular material supply houses today and see what they've got on hand in the way of flat bar copper.

Thanks. Brad.

Wildman,

Typically, I am 100% in agreement with this mentality. Buying is almost always cheaper and easier than making. But, quite often, I can't buy what I actually want. Be it quality or design, what's market available just doesn't suit my needs. In this case, I am very particular about how I want to set it up, mostly due to space constraints. If I were doing a full resto-mod, where I were going to strip everything out and start from scratch, I would likely just buy something, and plan accordingly. But I'm not doing that. I'm working with what is already there, and just correcting what we see as sub-par wiring.

Plus.... I like making stuff. There's just something very satisfying about looking at a completed project and reflecting on the fact that "I made that". It's particularly rewarding to see it on other people's boats.

Ultimately, I am going to have the whole ship running off the battery switch; nothing coming straight off a battery except the MerCathode.. I don't want to ever by drawing on both batteries at once, except in those rare occasions when fate and poor decisions make it necessary, or drawing on a battery that isn't actively being charged while running. I'm going to have a 4ga wire running from the switch to a fused distribution block (I bought that.), then running to the fuel pump, trim pump, main breaker box and ECM as isolated circuits. Don't worry, it's fairly well protected from the elements. If water is getting to this, I have bigger problems than a short in the system.

Shockingly, I found a 12v HOT strap, completely exposed, under the dash, during the oil temp gage project. I covered it with several layers of 3" wide duct tape.

Thanks. Brad.

Wildman,

You're welcome. :ernaehrung004:

Clean installs are always good. When I'm done, there will be exactly ZERO connections to my batteries that aren't the 1/0ga battery connections to the switch. I'm going to connect to one of the two battery connection studs on the switch for the MerCathode, and run it alongside the 4ga going to the distribution block.

FWIW, I can still make you those battery terminal covers. They work great.

Thanks. Brad.

I totally get the built not bought, we do it a lot.

On the nothing direct except MerCathode, also do not forget about the auto run for the bilge pump. On mine on lead is direct and the manual on all go through the switch, on both boats.

I know a lot say well I never leave the boat in the water etc. Had a buddy that thought and went down to the dock that he left it at and almost lost the boat because a leak on the through prop exhaust (deck boat).

There are a handful of types/grades of electrical aluminum.

Wildman,

The way it WAS wired was that the switched power came from the helm and the auto power came directly from the battery. The auto power is now coming from the center post from the switch. We almost never leave the boat in the water overnight, and we don't turn the batteries off then.

Thanks. Brad.

Guys,

So, I'm working on my wiring. As stated above, the boat has been wired for 22yrs and counting with two batteries and a Perko switch between them, with the vast majority of the boat being powered from the center/output post of said switch, including, I have to assume, the Motorola 555 ECM that is on the Merc 496. Literally, the ONLY thing that have not supplied power through said switch has been the bilge and the trim pump. Both of those have been drawing power directly from the port battery, presumably because that's the side both the breaker panel with the "bilge pump" breaker is in and the side the trim pump is on. With the new wiring, the only thing I'm changing is that these two components will be powered from the Perko, and the addition of the fuel pump (relay triggered from the ECM), with proper fusing and adequate wiring to support said component. I'm being told that I HAVE to power the Holley ECM directly from the battery. And, sure enough, I've been provided links for advisories, from Holley, indicating as much. The itch comes from that fact that, in exactly ZERO of these advisories, are they dealing with a multi-battery setup, let alone mentioning the use of a selector switch for the purpose of isolating these multiple batteries, like, I think it's safe to say, pretty much every single one of us use in our boats. While I'm not discounting these advisories, or throwing any of the individuals pointing them out under the bus, I've run just about every wiring scenario through my head, and I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to wire directly to either battery, and not leave that battery without a charge circuit or eliminate any benefit of a switch-selected, multi-battery set up. I also cannot understand what, exactly, the difference is between wiring the ECM directly to either battery and wiring it to the center post of the Perko, which is, in turn, wired directly to the batteries. It's the exact same charging circuit the boat has always had. The only thing I've changed is that I've added is a few feet of 4ga wire and a distribution block and the brand of ECM. Again.... The 555 hasn't had a problem with its power coming from the Perko for the last 22yrs, nor has any of the other boats out there with pretty much the exact same setup. Is Holly openly admitting their ECM is even more fragile than the 555? Or have they just not taken a switch-selected, multi-battery setup, almost universally implemented in the marine market, into account?

Care to weigh in on this?

Thanks. Brad.

I would say wire to center post of switch. Holley only cares about their product working correctly and not all variables. There would be no difference in direct to battery vrs the switch post as far as the ECU knows. Holley deals with a lot of people/projects and easiest for them to say go directly to battery.

Brad, agree with zfrilly, think the center post will work. Manufacturers want to ensure there is a good clean 12V source with out interruptions or variation. Going straight to battery probably cuts down on customer support calls in aftermarket world.

Wire it directly to the battery like Holley states. Yes it does cut down on customer support when someone is trashing the product and then are asked, "did you wire it to the battery?" The Holley ECU is voltage sensitive, just like all other aftermarket ECU's (which also state wire directly to the batttery). The battery is the largest filter in your boat for RF interference. I have had my Holley ECU's wired directly to the batteries for years with no issues. Will it work off the post, probably 99 times out of 100. They have to protect themselves for the 1.

Rookie,

I don’t disagree with any of that, and I’m not opposed at all to drawing straight from a battery. I’m just trying to figure out how to make it work with my current setup.

As it sits, I don’t have a “starter” battery and a “house” battery. I have “battery 1” and “battery 2”, and the whole boat runs off whichever battery the switch is set to, including the charge circuit. Whichever battery is on is the battery being charged, and the other is not. And, honestly, I like that setup, except the part about not charging the off battery. As it is right now, if I were to wire the ECM directly to, say, battery 1, and I set the switch to battery 2, the engine will run until battery 1 is low enough the ECM shuts down. So, my challenge is to figure out how to charge both batteries without the issue of a dead short battery killing the other. Suggestions?

For the record, I am reading through your HP conversion thread as we speak. I'd be very curious to see how you have your batteries set up.

Thanks. Brad.

You'll probably need to change out your switch and run on all to charge both batteries at the same time.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Perko-Ba...Koneo0#overlay
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...08f9adffb7.jpg

Rookie,

Yeah…. That’s not happening. That’s the surest way to need a tow. If you have a faulty battery, it will drain the other battery in no time.

Dan the man turned me on to this:

Automatic Charging Relay

It allows for the charging of both batteries without allowing for any communication between them.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...9d1d12cc6.jpeg
Got the battery switch relocated and mounted
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...0122f11d1.jpeg
Got the oil filter mount and drive oil reservoir located and “mounted”.


Now that I have all aluminum hardware that is being mounted to the transom, it will all go out for black anodize. When I get it back, I’ll fill all the holes with 4200 and get it all permanently mounted.

Thanks. Brad.

why are you mounting the oil filters in the back of the boat.seems like it would be a bigger pita to change..
I wanted the easiest way to change my filters,ex-nascar filter heads and #12 line.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...36f2549abe.jpg

Sutphen,

It’s all about decluttering the engine. It’s almost purely cosmetic. It, it actually makes it easier to change the filter without making a mess. And, if I does spill, it’s not being spilt on the engine; it will go into a relatively easy to clean up area.

I am also going with a Moroso racing filter, which would be fairly difficult to make room for on the engine.

Thanks. Brad.

where is your battery switch mounted?

Wildman,

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...5603cf036.jpeg

Mounted on the back of the rear seat. The “storage” under the rear seat is actually intended as a built-in cooler, and there is actually two layers with what I can only guess is insulation between. I was able to pre-drill into that void and run screws into the first wall. Geographically, the switch hasn’t moved from its original location. I just moved it from one side panels that crates storage space on either side of the engine to this location on the back of the rear seat. I didn’t like the fact that I had to dismount the switch before I could remove the panel if/when I needed to get to anything on that side of the engine, like the fuel filter. I far more prefer this more “permanent” location.

Thanks. Brad.

Guys,

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...79eaac8c0.jpeg

I found a spot to mount the ECM. I dismounted the breaker panel, then the enclosure box. Did some rewiring of the breaker panel so that the bilge pump is fed from the battery switch instead of directly from a battery (jumped off the “main helm feed). I then poked some holes in the side of the enclosure and made a mounting bracket out of Delrin with bolt patterns that matched those holes and the mounting holes of the ECM. The ECM connections are relative easy to get to, but it’s well under the gunwale, out of the way and safe from impact with objects going in or coming out of the area. Again, if water is getting to the ECM in this location, I’ve got bigger problems that a we ECM. I’ve already got the harness laced into the space above the transom and the relevant bits of it easily reach the engine.

I am currently working on rewriting the drive trim pump, feeding from a distribution block, which is fed via a 4ga wire straight off the battery switch.

I will also be running those two grounds that are run along the inner hull side to the grounding strap on the transom.

Thanks. Brad.

thats not a standard size oil filter I use,,its the big racing wix filter.you are a single engine boat,,then it kinda makes sense.I like running the engines outside the boat before they go in.

Sutphen,

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...d6c722692.jpeg

I left plenty of room for the filter. I don’t really think about it, but should I insulate the filter mount from the transom? I’m guessing it’ll be about as hot as the oil in the engine. Aluminum is quite thermally conductive. I’ve got some left over DragonPlate from a previous customer’s project that would probably work well.

I will be shortening the feed hose for the drive oil reservoir, but I will leave enough to allow for it to be pulled from the bracket, filled, then replaced. But I wanted as much elevation as I could get.

Thanks. Brad.

Guys,

I picked up one of , and I intend to wire it like this:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...ba024defc0.jpg

This still leaves the ECM out to dry in the event of a catastrophic ECM battery failure, but it's the best I can come up with, and no different than a single battery setup. On the right track?

Thanks. Brad.

Go to 8 minute mark on why it`s best to wire straight to battery.. why chance briking an ecu?

Dan,

While I agree with ZFrilly and Liberator…. I just can’t see how the ECM would care where it’s getting its 12v from…. I also agree with your sentiment…. There is just no sense in risking scrapping the ECM. Or losing the tune when we’re 30mi up the SouthFork. That’s why the rethink on the wiring.

I spoke with a tech rep from BlueSea this afternoon, and, verbally describing the schematic above, he indicated it will do what I want. Just thought I’d try and get some feedback from those who may have tried something similar.

Thanks. Brad.