Oil switch
- Thread starter Out There
- Start date
Remove and Replace Oil Pressure Switch, Ericson 381
Yacht cockpit instrument panels often have a buzzer that goes off when the ignition is turned on, then goes quiet as soon as the engine starts. The buzzer is wired to an oil pressure switch screwed into the engine oil reservoir. When the key is turned on, but before the engine starts, there's...
peaman
Contributing Partner
Not sure about your engine, but the M25XPB has both oil switch and oil sender. The switch activates the alarm buzzer on low pressure, the sender is connected to the oil pressure gauge. The sender has a single wire connected while the switch has two terminals and three wires. Check your engine electrical schematic to see what's on yours.
Does this apply only if an ammeter is in place? I see there is one fat red wire in OP's picture, which I guess if for the high-current ammeter, but that isn't on all engines, including mine.
Just a semi-educated guess on my part, but when a boat builder selects an engine supplier, whether Yanmar or Universal (EY would install either one at customer request in that era) they were promised a solution in a crate, i.e. engine, trans, panel (with a couple of choices of gauge levels), and plug-n-play wire harness (with the choice to add length with the undersized terrible "trailer connector" plugs.)
The dealer or first owner might have asked for one of several higher-option panels, and occasionally a Yanmar diesel.
Thing is.... I posit that they accepted the whole package from Universal/Westerbeke without doing enough Due Dilligence, IMHO. I'm sure that the vendor rep was professional and persuasive.
Knowing a little bit about the world of "industrial sales" there may have been many lunches and rounds of golf all paid for! All old history nowadays.
There are several blog entries on ammeter replacement. Here's a start:
ericsonyachts.org
Universal Diesel Wiring Modifications How To
Because the archives are currently not available, here are Tom Metzger's notes on upgrades and recommended changes to Universal diesel wiring: UNIVERSAL DIESEL WIRING MODIFICATIONS During discussions on the Sailnet Ericson e-mail list about wiring problems with Universal diesel engines...