oil pressure gauge

garyw · May 27, 2015, 01:13:19 PM

hi
on my catalina 34 1986 this season , i probably put too much oil in last year as the dipstick was on the high side. I removed around 6 oz of oil and now the dipstick is in the correct area but I wondered about putting in a oil gauge in my universal 25 engine. Not sure if others have done this and how it is done. Not sure if there is a port for the oil sensor in the engine.

Thanks

Gary W
catalina 34
summer wind
1986
boston ma

KWKloeber · May 27, 2015, 01:24:46 PM

YES! I have exactly what you're referring to on my 84 M25.

Simple to do - I'll post a pic after the wed nite series.

Did you do the voltmeter upgrade (have a spare orange charge wire in the harness now?)

Do you have the oil manifold block behind the engine, or is your oil pressure switch on the engine block, above the starter?

KK

Ron Hill · May 27, 2015, 01:48:44 PM

Guys : Don't worry about overfilling the engine oil a bit - because the markings on the dip stick are there for a LEVEL engine oil check!!

Look at the engine incline and where the dip stick is in relation to the oil pan!! A little over fill will not hurt the engine - a bit under will!!

A thought

garyw · May 28, 2015, 05:00:33 AM

Thanks
I fill the oil in front of the starter and the dipstick is on the sb side . Haven't done the voltmeter upgrade.

Gary

KWKloeber · May 28, 2015, 08:38:51 AM

Quote from: Ron Hill on May 27, 2015, 01:48:44 PM
Guys : Don't worry about overfilling the engine oil a bit - because the markings on the dip stick are there for a LEVEL engine oil check!!

Look at the engine incline and where the dip stick is in relation to the oil pan!! A little over fill will not hurt the engine - a bit under will!!

A thought

Ron, Question...

Universal replaced the Kubota D850/D950 dipstick when it marinized the engine. Obviously the original dipstick was set for a level tractor engine. Do we know that that Universal dipstick is was set for the same, and isn't "calibrated" for installation at the max engine angle (15 deg, I think?)

Ken

KWKloeber · May 28, 2015, 08:48:10 AM

Quote from: garyw on May 28, 2015, 05:00:33 AM
Thanks
I fill the oil in front of the starter and the dipstick is on the sb side . Haven't done the voltmeter upgrade.

Gary

What I am asking is where your low-oil-pressure alarm-switch is located, not the oil fill port. The original M25s had the switch on a machined manifold block mounted by the heat exchanger. Later, and on the XPs, the switch was moved to the engine block, above the starter. Where is yours?

No voltmeter mod? The first thing you need to do to add an oil pressure gauge is to free up a wire in the engine-cockpit harness, which the voltmeter mod will do.

How about the rubber gummy bear plugs on the engine harness - do you still have those?
OEM alternator bracket - is the adjusting arm above or below your alternator?

Cheers,
Ken

Stu Jackson · May 28, 2015, 09:26:01 AM

Quote from: garyw on May 28, 2015, 05:00:33 AM
Haven't done the voltmeter upgrade.

Gary,

WADR, you should forget about the oil pressure stuff until you remove your ammeter.

The Critical Upgrades topic includes warnings, like FIRE HAZARD.

Like this one: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5078.msg35943.html#msg35943

We suggest this for your safety.

garyw · May 28, 2015, 12:35:53 PM

Hi
I'm pretty sure the prior owner made this update but is there any quick and easy way for me to check when i go to the boat tomorrow. Not being an engineer or electrician some of this more technical stuff just goes over my head
Thanks
Gary

KWKloeber · May 28, 2015, 01:03:03 PM

Quote from: garyw on May 28, 2015, 12:35:53 PM
Hi
I'm pretty sure the prior owner made this update but is there any quick and easy way for me to check when i go to the boat tomorrow. Not being an engineer or electrician some of this more technical stuff just goes over my head
Thanks
Gary

Gary, there's 3 critical upgrades that were in my post:

Voltmeter upgrade - If your cockpit panel ammeter has been replaced with a voltmeter ("Volts",) then obviously that upgrade was done. If you still have an ammeter ("AMPS") in the panel, then it hasn't. In the engine compartment, if the upgrade was done, there will be a or orange red wire from the Alternator, directly to the solenoid switch on the starter (to the same post on the solenoid as your battery cable.) if it hasn't bee done, the wire from the alternator will go into the wiring harness to the cockpit.

Gummy bear plugs. Follow the wiring harness back from the engine. If there is an 8-pin rectangular plug on the harness, that's the gummy bear plug. The engine side of the connector will be "white" the other side an amber, rubbery plug. Maybe wrapped in electrical tape.
Or if the gummy bears were eliminated, you could have either a long terminal strip that both halves of the harness are connected to. Or the wires may be just crimped together.
Take pictures.

Alternator - see if the curved adjusting bracket sits above the alternator (old bracket). Or if the adjusting arm is below the alternator (ungraded bracket.)
Take pictures.

Ken

Ron Hill · May 28, 2015, 01:40:05 PM

Quote from: KWKloeber on May 28, 2015, 08:38:51 AM
Quote from: Ron Hill on May 27, 2015, 01:48:44 PM
Guys : Don't worry about overfilling the engine oil a bit - because the markings on the dip stick are there for a LEVEL engine oil check!!

Look at the engine incline and where the dip stick is in relation to the oil pan!! A little over fill will not hurt the engine - a bit under will!!

A thought

Ron, Question...

Universal replaced the Kubota D850/D950 dipstick when it marinized the engine. Obviously the original dipstick was set for a level tractor engine. Do we know that that Universal dipstick is was set for the same, and isn't "calibrated" for installation at the max engine angle (15 deg, I think?)

Ken

Ken : Yes, Universal "marineized" the M25 and M25XP engines -- in that they added the oil removal hose to the oil pan nut. Those engines are used in other boat installations that have installations of different incline than 15 degrees.
That is NOT true for the M25XPB or M35BC engines.

A thought

KWKloeber · May 28, 2015, 01:51:51 PM

Quote from: Ron Hill on May 28, 2015, 01:40:05 PM

Ken : Yes, Universal "marineized" the M25 and M25XP engines -- in that they added the oil removal hose to the oil pan nut. Those engines are used in other boat installations that have installations of different incline than 15 degrees.
That is NOT true for the M25XPB or M35BC engines.

A thought

Ron,

Do all your guys' M-25s have the oil drain hose? Not so on my '84 M-25.

It would be interesting to compare an OEM Kubota dipstick (long, engine block port side) to the Universal dipstick (short, oil sump stb side.)
Do you know if Universal simply added the dipstick tube to the Kb tractor D850 oil pan, or does the M-25 have a different oil pan altogether?

I was trying to come up with a complete list of everything 'marinized' (added, removed, etc.) from the D850/950 to M-25/XP. Have any of you ever done that?

Ken

Ron Hill · May 28, 2015, 02:09:16 PM

Ken : You have to remember that all of the C34s in 1986 have 1986 Universal M25 engines.

There might be some of the 1986s that don't have the oil drain hose, but all of the 1987 C34 have the M25XPs installed - which have the oil drain hose.

I believe that the M25 and M25XP have the same oil pan as their installation in the 1986 and 1987s C34s are the same.

KWKloeber · May 28, 2015, 02:15:20 PM

Quote from: Ron Hill on May 28, 2015, 02:09:16 PM
Ken : You have to remember that all of the C34s in 1986 have 1986 Universal M25 engines.

There might be some of the 1986s that don't have the oil drain hose, but all of the 1987 C34 have the M25XPs installed - which have the oil drain hose.

Ron: thanks, Interesting - obviously I'm not up on the C34 engine installs. So sometime between '85 and '87, Universal changed to the hose. I wish they had done so in '84!

Though seom C30-ers have found the banjo/seal to be just another failure/replacement point. Always a trade off!

Ken

Ron Hill · May 28, 2015, 02:21:58 PM

garyw : You best heed the warnings that the critical updates say about the Wiring Harness Update

Before you burn up your boat !!!!!!!!!!!

Stu Jackson · May 28, 2015, 03:51:29 PM

Quote from: garyw on May 28, 2015, 12:35:53 PM
Hi
I'm pretty sure the prior owner made this update but is there any quick and easy way for me to check when i go to the boat tomorrow. Not being an engineer or electrician some of this more technical stuff just goes over my head

Gary, none of were born electricians or diesel mechanics. Many of us aren't even engineers!!!

And they still let us buy and operate sailboats. Can you imagine?!?

Before you get overwhelmed, do what I suggested, and also print out the entire CRITICAL UPGRADES topic. There's a print tab on each page.

Then read it and reread it.

Some of the stuff will begin to sink in. I know everybody's is different. I'm a print guy and have trouble absorbing stuff when it's just on the screen. Plus it makes it easier to take notes and then ask more specific questions.

With a boat of your vintage and what you've told us, you NEED to address the ammeter in the cockpit panel and Ken's "Gummy Bear" trailer connectors.

You need to establish priorities. I have a 1986 boat, too, and ITWMB, I'd forget about the dipstick and oil pressure until I took care of the REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF first.

Good luck, we're here for you.