Second trip.... some answers more questions.

[oscarvan]

As discussed elsewhere my fuses were popping with a lot less than 50A load. I was resolved to managing the load as suggested until such time that I throw a few boat units at the system. (laminated a picture of the panel for easy reference) But then the power cord failed and I got a new one and went.... "wait a minute maybe it was the cord all along"..... So now I'm running 3 AC's, of which two are on the left side AND the water heater also on the left side..... for an hour and a half already. Fuse holder is toasty to the touch but then again it's 120º in the engine room....

Speaking of temperature, also as previously reported at 13-1400 RPM the temps are the same all over and all under 180º with the highest reading the electric and mechanical gauges on the SB side. So on the way home today I opened it up. Port went to 190 on the gauges, SB Went to 200+ (it's a non original gauge with 180 and 240 as the top two ticks) Mechanical gauge on that side also well above 200. No alarm. BUT IR temps were between 180 and 193 all over. (Port and SB) So I think port gauges are accurate and SB gauges are messed up. I am going to order some new stuff to rule the them out. Also, since I have NMEA in both engine rooms and the capability to display gauges on my plotters I want to add a digital number to the mix. Any suggestions? And, is there another port to put a sender in on the engine or should I get rid of the mechanical gauge and use that port?

Lastly the gears. As per the instructions I kept them running in neutral after docking and checked the levels. SB side low. There appears to be a leak at the location below. Doesn't look to threatening. But there is no quart in the bilge. How much is 1/4" on the stick? It was about 1/2" below "low"......

But left side was high.... and lots of tiny bubbles in the oil on the stick.....An hour after shut down the SB (low) side reads 1/4" above full. The Port side now reads 1" plus above full, in fact it's heading into the number stamped in there. So, I am pretty sure it's high, which can account for the bubbles. I plan on removing some. Again, how much is 1/4" on the stick? How much to remove? I plan on using a vacuum oil change hose/can to suck it out the dipstick tube unless there is a better way.

Overall we had a VERY enjoyable trip. Was up till 2am last night reading the manual for the Garmin 1245 touch and although it has a lot of solutions to problems I don't have (Do I really need an autopilot that performs clover leafs?) it also has some cool stuff and I'm starting to get my head around the thing. The heading is still messed up though. It was about spot on leaving Kent Island today, but when we made the right turn into Wharton Creek it was 60 !!!! degrees off..... Of course I am close to the Aberdeen proving grounds... hmmmmm.

 

[oscarvan]

58 views and crickets.... Guess I've filled my allotment? Or no one wants to give me the bad news?

 

[Sadey]

Wish I had something for you but I don’t. Sorry.

 

[Boatsb]

Garmin GPSMAP 1242 is current. Your 1245 is too advanced as its not been made yet.

I'd suggest its an installation issue. I see alot of things like that from incomplete setup and programming.

 

[Pascal]

What I did when i had those gears is check the level when hot then the next day mark the dipstick when cold. Much easier. Never another issue with oil level. Don’t remember what a quarter inch amounted to but you can easily figure it out by adding 1/2 qt a time

When measuring temps with IR I always look for the hottest point regardless of engine, usually it a near the Tstat or temp sender. If your max is 193 at high cruise it’s ok but you don’t have much margin left

 

[rsmith]

The trans reading with the engines not running are meaningless. Below the low mark is bad. Above the full mark is bad the range is approximately a quart. Go choke the guy that changed the trans oil.

 

[rsmith]

When I had the plane I had a instrument called a stormscope that plotted electrical discharges from thunderstorms combined with the onboard radar it was a great tool for thunderstorm avoidance. There is a huge antenna farm just north of Annapolis and another in the Norfolk area. Anytime I passed these areas the stormscope screen looked like a mad swarm of bees. Back in the loran days it would kill the signal from the bay bridge to just south of Annapolis. I’ve heard their for long range sub communications but that’s unconfirmed.

 

[oscarvan]

When I had the plane I had a instrument called a stormscope that plotted electrical discharges from thunderstorms combined with the onboard radar it was a great tool for thunderstorm avoidance. There is a huge antenna farm just north of Annapolis and another in the Norfolk area. Anytime I passed these areas the stormscope screen looked like a mad swarm of bees. Back in the loran days it would kill the signal from the bay bridge to just south of Annapolis. I’ve heard their for long range sub communications but that’s unconfirmed.

Something along those lines. I do know on my old boat I got mad GPS map shifts going into Annapolis....

 

[oscarvan]

What I did when i had those gears is check the level when hot then the next day mark the dipstick when cold. Much easier. Never another issue with oil level. Don’t remember what a quarter inch amounted to but you can easily figure it out by adding 1/2 qt a time

When measuring temps with IR I always look for the hottest point regardless of engine, usually it a near the Tstat or temp sender. If your max is 193 at high cruise it’s ok but you don’t have much margin left

I like the mark the cold level idea. Agree 193 is toasty. Still have to calibrate the IR gun.

 

[doc g]

APG has nothing to do with the errant compass reading. We go up there alot and have never noticed any issues......Pat

 

[jim rosenthal]

The huge antenna farm just north of Annapolis, which was an ELF array for transmitting coded signals to subs anywhere on earth called the "Top Hat" array, has been dismantled. The main tower was roughly a quarter-mile tall; there are three towers left which are used for EMS and microwave and cell phone antennas. They are about 600f tall. There were fourteen towers before the demolition. The tower area is named Greenbury Point.

I also recall having difficulty with LORAN-C when the system was up and running- LORAN would get me into Annapolis, and stay locked on unless I shut it off, in which case I couldn't get it to reacquire a position. But GPS seems to work fine right into the harbor now, and I don't think there is anything operating in the USNA base that would interfere with either compass or AP functions.

 

[SeaEric]

Engine rear main seal leak might allow engine oil to migrate into the trans providing the overfull scenario. Is the trans oil black?

 

[oscarvan]

Engine rear main seal leak might allow engine oil to migrate into the trans providing the overfull scenario. Is the trans oil black?

Nope clear, but point taken. Engine oil still clean too though.

 

[oscarvan]

So after adding 1 qt to the SB side, and removing 1 qt from the Port side the levels were exactly at Full after the next 3 hour engine run. Dead on! (And lucky) And, no aeration.

Adding cold marks.....