1972 E27-Fixing Everything

[Peter]

As of this writing, I do not.
Boat was not wired that way when I got it.


Would you need a different type of sending unit to do this?

This is whats installed currently.

Yes, you need a different unit.

The oil pressure safety switch (OPSS) is a simple on-off switch that is open when the oil pressure is less than a certain value and and closes when the pressure exceeds that value - typically 6 PSI.

Our hosts offer one - https://moyermarine.com/product/oil-...si-fpmp_04_46/

There is a port on the block at the aft end on the port side for installing one.

Can Neil please chime in to comment whether an OPSS is a Coast Guard/ABYC(?) requirement or not?

Peter

[CajunSpike]

The fuel pump in that OPSS part photo is the one that came with the boat, that I'm not using now. The label on it does say Universal.

The original fuel pump bolted to the block is still there, but not connected.
Next time I'm on the boat, I'll look in the area of the switch in the photo.
Haven't really looked deeply at that area yet, so its possible there may be a switch there.

[edwardc]

...The oil pressure switch is just the standard can type single contact switch
connected to a variable pressure gauge.

Would you need a different type of sending unit to do this?

This is whats installed currently.

An oil pressure sender produces a variable resistance, proportional to the oil pressure. This appears to be what you have.

An oil pressure switch, hooked to an "idiot light", is normally closed and opens a contact to ground when the oil pressure stays above a certain threshold. This is not what you want.

An oil pressure safety switch is normally open, and closes a pair of contacts when the oil pressure stays above a certain threshold. There is no electrical connection to ground. This is what you want. It should be wired in series with the fuel pump.



edit:
Peter types faster than I do! :0

[ndutton]

Can Neil please chime in to comment whether an OPSS is a Coast Guard/ABYC(?) requirement or not?

Peter

Yes sir, it certainly is. Ref: CFR 33 183.524
Please see page 29 of the pdf attachment found on this forum here.

[edwardc]

And it's a commonsense safety issue. If a fuel line ruptures or comes off of a barb, you don't want the fuel pump to keep pumping gas into the bilge!! The OPSS kills the pump when the engine dies and prevents this.

I had this happen once on a Volkswagen microbus which did NOT have an OPSS! Talk about a heart-stopper! Gas was spraying over a hot exhaust manifold and boiling!!! Somehow, the gods smiled on us and we didn't go up in a ball of flame. I do NOT want a repeat of that experience!

[CajunSpike]

Eons ago, was driving 73 super when the metal pipe that holds the fuel line to the carb backed out the carb all on its own.
I smelled the gas and cut the engine immediately.

Gas was being thrown all over the engine.

Was just grace the car didn't go up in flames.
Been there, understand that.

[alcodiesel]

"The fact is Ericsons are no better, worse, different, faster or slower than most of the competing production boats of the era."
ahhh yuh

[CajunSpike]

Bill McLean, don't suppose you have easy access to your 27?
Looking to get a picture of how the sink drain connects to anything.
Does it go to the thru hull under the sink?
My sink drain ends in mid air.

[Dave Neptune]

Mine went to the cockpit drain via a tee. E-27 #734

Dave Neptune

[CajunSpike]

That does sound much safer than leaving a thru hull always open.

[Dave Neptune]

CS, on my 27 I added a salt water foot pump for rinsing in the galley to the other drain. I went into that drain above the WL with a double elbow that I silicone in place. Then snaked a hose down to the water. Worked great and no extra thru hulls.

Dave Neptune

[tenders]

I do have an account at the Ericson site but I feel more interested in the people here. I made a few posts there and got some or no reply. I even got chastised for posting a question in the 'wrong section'. Nothing happened that I felt the need to continue the conversation there.

There is quite a bit of membership overlap across the Ericson site and this one, for the obvious reason, and as part of that overlap I found your observation incongruous with how I’ve experienced that site over many years.

Actually both ericsonyachts.com and moyermarineforum.com have many incredible, thoughtful, experienced, salty-in-the-best-way contributors, and both sites maintain spectacular standards for technical writing clarity, durable and clever repair methods, and personal civility. I found 11 posts from you, several of which were observations appended to old, long threads that didn’t seem to be seeking responses; several of which were A4 questions that were answered promptly and referred to this forum (we don’t talk much about A4s or any engines over there, or perhaps if there’s a lot of diesel discussion I just ignore it); and one about the original price of an Ericson 27 that I guess nobody knew the answer to. It all seemed pretty reasonable to my eye. I can’t speak to how a specific misposted question might have been dealt with because whatever it was seems to have been properly repotted, but the moderators are some of the most gentle, tactful people I’ve encountered online. There is no snobbery or attitude on that site (except, apparently, in the posts that Neil reads) and we all enjoy hearing repair stories from people like you who clearly have some, or a lot of, mechanical moxie. I have zero innate mechanical ability, but the existence of that website, and this one, are the primary reasons that I have been able to own, operate, and maintain my 49-year-old boat. I think you will find similar benefits with your boat.

I would be happy to mention to the moderators if a response from them about a posting location made a new member feel slighted. There was certainly no intention to be anything but welcoming to everyone.

[tenders]

You may have noticed the members on the Ericson forum think their brand is superior to the rest. I'm not making that up, they really do. The fact is Ericsons are no better, worse, different, faster or slower than most of the competing production boats of the era.

Hey, we’re allowed to act that way on our own forum!! Just like we do on this forum!! Diesel owners find us insufferable, with our incessant jokes about whether they like the noise or the vibration better. Never gets old. You know what they say...people who live in fiberglass houses shouldn’t throw acetone.

Now, you’d have a point if the Ericson owners on THIS forum acted as though we think their brand is superior to the rest. I don’t get that vibe, but perhaps I’m blind to it with my 49-year-old boat that’s held together with West epoxy, Starboard, and Kiwi Grip. She’s the perfectest, of course.

The Tartan owners do sometimes push the envelope, though. YEAH YOU KNOW WHO I’M TALKIN ‘BOUT, with your fancy artisanal ballpoint pens that get put on TV, your extra boats lying around just because you might need a part some day, and your snobby exhaust systems that never burst or melt. It can be a bit much.

[tenders]

CS, on my 27 I added a salt water foot pump for rinsing in the galley to the other drain. I went into that drain above the WL with a double elbow that I silicone in place. Then snaked a hose down to the water. Worked great and no extra thru hulls.

Dave Neptune

Oooh. That’s good. Never thought of that. Did the extra plumbing in the orifice slow the drain rate down appreciably? Did gunk from the drain ever get sucked into the pump?

[ndutton]

Hey, we’re allowed to act that way on our own forum!! Just like we do on this forum!! . . . . . Now, you’d have a point if the Ericson owners on THIS forum acted as though we think their brand is superior to the rest.

I'm a member on the EYo forum even though I'm not an Ericson owner. I was invited a few years ago to bring industry experience to the party. I mainly lurk, contribute very little. And you're right, I've never seen anything like that on this forum.