Adding MFD integrated engine instruments to carbed Honda 90?

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SurfDory

New member
Ahoy everyone! A very stoked new 22 cruiser owner here. I just picked up an 06 with an 06 Honda 90 Carbed four stroke. Ive had it for 3 days now and have been absolutely loving it.

The boat came with a sweet Garmin UHD multifucntion display. It looks like it supports NEMA 2000 communication so that you can track cool engine stats but I believe my 06 Honda is too old to support this communication protocol. I would love to have stats like fuel burn, engine temp, oil pressure etc... Does anyone know of a way to get this information from older motors? Are there 3rd party add-on instruments that can be installed on these motors?

Ready to geek out on this boat. Thanks!
 
Congratulations on the new to you boat. Welcome aboard formally!

You can get fuel flow meters thru Garmin: Garmin Gfs 10 Fuel Sensor. The sensor has to be mounted with the proper flow going "UP". I have had two boats with these transducers and they work well. (I have also had boats with the Simrad/Lorance equivalent, with their gauge.)

As for water temp and oil pressure, you can get after market parts to translate analogue data to MNEA 2000 digital data. You can put in a temp sensor--but it will have to be a flow thru--maybe an adaptor of the "Pee" tube.

The Honda display has "idiot" lights for over temp and under pressure of oil. I have never tried to measure these on the older motors. The newer outboards have all of these functions available, so it is pretty much plug and play on the fuel injected models (2007) on.

Also I would suggest draining the carburetors on that Honda 90. There is a simple screw on the bottom of each metal bowl, and a small tube will allow drainage to a container. These carbs are especially susceptible to gumming up with ethanol fuel. Be sure your filters and hoses are in good condition. Looking at "pure gas", it appears that there are at least 3 service stations in Wilmington NC which have ethanol free gas. I would use that if at all possible.

Don't clutter up the MFD with lots of information which is redundant. The sensors for over heat and low oil pressure are trustworthy. I have been running and working on outboard motors for over 75 years, and never lost a motor to over heat or low oil pressure. The idiot lights work. The most common cause of overheating is some debris or weed getting caught on the water intake. Bringing the engine to an idle, and then backing down will resolve the issue in 99% of the time. Also the telltale pee stream is another "sensor".....
 
Mid HP Honda engines did not support NMEA 2000 networks until 2017. Some information is displayed on the Honda digital gauges if you have them. Otherwise you need external sensors. I have a fuel plow sensor on my engine feed line that is connected to a NMEA indicator that gives fuel flow, fuel used, range, etc., but this is separate from the Honda system.

FYI, the water in the pee stream is tapped off before the engine block. It just shows that the impeller is moving water. It will not provide any useful engine temp data. You'd need to tap off the water outlet that goes down the engine leg.
 
Thanks for the replies guys!

The external fuel sensor sounds great. I will look into it. Would love to be able to monitor fuel flow in order to understand and trim for max economy and to estimate range.

Glad to know the idiot lights are trustworthy. I was thinking it would be cool to be able to see a problem coming before the lights go off but thinking about it more, the chances of me actually noticing it in time before the lights go off would be slim.

@thataway.... When do you suggest draining the bowls? Just periodically to remove any settled sediment? Or drain before long term storage?

I only plan to run non-eth fuel and the previous owner told me he only ran non-eth as well. I am fortunate to have a few non-eth gas stations near my house and on the way to the ramp.

Thanks for the tips guys!
 
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