Geoff Kite adds a cheap digital thermometer to his well-mounted outboard engine to let him monitor its temperature - for a cost of £1.90!
The outboard on my Hunter Liberty is located in a well in the cockpit from where it is difficult to see the cooling water tell-tale.
On my first trip this season the motor overheated and I had to get the impeller replaced at a cost of £90. Then I read the Colin Haines article on monitoring battery temperature using cheap digital thermometers (PBO July 2014) and I wondered if
I could monitor the outboard temperature in a similar manner.
I mounted the thermometer in a rectangle of white plastic from my junk box and bolted this through an existing hole in the carrying handle of the motor.
The sensor was located on the cylinder wall and the connecting wire then exits under the cover.
The sensor is mounted on the cylinder wall inside the engine cowling
The total cost was just £1.90, but my next improvement will be to fasten the thermometer with Velcro instead of a bolt to make removal easier when I need to lift out the motor.
We pay for your published ideas, projects and tips! Send them to us – we pay at least £30 for each one published in the magazine.