See full version: How to Read the Hours on a MerCruiser Engine
Install an hour meter in non-gauge equipped boats by locating an area in the dashboard to place the gauge. Drill the proper size hole with a drill and a hole saw for the base to mount into. Mount the gauge with the supplied hardware and run the wiring to the engine compartment.
Create a maintenance log for necessary and performed services. Consult and follow your owner’s manual for proper preventive maintenance in intervals.
Reading and recording information from an hour meter on a Mercruiser engine allows the owner to keep track of regular maintenance intervals. Hour meters also allow a new prospective owner to know how much use has been placed on the engine (similar to an odometer in a car). Keeping a log of maintenance procedures such as oil changes, filters, spark plugs and mechanical upgrades, along with the corresponding hour information, can be very helpful in ensuring that your engine continues to run at peak efficiency.
Locate the hour meter. They are normally found on the dash of the boat, but sometimes are mounted under the dash or in the engine compartment.
Read the hour meter from left to right. Most hour meters have a five-digit display. The first digit is thousands, second is hundreds, third is tens, fourth is the single hour digit and fifth is tenths of an hour. here
Wire the hour meter by connecting the signal lead to the electric fuel pump wire or other device powered by the ignition key. Connect the negative wire to the battery post.
Engine meters keep track of your engine's operating hours. Generally, engine meters turn on automatically when the engine is turned on and turn off automatically when the engine is turned off. You can use the total engine hours on your vehicle to estimate how many miles you've traveled since the last meter reset. It's an approximation, at best.
Multiply the amount of hours on your engine by 60. here
Determine how many hours have accumulated on your engine. more
they'll certainly go more than 2000 hours without a problem. here
For me that's half a season.
it's all about the maintenece baby! here
Re: What is a lot of hours for a 5.0 Mercruiser
I would have high hours used daily over low hours and unused any day. Lack of use does my boat more damage than using it.
Some newer vehicles have an engine hour meter. Here is a picture of the hour meter on one of our shop trucks. here
It is safe to say most people will feel that a used vehicle with 60,000 miles has a lot of life left in it? It is very common for vehicles to go three or four times that distance. How about a 1000 hours on a boat? Many people we talk to think that 1000 hour boat is something to be avoided.
Notice that this truck has traveled 26,132 miles which virtually everyone will agree is not "Too Many" but has 793.6 hours which is a number many boat buyers would seek to avoid! here
We have purchased boats from MasterCraft that had been used at Cypress Gardens in Florida and had over 7000 hours on the original engine. They were still pulling ski shows every day!
Boat owners have drastically varied use patterns. If you are like many users that put 50-75 hours per summer, it will be virtually impossible to "wear out" a boat unless it is not cared for properly.