catfish123
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I hope that the information I am going to provide here will help someone in the future. Background information is:
280 Mercury ROS
Old gauge was a Faria
New gauge is a Livorsi
I have the stock water (head) temp sending unit from Mercury that includes 4 wires off it so that it is not only sending information to the gauge but it also "feeds" the overheat alarm.
For the record, this sending unit IS NOT a water temp sender from Mercury, but a black head temperature sending unit that fits into a cylindrical hole in the starboard side of the motor. 280 HP motors are not "equipped" with a threaded hole up higher where a true water temperature sending unit can be used.
With the Faria gauge, My idle temps were barely enough to get the gauge off the 100 degree mark. In fact, on a lazer infrared sensor, the outside temp head readings were around 90 degrees. Up and running, the Faria gauge would go to 130-140 maximum.
Although I have read various places that many guys with 280's are running at 160-180 degrees, the person I rely most heavily on for accurate information told me that is too hot and that the 130-140 is the correct running temperature.
Now that I have a Livorsi water temp gauge, being fed by my stock Mercury "head" temperature sender, the gauge reads 125 degrees at idle and it goes to 170 or so when up and running. At first, I was concerned that my motor was now overheating but that is not the case. Apparently the ohm resistance level of the Faria gauge, and from what I'm told, most other temp gauges as well, is different than that of the Livorsi gauge.
A lazer infrared heat sensor gun has proven that my motor IS NOT getting to the temperatures the Livorsi gauge indicates. At this point, I think my choices are to either forget it if I want to keep the new, matching Livorsi gauge to the rest of my new Livorsi gauges, and accept that the reading is 30-40 degrees too high--------------or to go back to my old gauge or one that reads correctly with the Mercury sending unit.
I have found over the years that when I post my "problems" here and elsewhere, that I feel a lot of the time I'm the only one who has ever had the problem I'm posting about.
I'm sure for some the answer would be to use the Livorsi sender, but again, it is threaded and is not intended to go into the "head" temperature reading hole provide on the head by Mercury.
Sorry for rambling, but hopefully if anyone else ever has this problem, they may find this thread and avoid everything I've gone through trying to figure this out and worrying about it.
280 Mercury ROS
Old gauge was a Faria
New gauge is a Livorsi
I have the stock water (head) temp sending unit from Mercury that includes 4 wires off it so that it is not only sending information to the gauge but it also "feeds" the overheat alarm.
For the record, this sending unit IS NOT a water temp sender from Mercury, but a black head temperature sending unit that fits into a cylindrical hole in the starboard side of the motor. 280 HP motors are not "equipped" with a threaded hole up higher where a true water temperature sending unit can be used.
With the Faria gauge, My idle temps were barely enough to get the gauge off the 100 degree mark. In fact, on a lazer infrared sensor, the outside temp head readings were around 90 degrees. Up and running, the Faria gauge would go to 130-140 maximum.
Although I have read various places that many guys with 280's are running at 160-180 degrees, the person I rely most heavily on for accurate information told me that is too hot and that the 130-140 is the correct running temperature.
Now that I have a Livorsi water temp gauge, being fed by my stock Mercury "head" temperature sender, the gauge reads 125 degrees at idle and it goes to 170 or so when up and running. At first, I was concerned that my motor was now overheating but that is not the case. Apparently the ohm resistance level of the Faria gauge, and from what I'm told, most other temp gauges as well, is different than that of the Livorsi gauge.
A lazer infrared heat sensor gun has proven that my motor IS NOT getting to the temperatures the Livorsi gauge indicates. At this point, I think my choices are to either forget it if I want to keep the new, matching Livorsi gauge to the rest of my new Livorsi gauges, and accept that the reading is 30-40 degrees too high--------------or to go back to my old gauge or one that reads correctly with the Mercury sending unit.
I have found over the years that when I post my "problems" here and elsewhere, that I feel a lot of the time I'm the only one who has ever had the problem I'm posting about.
I'm sure for some the answer would be to use the Livorsi sender, but again, it is threaded and is not intended to go into the "head" temperature reading hole provide on the head by Mercury.
Sorry for rambling, but hopefully if anyone else ever has this problem, they may find this thread and avoid everything I've gone through trying to figure this out and worrying about it.
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