Ranger Reata 1850 LS & Merc Eco Monitor

[Sky Blue H2O]

Originally Posted by BCLII

Won't need the nema 2000 starter kit. I'll buy some cable independent of it. Merc Montior harness has a powered fuse to the nema 2000 already like you mentioned.

If you do, you’ll still need to supply and configure all the device and end point connectors and 12v power exactly like the kit has, otherwise your NMEA 2000 network won’t work properly or at all.

Originally Posted by BCLII

Does the trim position sensor converter plug between the motor and MercMontior harness? Little confused on that piece. I know the 150 FourStroke motor has the digital trim gauge as part of the motor electronics.

See attached instructions supplied with this kit (my dealer installed this for me).

Before you rely on either the Digital or Analog trim readings, be SURE to test different readings first. With your boat at IDLE, test different trim settings and see how they read out on both Digital and Analog gages. So I trimmed my motor at 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 Digital trim readings, and observed both the motor position and the Analog trim readings. At the 60 Digital trim reading, the top of my prop was just below the water surface. It looked to be about a 30 degree angle (?), so maybe the Digital trim readings are ½ degrees? I’m not clear if this is universal, or varies by motor & boat? On page 70 of the Mercury 150 FS manual – it says 0-20 Degrees are the normal TRIM range, and then anything above 20 degrees is the TILT range (ie: for storage only), and they if the motor operated above 2000 RFM, it will automatically go down to the maximum TILT range (20 degrees).

On my boat (and a disclaimer, this will VARY by boat and motor and conditions/speed/etc), I’m finding that trimming up on plane to about Digital trim readings of 10 (5 degrees?) seems about right. I think my Analog trim gage needs calibration per their procedure, because most of its movement is in the lower range (for example, 60 Digital trim is only halfway up the Analog gage). My Analog gage is so compressed, it’s not usable (at 15 Digital trim, the Analog needle is barely off the bottom…), so I rely on the Digital one only. I’ll let you know if recalibration fixes this (I haven’t had time to try it).