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I have the yanmar lp6s 315hp in my 31. I have pyrometers and flow scans on both engines. I saw the port engine was using more fuel and the pyrometer was a little bit hotter. I checked everything. Twice. Then I cleaned the air cleaner foam thing because it looked a little dirty.Bam!! It was the cause of the problem. My other guages did not show anything was going on. The engine was straining, but without the pyrometer or flow scan I would have never looked for anything. I can also tell the second I need to change filters because it can be seen in the change on the flow scan. I now think that these are most important and a must have. If you can afford to get them do it. This is what I think.

I tried google but I still can't figure out what exactly a pyrometer measures (?).

EGT or Exhaust Gas Temp. Hotter it is, the leaner the engine is running. Standard equipment on most piston engine airplanes. Cummins 6BTAs run about 900 degrees. Very valuable info.

UV

Steve:

Generally refered to (in this instance) as EGT or Exhaust Gas Temperature. Just one of several ways to measure how hot the exhaust gas is coming from the engine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrometer

UV beat me to again.....

Another must have in my opinion is a boost guage. Anything supercharged or turbo charged should have a boost gauge. In gas motor application the fuel pressure is a must have too when under boost. Kevin

Brewster,
More fuel usage and lack of air equals a rich conditon and should read lower on the pyro's.
You should have been showing black smoke out the back.

A lean running condition would produce a hotter exhaust.

Bruce I did not notice the black smoke but it was ruff. Im not sure that it did not get the air. I think it still got the air, just the fuel pump, because it was harder to get that air, responded by pumping more fuel; thus, the hotter temp on the pyros but I do not know about this stuff like you do.