No Fuel Senders / Alt ways to check fuel level??

K

Keweenaw2018

New member
So, I just got the below reply from my marina guys after I grumpily emailed them that my fuel gauge didn't work after a re-power.

"The current fuel tanks do not have fuel senders in them for a dash fuel level read out. We ordered/installed them based on the assumption that they did but upon arrival of the boat we found that the tanks were not equipped with senders. Due to the limited access of the tanks, If you want senders installed, we believe the old tanks would need to be removed or replaced"
Click to expand...

I'm no stranger to logging hours and checking tanks visually, but my 2000 Cruiser 22 has pretty hard-to-access tanks, especially when you account for the bench, cooler, and all the snorkel gear.

I'm wondering if there is another way accurately check the tanks. Maybe a more "local" kind of gauge. -I don't mind taking a stroll to the cockpit when I want to check my math, but I don't want to leave any room for an error that could turn into a real safety concern.

Does anybody else get by w/ out a dash gauge?
 
I have a fuel flow sensor. With the BF90D it does a pretty good job of measuring the fuel used (and thus fuel remaining). The only issue is that at low engine speeds it does not catch the fuel being burned because it is under the sensor threshold.

I use the LMF-200 indicator and a EP-60 sensor. This requires a NMEA 2000 network. If you want range and MPG you also need a NMEA 2000 GPS source.

My boat also has cutouts in the fuel tank covers and translucent tanks. You can see the fuel level of the tank most of the capacity. It does not show the level when the tank is mostly full or when it is very low, but gives good indication in normal operation.
 
Most of us just looked at the fuel level in the tanks. Some had the plastic or fiberglass panel forward of the tank with an oval cut so that one could easily see the fuel level, Or if that was completely opaque then looking at the inside of the tanks will show the fuel level.

All of the MFD can read fuel flow, and utilization as ssobol pointed out. I have also used the fuel flow transducers. They give a good indication of flow.

The yard is correct hat you would have to pull the tanks to insert a level transducer. Pulling the tanks is not destructive as it would be fore the 25 or the Tom Cat 255, where part of floors would have to be removed.
 
I cut slots in the panels in front of the fuel tanks so that I could monitor them more easily. I shine a flashlight through the top of the tank to make seeing the level easier. I enter fuel levels and consumption in my day log.
 
The tanks on my 22 are opaque and I cannot tell the fuel level just by looking at them (this sucks!). I did change out the fuel level sending unit on each tank and do get a reading on the gauge at the helm which seems to do just ok
(I.e. better than nothing).

Having said that, you're best bet, as others have mentioned, is to monitor the fuel usage via NMEA 2000 buss and your MFD (if you have one that will display engine data). I do this with my 2008 ETEC 90 and a Garmin EchoMap MFD and, quite frankly, it's the bomb. There is ALL kinds of engine data you can display doing this, AND!!! You'll know exactly how much fuel you engine is using/used. WAY better than any resistance based fuel sending unit and analog gauge.

Since you mentioned you just repowered, I'll assume you new engine has a NMEA 2000 port on it somewhere (should be something in your owners manual). If so, and you have a MFD that will display the data, all you have to do is get the correct NMEA 2000 cable for your particular engine, and tie it into the MFD via a NMEA 2000 backbone connection.

Again, without knowing what electronics/network you have on board, I'm just making assumptions. Fear not!!! If you have a MFD (chartplotter) that will display, and support NMEA 2000 data, it's really quite easy to hook up/set up.

Things you'll need:
-NMEA 2000 MFD capable of displaying engine data
-NMEA 2000 backbone/network to hook your engine in to (maybe, depending on what you already have)
-NMEA 2000 cable specific to your new engine
-NMEA 2000 Tee connector to hook the engine cable to
-NMEA 2000 network terminator (maybe, depending on what you already have)
 
I did the same on my 19. Used the fuel flow data from the Yamaha F75 via yamaha command link and then a small nmea 2000 network to get it to my Garmin 1022xsv. It shows an accurate fuel tank level. I wanted the engine data anyway. Works great.
Doug
 
Just be aware that Honda came late to the NMEA game with their mid HP engines. For instance, my '08 BF90D does not have the ability to network the engine to an MFD. Only way to get engine info is to use the proprietary Honda gauges. That's why I had to use a 3rd party fuel flow system.

The higher HP motors got NMEA sooner. The mid range did not get it until the BF100 came out.
 
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