Reply With Quotewhat engine do you have?
they do sound like level sender wires. usually its fairly noticeable to see the sender unit.
So while having a good look behind the transom doors ( to position a fuel flow sensor adjacent the fuel filter ) I noticed 2 wires coming from the fuel tank.
I have been under the impression that the fuel tank in my boat didn’t have one.
I can only see part of one closed off end of the poly fuel tank, by looking back under the kill tank access door towards the deck area.
Anyway, I lifted the kill tank door and got a torch and peered upside down into the not easily accessible cavity where the tank is. I can see only the top of what looks like to me a level sensor on one corner of the fuel tank !
And the same 2 wires that I saw at the transom connected to the “level sensor “.
Back at the transom I traced the level sensor wires, they go into the outboard flex tube back to the outboard ?
I would have thought they would most likely go back towards the helm for use by a gauge or MFD ?
So I lifted off the cover from the outboard but without cutting open all the tape and clips and conduits I can’t see where these level sensor cables go ?
My question is: would anyone know why these cables would be located to the outboard ?
I can’t think why the outboard would need direct fuel level sensor feedback unless there’s some socket at the engine end that the level sensor cables plug into, then the signal/cables go back to the helm wiring from there - to somewhere ?
Any ideas ?
Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.
what engine do you have?
they do sound like level sender wires. usually its fairly noticeable to see the sender unit.
I have only rewired one Mercury powered craft in times recent enough to have recollection but I do recall the sender unit cable for the fuel gauge going to the engine rather than independently forward. Boat in question had an Optimax with smartcraft gauges.
Thanks moose and scottar, the engine is a Mercury 150 Four Stroke. Almost 2 years old.
I'm puzzled because:
1 I never knew it had a sender in the tank until I looked right under the floor. Pretty sure I was told when the boat was delivered that there was no fuel sensor ? Maybe that's my fault because I was just too excited about the new boat to listen properly to those minor details.
2 looks like it could be connected somewhere at the engine but I could never get constant level feedback so I just thought there was none (feedback).
The only fuel feedback i thought there was is within the Vessel View screen. Within the Vessel View there's no real level gauge display there's only a calculated remaining fuel number. I guessed this was calculated by the engine control module by the fuel used by the injection system and then sent to the VV. This number was never really consistent. Most of the time it read full at 150 litres. Sometimes it would read lower but not for long. Sometimes it read 90 something litres.
Maybe the reading I was seeing was a result of the typical sporadic feedback of the level sensor within the tank all along.
I've recently installed a network backbone and plan on connecting a new fuel flow meter to the Simrad MFD and the Vessel View.
So maybe the in tank fuel level sensor is virtually redundant.
I've got the network cables roughed in so I could test it all and it looks like everything is found and working fine but I'll have to wait till I can use some fuel to see how the flow sensor on the network goes.
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Eco I have vessel view 7 connected to a fuel level sender. There are settings to tick for sender or engine flow sender. A while ago since I did it but definitely can be done. Then you have to have tank empty and do a calibration procedure during fill. I have a level on a Garmin 7408 that counts down from the engine. Just gives me two references. Give me a pm if you have trouble and I can look back through this one to work out what I did.
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Thanks Col I’ll double check when I can ( maybe next weekend) to see if I have the option for the level sensor ( I don’t think there was ? ) Currently I can check and set all the settings you mentioned on the Simrad (since installing the network) which I find easier than using the VV.
I have tried the calibration setup on the VV previously, which gave me the tank level but it mostly remained full.
After I installed the network all the available nodes on the network were automatically detected, i tried manually searching for extra nodes ie the level sensor but I could not see it available.
So I’m still not sure where or how the level sensor is utilised. Maybe at the engine somewhere? But I can’t see where just yet without undoing the neatly laid out conduits at the engine end - I’m hesitant to do that yet. I’ll wait until I get her on the water and use some fuel - maybe the flow sensor is better anyway than relying on the level sensor that I imagine fluctuates greatly anyway.
Thanks for the offer I’ll definitely pm you if I get stuck.
Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.
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