fuel gage ?

[lee]

any way to adjust my tank reads a 1/4 tank when empty ran out of gas last season finding out on lake michigan no place to run out of gas in a 18 classic

[harbormaster]

Yep. Take out your sender and get another one. The fixes usually don't work. Call me Monday morning and I can price a new Livorsi one for you. They are much improved! Scot VanAlstine 713-910-2000

[Tony]

Scott...I'd be interested in this, too.
Would the concentric tube style fit our existing classic tanks?
My boat is a '96 22'...

Thanks!

:beer:

[harbormaster]

Yep. What you need to do is pull your sender out and put a ruler in it to give me the measurement from the top of the tank to the bottom of the tank.

Livorsi will cut it to the custom length. I will give you guys a brother-in-law deal and have it drop shipped from Livorsi straight to you. You can call me anytime if you have questions.... 713-898-0605

Scot

[Jraysray]

That McDonald avatar is starting to freak me out a little. Come correct and bump that thing o'leader.

[Tony]

Yep. What you need to do is pull your sender out and put a ruler in it to give me the measurement from the top of the tank to the bottom of the tank.

Livorsi will cut it to the custom length. I will give you guys a brother-in-law deal and have it drop shipped from Livorsi straight to you. You can call me anytime if you have questions.... 713-898-0605

Scot

Thanks Scott, I will definitely do that...but not until sometime in May.
I know it's hard for you guys to imagine, but my boat is tucked away in winter storage mode!

:beer:

[lee]

may is good for me2 let me know and will order with you boat is shrink wraped now

[glashole]

general rule with any boat

full means full only when leaving the gas dock
3/4 means half
1/2 means get to the gas dock

[HOWARD O]

general rule with any boat

full means full only when leaving the gas dock
3/4 means half
1/2 means get to the gas dock

I'm learning THAT all too quickly! My last boat was a skiff w/140 4-stroke, it was pretty miserly...........and not nearly as much fun!

[lee]

fill it drive it like you stole it and put away empty start over tomarrow or next day lake is flat

[fasttrucker]

Ive run my boat with the fuel gauge at empty around the river till the motor starts to cut out then staight to the gas docks.Its the only way,You need to find out the exact spot of empty on the gauge.then change the fuel filter in case you pulled a lot of crap/water from the bottom of the tank.A good way to get rid of stale gas and start fresh.

[Tony]

Scot, I just sent an e-mail to you...and I will call tomorrow to follow-up.

In case anyone else is interested in doing this, my '96 22' 55 gal. capacity tank has a bottom to top depth of 9 3/8". I cannot quite make out the name of the tank manufacturer, except that they are based Perry, FL.

My existing sender is a Kysor, part # 10475-01 49 95. It is, as mentioned above, a typical float type that spends forever at full/three-quarters...then drops like a rock! Hopefully the new Livorsi model will give me a more accurate reading.

:beer:

[HOWARD O]

Mine is accurate to a tenth of a gallon. :yes:


http://www.manventureoutpost.com/marine/images/cw/28843.gif

[Tony]

Would anyone know what the ohm range my original VDO fuel gauge operates at?
With Scot's help we're trying to make sure this swap is a direct one...

Also, in addition to a red wire on the center post and a black ground, my current sender has two green wires attached to one of the five mounting bolts. Are these green wires sender related, or are they serving some other ground function?

THANKS!

:beer:

[gold-n-rod]

I thought the issue was the v-shape of the tank. Once the fuel reaches the point in the tank where the walls are angled, the linear thinking of the float goes straight to hell.

Can the Livorsi unit really "think" that out?

[CHACHI]

Tony, the green wires MAY be a bonding wire(ground).

Ken

[Just Say N20]

Would anyone know what the ohm range my original VDO fuel gauge operates at?
With Scot's help we're trying to make sure this swap is a direct one...

Also, in addition to a red wire on the center post and a black ground, my current sender has two green wires attached to one of the five mounting bolts. Are these green wires sender related, or are they serving some other ground function?

THANKS!

:beer:

Looks like you might have to measure it, as there appear to be several different ranges. I have always had gauges that were 240 - 33, but it looks like there are others.

They have a "Frequently Asked Questions" link here; http://www.egauges.com/vdo_mult.asp?Type=Fuel_Level&Series=OL_BL_BL

[Tony]

I thought the issue was the v-shape of the tank. Once the fuel reaches the point in the tank where the walls are angled, the linear thinking of the float goes straight to hell.

Can the Livorsi unit really "think" that out?

Rand, it sounds like it...according to this description from the Livorsi site;


FUEL AND WATER LEVEL SENDERS

No moving parts, nothing to break or wear out
Prevents pointer bounce
Can be cut and calibrated in the field
Available in 12 or 24 volts
Detect water in fuel
Other ohm resistances available
Requires 12 volts
Standard SAE 5 bolt pattern
http://www.livorsi.com/images/07catalog/GSFL_GSWL_b.jpg (http://www.livorsi.com/images/07catalog/GSFL_GSWL.jpg)
Fuel & Water Level senders provide an accurate, continuous readout of fuel or water levels even in a moving boat. Consisting of a single in-tank probe and an amplifier, it’s innovative technology renders the
traditional float arm assembly obsolete.

The fuel probe itself is constructed of concentric tubing(a small brass or aluminum tube inside a larger
aluminum tube) that’s placed vertically in the tank. Acting as a capacitor, the inner tube reads how much air is in the tube and changes in value as the fuel level rises or falls. The amplifier converts these values to a signal suitable to drive a standard meter or other display. The capacitor can even detect water in the fuel tank. The sender is easily installed in the standard float arm assembly mounting plate, an SAE standard 5 bolt pattern.

The water sensor probe is constructed of a PVC tube with a stainless steel wire along the outside and an insulated wire through it’s center. The readings on your meter change as the water level rises and falls on the sensor wire.

The biggest advantage to this new line of fuel & water level senders is the absence of moving parts. The unit
is impervious to mechanical failure and it greatly reduces needle bounce on the gauge. The probe comes in
12 inch increments and can be cut into any length down to the next lower increment. The probe can be built to fit tanks from 4” to 120” deep and is available for standard as well as custom tank installations, a 3 terminal unit requires 12 volts to the sender.


:beer:

[Tony]

Tony, the green wires MAY be a bonding wire(ground).

Ken

Ken, I'll be back up with the boat next Monday, and will try to track the green wires back to see where they lead to.

Randy has me wondering...does the "concentric-tube style" fuel sender really offset the deep vee shape of the tank?

:beer:

[classicform]

I don't believe that it would be possible to detect the angled sides with any sensor. It sounds like this sensor just uses capacitance as opposed to resistance to measure the level of the fuel in the tank. It can not possibly know that the tank holds less fuel as it reaches the bottom third of the tank. Maybe instead of measuring the depth of your tank from top to bottom measure only from the top down to where the angle starts. That way the sensor would think it was out of fuel (on empty) when you were down to your last few gallons (what ever the capacity of the tank is from the angle down to the bottom). This would give you a "reserve" type situation on your gage. When you hit empty you would know to start looking for fuel. Just a theory mind you.

[MOP]

[quote=Tony;525474]Would anyone know what the ohm range my original VDO fuel gauge operates at?
VDO has used 0-90 Ohms for as long as I know!

[Just Say N20]

[quote=Tony;525474]Would anyone know what the ohm range my original VDO fuel gauge operates at?
VDO has used 0-90 Ohms for as long as I know!

Yes, they have, but they have also used 240 - 33 for a long time as well. All the senders we used at Tiara were that range.

[Tony]

I don't believe that it would be possible to detect the angled sides with any sensor. It sounds like this sensor just uses capacitance as opposed to resistance to measure the level of the fuel in the tank. It can not possibly know that the tank holds less fuel as it reaches the bottom third of the tank. Maybe instead of measuring the depth of your tank from top to bottom measure only from the top down to where the angle starts. That way the sensor would think it was out of fuel (on empty) when you were down to your last few gallons (what ever the capacity of the tank is from the angle down to the bottom). This would give you a "reserve" type situation on your gage. When you hit empty you would know to start looking for fuel. Just a theory mind you.

I like this idea...and will bring it up to Livorsi to see what they think.

How can I be certain which ohm range my VDO gauges operate at?

:beer:

[classicform]

I would think if you put power to your gage and substituted a pot for the sensor with a VOM in line you could vary the resistance to the gage with the pot and read the meter when it hits zero and when it reads full. Sounds like a 0-250 ohm pot would work.

[Tony]

I would think if you put power to your gage and substituted a pot for the sensor with a VOM in line you could vary the resistance to the gage with the pot and read the meter when it hits zero and when it reads full. Sounds like a 0-250 ohm pot would work.

Thanks!
I'll print this post off and hopefully find a buddy who understands it. :lookaroun:

:beer:

[gold-n-rod]

Thanks!
I'll print this post off and hopefully find a buddy who understands it. :lookaroun:

:beer:

And that would NOT be me. Plus, I wouldn't want to risk arrest by trying to buy pot. I'm a respectable citizen!!!!!!!!!!!! :wink:

[kraftee]

On our new trawlers, we have NMEA2000 electronics. The fuel and water tanks actually use a transducer like on a depth sounder to measure fuel level (distance from transducer.) The beauty of this is that as the tank fills for the first time, you calibrate the tank capacity on the computer. Makes no difference what shape the tank is - the computer knows where the 20 gallon "mark" is, where the 50 gallon mark is, where the 100 gallon mark is, etc. Pretty handy when you're 200 miles offshore and trying to figure out EXACTLY how much range you've got left! - And exactly ZERO moving parts - or parts in contact with the fuel.

I bring this up because it is not rocket science. It is relatively simple technology. I wonder how long it will take a company like Livorsi to adapt this technology to small boats. Hey, it wasn't that long ago that GPS speedometers were a fantasy.

ERIC