Fuel reading inaccurate....why??

[fishinaddict]

Hey guys, I am having a problem with either my sending unit or my gauge, and I need some advice. I have a direct reed sender 15". My tank is 15" deep, its a 125 gal tank. This weekend it said 1/4 tank, but when I filled it up I only put 60 gal. And when it says 1/2 tank I have only been putting 30 gal in it. Why is it reading so crazy? 1/4 should have been 1/2 tank. This is a major prob for me when I am offshore b/c when I see 1/2 a tank I am already starting to plan my way back. But unfortunately I am losing out on fishing being as 1/2 tank is really more like 90 gals still. Is there a way to troubleshoot this??

 

[QC]

Re: Fuel reading inaccurate....why??

The ultimate solution is a fuel flow meter, then you'd know what you are actually using in real time . . .

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Fuel reading inaccurate....why??

Once you get the flo meter use the rule of 3.

1/3rd out, 1/3 back and 1/3rd for emergencies.

 

[ocean traveler]

Re: Fuel reading inaccurate....why??

you could always hook up a camera to a see-through tank that fixed my buddies problem. execpt when the camera ran out of battery its ejected the steaming battery and melted the tank. i never saw Ricky again

 

[fishinaddict]

Re: Fuel reading inaccurate....why??

Yeah guys, but that fuel flow meter isn't cheap. I have already spent the money on the direct reed sender. I thought that would fix it. But now that it hasnt, do you think its the sender or the gauge. Any ways I can troubleshoot???

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Fuel reading inaccurate....why??

To trouble shoot pull the sender out of the tank and slide the float up to halfway and look at the gauge is it half a tank? If not remove the wires and slide the float to halfway with a 240-33 ohm sender your meter should read around 110 ohms.

I assume the new sender is accurate and the gauge is not. It could also be the wiring in the boat. Run a wire across the deck and hook the sender directly to the gauge. Check the grounding of the gauges. A little bit of corrosion - ie resistance will affect the reading GREATLY usually in the bottom of the gauge.

Or tank geometry; is your tank rectangular in it's cross section?

 

[fishinaddict]

Re: Fuel reading inaccurate....why??

I checked the sender and it checked out ok. The guy from moeller told me I was having this prob b/c the sender is in the middle of the tank. Does that sound right? I am having 1/4 tank discrepency. That is srewed up!!!!

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Fuel reading inaccurate....why??

I checked the sender and it checked out ok. The guy from moeller told me I was having this prob b/c the sender is in the middle of the tank. Does that sound right? I am having 1/4 tank discrepency. That is srewed up!!!!

The center of the tank would give you the most accurate reading so as to average the up/down movements.

 

[fishinaddict]

Re: Fuel reading inaccurate....why??

That's what I thought. Anyother ideas about why this would be going this way? Thanks