Fuel remaining

[Bloggsy]

I have a Suzuki DF175AP and the boat is fitted with the Suzuki Multi Function gauge (Australian version) but no fuel gauge this gauge shows fuel used but not fuel remaining. I also have a HDS Carbon fitted. Can the HDS be set up to show fuel remaining? In my old boat I had a Faria fuel management gauge which used to count down as fuel was used as long as you input how much fuel you put in the tank and it was very accurate but these gauges seem to have been discontinued. I am happy to fit an extra gauge as per the Faria if there is a similar one available.

[Moonlighter]

I am told by ny local dealer that the HDS should be able to be set up to show fuel remaining.

You need to set up fuel tank size then look for options in the data overlay section.

if that doesnt work, its not too difficult to do the quick mental arithmetic to figure out fuel remaining, as you know the tank capacity? Surely its not worth spending money on an extra gauge for that?

[Bloggsy]

I am wondering if this is what I need to do what I want (any thoughts) I am waiting to hear back from Lowrance

Part No.
000-11522-001

Fuel Data Manager

Monitors Fuel Rate/Fuel Flow from NMEA 2000 engines, and accumulates Fuel Rate into Fuel Used. Outputs seasonal, trip and total fuel used.

Features

• Replaces EP-85
• Monitors Fuel Rate/Fuel Flow from NMEA 2000 engines, and accumulates Fuel Rate into Fuel Used
• Outputs: Seasonal/Trip/Total Fuel Used
• Will report accurate Vessel Fuel Remaining if MFD Fuel screen is maintained at every refuel
• One sensor will monitor up to 3 engines
• Additional Fuel Data Managers can be added for more engines
• Will monitor fuel rates from multiple engines transmitting through a single gateway

[Moonlighter]

Hi Bloggsy

Nooooooo! Do not add one of them to your network!! Adding one of them is very likely to create nasty network conflicts!!

I am pretty sure the HDS will show fuel remaining.

Leave it with me for a day or so I will have another word with my Suzuki dealer friend and see how certain he is about the HDS showing fuel remaining. Have just txted him with the question. Will let you know.

edit:

He just replied. He is sure the HDS will use fuel used data from the Suzuki gauge to work out and display fuel remaining. Set it up as a data overlay item on whihever pages on the HDS that you want it to beable to see it.

I would suggest you go ahead and connect the HDS to the Suzuki network and see how you go. It will only cost you 1 x T and 1 x drop cable, so worse case if it doesnt work, no great loss. But confident that it will.

[Bloggsy]

Thanks Moonlighter the HDS is connected to the NMEA network already and I imagine that the Suzuki network would also be running through the backbone? I cant find any info anywhere as to how to set it up so if you can get any more info it would certainly be appreciated

[Moonlighter]

Ok if the HDS is on the network already, a quick way to check its talking to the engine is to change it to an info page where you can see the virrual dashboard.

With the engine running, the gauges will show a range of active engine data. If not, try going into the network menu, device list, data sources and do a auto-select for data sources. In that device list menu you should see the Suzuki gauge listed (gauge needs to be on), if the HDS and the Suzuki are on the same network (which is likely).

The HDS manual tells you how to place a data overlay item on any page. Basically, data overlay is where the page you are looking at has figures for whatever data you want positioned on the left side of the page -same as you see a figure for depth.

So what have to do is edit the data overlay for the page, and add a new item. In this case you want to add fuel remaining. When you go into the edit menu, you then get a menu tree that you can look through and select any available item as the one you want to show. You should be able to find fuel remaining on the list somewhere.

I would have to go to my boat or dig out my HDS manual to find you the exact steps to edit data overlay, but its just as easy for you to do that, it is definitely covered in the manual, you will find it.

Also in the fuel menu on the HDS you should see the boat setup, fule capacity, fuel used etc. if fuel capacitynis not listed there you can set it.

Edit: found this video that shows you how to edit data overlay. Its easy.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r67ENGSmZvQ

[Bloggsy]

O/K making some progress tried for ages to get fuel data as an overlay but there was nothing relating to fuel but I did add Time & SOG so I know how to do it also in the dash set up there was no activity.
Then I did what you do with any computer (turn it off and on again) well not quite I did a soft reset and then an auto configure and I now have movement in the virtual dash SOG, Eng temp, Eng revs, Volts, Trim ,Gear. But in both the dash and any other pages the only thing it will allow you to do is relating to fuel is add Fuel Rate not fuel remaining which is what I am after. And this was in the Engine sub menu The devices showing up are Suzuki Mfg 00006A2F and
Suzuki Mfg 000044BB
Here is the reply I received from Lowrance today:

Thank you for your inquiry,

The Suzuki interface cable does not store that data to display Fuel Remaining or Fuel used, typically you will need either the Fuel Data Manager 000-11522-001 which will accumulate the Fuel rate and out put Seasonal/Trip/Total Fuel Used or Fluid Level Sensor 000-11518-001.

This is what I posted earlier but Moonlighter advised against
So where to from here?

[Moonlighter]

Sometimes for an data item option to appear as available on the list of data items, the system FIRST needs to see actual data flow. So you should try putting the muffs on and starting the engine, and, while its running, then check the data overlay options again. And, dont just check under the engine tab, check everywhere! This might sound strange, but I have proven it to be a fact on several occasions when expected data was simply not there. Turned the engine on, and bingo, it appears.

The reply you got from Lowrance simply displays their ignorance on 2 fronts:

1. The Suzuki engine interface does indeed store all the fuel related data, always has. Which is why the traditional Suzuki networks of the past never have needed a fuel data manager device.

2. Secondly, the mere fact that they have mentioned the Suzuki interface means they are ignorant of the fact that your network, using the new Suzuki OEM gauges, does not even use an interface cable!!

Not blowing my own trumpet here, but last time I talked to someone there about a Suzuki networking issue, they quoted back to me an article that I wrote myself on the topic for a national boating magazine!!

Now, I just went outside to my boat and fired up my HDS gen 3. Selected the chart page just for fun.

I then selected the edit data overlay screen and then hit the Add button.

Then I looked under the Vessel option, and there it was - vessel fuel remaining.

Suggest you check there. Let us know if you find it.

If its NOT there, then the first thing to check is whether you have set up the fuel tank capacity. Find the fuel menu, and set the fuel tank capacity - for obvious reasons, if the tank capacity is not set in the HDS fuel menu, then there is no way in hell that it can calculate or report fuel remaining!!

(As I said above you might also need to run the engine to activate this item, but on my HDS it was there even with the engine key turned off.)

Look, we might possibly find at the end of the day that you cant get fuel remaining, I would be surprised, but it is possible.

But the gauges WILL give you fuel used. You would know your tank capacity - cant you simply take fuel used away from tank capacity in your head to know the answer you seek?

Where in Aus are you, Bloggsy? If in SE Qld I might be able to drop past and have a look. Or maybe talk you thru a few things over the phone?

[Bloggsy]

Done all of the above and in the vessel options there is only Vessel fuel economy GPS & Vessel fuel rate. NO fuel remaining So I give up. As you say I can calculate the fuel remaining from the Suzuki gauges but as I don't always fill right up I just thought it would be nice to have this option available and as I had a Faria fuel manager (no longer available) on my previous boat I got used to having an indication of fuel remaining.
Thanks for your help!

[Black Pig]

Done all of the above and in the vessel options there is only Vessel fuel economy GPS & Vessel fuel rate. NO fuel remaining So I give up. As you say I can calculate the fuel remaining from the Suzuki gauges but as I don't always fill right up I just thought it would be nice to have this option available and as I had a Faria fuel manager (no longer available) on my previous boat I got used to having an indication of fuel remaining.
Thanks for your help!

Something is wrong here, I have 2 x HDS gen 3 on the boat & they show all fuel data including fuel remaining, not accurately but that's work in progress. It sounds like an HDS setup issue to me. I'll be on the boat in an hour & I'll get some photos.

[Moonlighter]

Something is wrong here, I have 2 x HDS gen 3 on the boat & they show all fuel data including fuel remaining, not accurately but that's work in progress. It sounds like an HDS setup issue to me. I'll be on the boat in an hour & I'll get some photos.

You may not realise that is motor is connected to one of the new Suzuki OEM gauges - not to the US style C-10’s that use a Suzuki Engine Inteface cable. Totally differemt scenarios.

[Black Pig]

Ah! So don't you get the full NMEA 2000 data on the HDS then? E.g "data sources" "devices" etc?

[Moonlighter]

Ah! So don't you get the full NMEA 2000 data on the HDS then? E.g "data sources" "devices" etc?

You do, but the Suzuki colour gauge that is supplied evrywhere except the USA outputs slightly different data to the network than the Suzuki interface cable does. This “rest of the world” gauge does not show fuel remaining, only fuel used.

So unless you are running one of those colour OEM gauges, your system will be different (same as mine is different) to what the OP has.

Which Suzuki colour digital gauge do you have on your network??

[Bloggsy]

Not being able to let go of this issue I had a bit of a brain wave and sort of made some progress. I went into the following functions of the Suzuki SMIS gauge. Menu/Initial setting/Tank/Tank calibration/and set up tank size and tank No. Calibration then gave me the following options ABYC(US): 240-33 ohms and EUROPE: 0-180 ohms and CUSTOM. By selecting EUROPE: 0-`180 ohms this bought up a new menu in the HDS called FUEL with 2 sub items called fuel remaining & fuel percentage. This then allowed me to do a data overlay on the screen Great! Took the boat for a run and put 10 litres through the motor but alas no change to either the litres remaining or the percentage used. I can only assume that the ohms reading relates to a fuel sender that would be fitted (which my boat does not have a fuel gauge or sender). So although I can now overlay the fuel data I can still not get fuel remaining. Where to from here?

[Moonlighter]

Yes that would be for the electric tank sender. No use if your boat doenst have one.

Maybe you could check the data source for the “fuel remaining” item that came up on the HDS, if there are options try different ones see what you get.