www.iFourWinns.com

HI
I'm a UK FW owner (2003 Sundowner 205/215) and I am considering installing a fuel monitor, I have now discovered that for not a vast amount more money I can fit a Northstar Gps with a fuel monitor built in. It has also been suggested that my engine, a VP 4.3 injection may also have a fuel sensor already fitted.
Questions
A) are Northstar the only GPS supplier who produce a GPS with built in fuel monitor?
B) is my engine likely to have a fuel sensor installed? if so where will it be?
C) is the tranducer fitted to FW boats compatibly with Northstar GPS or any other GPS?
D) will the GPS will need to be wired through the ignition to be on whenever the engine is running to maintain accuracy?
Thats enough for now.
Thanks in advance
Clem B

Don't know about that engine specifically, but a fuel sensor is any easy thing to add. It's only within the past couple of years that most systems had an accessible sensor. You generally have to add your own. Even when the engine setup already has a sensor it's not always available to 3rd party systems (mercury is infamous for this nonsense).

Many newer chart plotters can display engine data like fuel, temps, rpms, etc. Most often by using the NMEA2000 standard network.

The trouble with showing engine data on your chart plotter is there's not enough room. Even on a larger chart plotter like an E-80 you can't add much without it starting to intrude on the real reason you have the plotter... to see charts.

I added a Lowrance LMF-200 gauge to show all my fuel data and it's worked quite well. I put two sensors in my fuel lines (1ea per engine). It was trivial to install it. Just cut the fuel hoses, splice in the sensors and run the wire. I originally tied into the chart plotter (a Raymarine E-80) but found it too cluttered. So I added the gauge. Simple to drill a hole and connect to network. The Lowrance stuff is pretty inexpensive, at least here in the States.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

What Wkearney said...

I had a Navman (now Northstar) on my old boat. I had to install a transducer on my Merc engine. I don't think that with Merc engines you could do it any other way.

I loved that addition. With the Navman you could select what data you wanted displayed. So I always had the fuel economy showing so I could adjust speed trim etc for the best fuel efficiency. Once calibrated you knew exactly how much fuel to add to the tank at the next fill up.


Unless you use the Nmea 2000 data you will have to purchase a fuel transducer seperately I have not seen any over here that have the transducer included. The install is extremely easy. It comes with a wiring harness for twin engine applications as well.

Once I determine if my current GPS can be mounted satisfactorily on my new bowrider the transducer will be one of the first things I add.

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2008 Horizon 260 VP 8.1 Gi

I had a lowrance GPS fishfinder......I installed a fuel flow sensor in the fuel line. It works off the GPS, distance traveled vs fuel consumption. Works great to find that sweet spot on the throttle for best economy on plane.
wkearney99 is correct in saying it was nmea compliant.

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2006 F150 FX4
2008 H210 SS
5.7 GXI SX
Compass
Ratchet cover
Bow and cockpit covers
Bow cushions
Q&Q

Clem,

I'm also a UK FW owner. I have had a Navman ( = Northstar) plotter with the fuel sender fitted to my '04 245 Sundowner for a few years now. It's very accurate even before it's fully calibrated. There is no sender fitted as standard to fuel injected engines of that vintage.

I originally bought a seperate Navman gauge/ sender, hoping it would fit where the blank gauge was on my dash ( where your compass is); it didn't , it is far too deep.!

The instructions recommend a filter be fitted before the sender. I did this, in hindsight it probably wasn't necessary as the fuel tank is plastic and there can't be any rust debris etc. One thing to be careful about is the cable; the potting compound used to seal the cable to the sender is very brittle and the cable can break right at the sender; my second sensor is attached to the fuel hose with a cable tie to stop it moving. There are at least 2 senders available with different plugs, the stand alone fuel flow meter sender plug is different to the one that connects to a plotter ( but an adapter cable is available).

Regarding the wiring, my plotter is wired so it is always connected to power when the battery switch is on. There is an option in the menu for the unit to switch itself on automatically when connected to power; I chose to switch mine on manually ( can't remember why !). The unit is very sensitive to voltage drop ( my Garmin fishfinder, wired to the same fuse box, isn't). Whenever I started the engine, the unit would switch off. If you find this is the case, there is a mod involving a 12v alarm battery/ diode I carried out which I can give you details of. Or, come to think about it, of course, the auto switch on option might have solved it !

Graham

Hi
Thanks for all that, by using the word 'transducer' I meant the FW depth sounder transducer so I could also incorporate a fish finder/depth sounder into the GPS without adding another transducer.
The idea of the fuel information is to find the most efficient speed/revs point and because fuel gauges are inherently inaccurate unless standing still.
Clem B

Hi
Thanks for all that, by using the word 'transducer' I meant the FW depth sounder transducer so I could also incorporate a fish finder/depth sounder into the GPS without adding another transducer.
The idea of the fuel information is to find the most efficient speed/revs point and because fuel gauges are inherently inaccurate unless standing still.
Clem B

I think thats an echo!
Must have got it wrong somewhere.
Clem

Must have been because you were asking about echo sounders!

I'm afraid I don't know whether the FW depth sender can be used to send data that can be interprated by a fish finder. The frequency would have to match what the fishfinder is expecting, plus the angle/ spread of the sonar beam might limit what it sees. I just fitted a seperate fishfinder and sender to mine, rather than a combined plotter/ fishfinder unit.

Graham

Thanks guys for an interesting discussion as I have just acquired a Northstar Explorer 557 for my boat (Horizon 260, 2006 model, 5.7GXi-F DP Volvo Penta) and was planning to add the fuel sensor just as you have described.

Have any of you succeeded in adding the tacho gauge function to the plotter and if so how is it done?

Is there any useful NMEA data coming from these engines (before Volvo Penta added the EVC function)?



Thanks for your thoughts.

Andrew

Sorry, I don't know if there is any NMEA data being generated by engines from that time. My plotter is only connected to the fuel sensor and GPS aerial, plus to the radio, so pressing the distress button on the radio would transmit my position as well as boat identity

Graham