Fuel Level

S

Solana Jim

Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2018
Messages
9
Fluid Motion Model
C-30 S
Vessel Name
Beaming Betty 2
Just purchased a Ranger 29S. The fuel gauge on the GPS only registers what you put into tank. How do you get correct volume in tank?
 
On my C28, there was a setting in the menus to adjust tank capacity. I had to change that to match the tank size. I can’t remember exactly where the setting was, unfortunately.


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Go to information screen and then engines. Make sure engine ignition switch is on otherwise you will see no readings. Hit menu and then you can change the fuel volume. I cant recall where the set up is for the tank size, but it should be in with those general settings.
 
You’ll need to go to the fuel page, hit menu and hit installation. You can then select how you would like the fuel levels to display.

Thank you,
 
Andrew Custis":1jd79f3y said:
You’ll need to go to the fuel page, hit menu and hit installation. You can then select how you would like the fuel levels to display.

Thank you,
Click to expand...

Is there a physical sensor in the fuel tank on C28's?
 
I’m pretty sure your 29 works the same as our 31. You have two ways to read fuel. The tank has a fuel gauge sending unit that you can read on your Volvo pad. The Garmin chartplotter can also be programmed to display this. You can only read this when the ignition is on. I have found this to be the less reliable method.

You can also let your Garmin Chartplotter keep track of “fuel remaining.” The trick here is that every time you add fuel, you need to immediately record it into the Garmin unit. Then the Volvo engine sends metrics to the chartplotter on how much and how fast fuel is being burned. I’ve found it to be very accurate, with the following caveats:
1. You should verify that your total fuel capacity has been accurately entered into your Garmin unit.
2. If you use the option “Fill up all tanks,” make sure that you actually filled up the tank when you put fuel onboard. Sometimes when diesel is added at a fast flow rate, it can foam up and trick you into thinking the tank is full when it is not.
3. Keep in mind that your Webasto furnace draws fuel from the main tank that is not being accounted for in your Garmin display of “fuel remaining.”. This is normally minimal but if you have been using your heater heavily it can make a difference
 
........And your generator is not recognized in the equation either.
 
I have an R31S (2014) and Canoe Cove BC is home port and some time ago I was going to hold off refueling till we made a trip down to Friday Hbr Wa., where diesel is much less expensive. The Volvo fuel gauge registered 50 gals and I assumed I was good to make a short trip to Genoa Bay Marina and back, a distance of about 15 miles. Well long story short we ran out of fuel on the return leg with the gauge reading 35gals. Much has been posted about this issue in the past and the bottom line is I use the Garmin reading and disregard the Volvo tank gauge reading.

I rarely allow the fuel to get below halfway nowadays and always fill the tank full and adjust the Garmin fuel to reflect this. (Currently my Garmin shows 94 gals and the Volvo says 134, so you can see the large discrepancy)
Incidentally the Volvo D 4 can be restarted when run to empty by simply putting diesel in the tank and does not require the process of bleeding the fuel line as in older engines.

(An aside on this is that I could not get the Webasto diesel heater to work at this low fuel level, in other words the fuel line to the Webasto comes off the tank some up distance from the bottom of the tank.)
 
I had the fuel tank float replaced last winter on my 2017 29S as the fuel gage never went below 65%, even when confirming the electronic settings and adding 100+ gallons. Didn't seem any better this year so I rely on tracking the fuel burn rate and the hours associated with the rate. I have to keep a better log while underway but can calculate how much fuel I have left very quickly. Seems to be way more accurate than the electronics, and I have yet to meet a mariner who says their fuel gage is accurate!
 
I also have fuel gauge problems on my 2013 C28. I tried recalibrating the tank sensor by removing it, holding it vertical- calibrated "empty", raised the float all the way and calibrated "full". When I replaced it, it read 57 gal. Before the recal it was reading 97 and the Garmin was reading 38. I then filled the tank to full, allowing ample time to burp. It took 70 gal! So the Garmin was more accurate. I'd been using the generator quite a bit on this tank so therein lies the 7 gal difference. I don't understand why the Volvo fuel gauges on these boats are so inaccurate. You would think that if automobile gauges can be accurate, why can't these?? All the gauges on my other boats worked just fine. And the water tank gauge works fine also! I'm thinking of installing a new gauge and sender.
 
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=10780#p74140

This link shows my method of calibrating the sender. It is a more accurate sender then the traditional rheostat senders of past. The issue is the irregular shape tank and boat attitude. When the tank is half fuel it is not 40 gallons( using a 80 gallon tank). The instructions for proper calibrations in the Volvo manual don't take tank shape into consideration. Ranger /Cutwater perform the least accurate method of calibration. So the delivered calibrations are not worth using. After spending some time figuring out tank irregular shape and the resistance changes in the sender I was able to calibrate the sender to be accurate. I find it now as reliable as my trip calibrations and the Garmin calibrations. After a day run and pulling into the fuel dock the fuel gauge is within 2 gallons of fuel taken on board actually better then the Garmin which I find to be 5% off.

We took on board 63 gallons of fuel at this fill up


We took onboard 28 gallons at fill up. If you compare the Garmin and the Volvo gauge both are close. (Note the boat must be at level running attitude.) While cruising I use the Garmin. If I want to confirm fuel level with Garmin I slow down to 1200 rpm or slower and let the fuel settle in the tank within a minute I get a reading.



I sent this information to customer service at Fluid Motion and asked why sender calibration is not done during the build. They didn't respond back with a comment but they did send a drawing with dimensions of the fuel tank to help me in my calibrations. I did appreciate that.
 
Hi Solana Jim,
We're across the bay from you in Coronado, Claret Red R27C named Fancy Nancy. I use the Garmin fuel level as a secondary, relying mostly on the Yanmar display and a DR (time, distance and fuel consumption rate) to keep track of fuel levels. That has worked pretty well for us on our two trips to Catalina and back.
Be happy to meet up sometime and exchange boat stories over a beverage.
We're about to go into the yard for bottom paint and new cutlass (cutless) bearing. Seems running over a crab pot line (12' of 1/2" poly) is not good for your prop shaft nor the bearing. Fortunately the water here has been unseasonably warm, so a 630 am swim in the bay, while unpleasant, was not unbearable. Unfortunately, I discovered I'm much more buoyant than when in my 30's and it seems I can't hold my breathe underwater as long. The prop is just deep enough to force the important end of the snorkel under water in order to get a proper angle and leverage to cut line off, the height of the swim step above the water didn't help either. I'm guessing we picked up the line the day before cruising around the bay, it had twisted into a foot long club that was bashing the bottom of the boat and had melted from friction to make a hard plastic disk around the shaft between the prop and the bearing.
See you on the bay.
 
Yesterday I discovered the source of the errant poly line that wrapped the prop shaft in the above post. Seems someone left/lost a small mushroom anchor next to the dock. The anchor line was just long enough to be just below the surface and right at prop level at low tide. To exit our side tie slip we have to back straight then kick the stern out to port to clear the boat behind. The poly anchor line was right in the path of backing out. Yesterday at a lower than usual tide, I saw the anchor line still lurking about 3 feet below the surface. A quick grab with the boat hook removed the line and attached anchor. A dock neighbor graciously took the anchor off my hands for their giant inflatable paddle board, saving me from hauling it to the club junk give away pile in the parking lot.
 
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