recalibrating the fuel guage on a Garmin 5212

[normaloo]

What is involved in recalibrating the fuel guage. I have the Garmin 5212 electronics and the fuel guage always registers onequarter tank full of fuel. It is equipped with a fuel flow meter. Thanks to any of you that are familiar with this problem and how to remedy it.
normaloo

 

[Levitation]

This raises lots of questions... Is the Garmin network even wired to the fuel transducer? Mine is not, but the engine display is... You need to verify what is hooked to what before any trouble shooting can be suggested...

 

[Andrew Custis]

The only engine we installed that could be calibrated is the Yanmar 150HP. You can check your calibrations by doing the following:

From the home screen
1. Configure
2. My Boat
3. Fuel Capacity

Once these steps are done and you confirm the number on the Garmin screen is correctly reading of what size fuel tank you have then you do the following:

1. Fill your tank up to 100% with diesel.

From the home screen
1. Information
2. Dashboard Gauges
3. Fuel
4. Menu
5. Reset total fuel to max capacity.

You will have to repeat the second group of these steps everytime you re-fuel. If you dont fill up completely then you can pck add fuel to boat instead of resetting to max capacity.

 

[JerryE]

My electronic display has a digital display fuel gauge that looks like an analog with the needles (the Yanmar 4BY2 150hp is all electronic), but its been acting up, so getting the Garmin 5212 fuel calculator to work was essential. The 5212 communicates with many engine sensors over an NMEA 2000 network and allows things like engine warnings to be displayed on the big screen (often with more information) than on the little digital engine information display. You set the Garmin with how much fuel you add, or just set it to 75 (or a little less) gallons when you fill up. The Garmin will then use engine information such as rpm and load to compute how much fuel is left. Keep in mind that this is an estimate (albeit its probably a pretty good estimate).

Here's the trick: The 5212 manual has the wrong instructions to get to the right display to enter the fuel amount! I can't remember what it says, as I just left the boat behind in Florida to return to Mass. I'm pretty sure Andrew's advice is right, as I remember you need to get to the display page with the digital analog gauges showing than select a drop down menu (probably Fuel) and then its easy from there. Ignore the manual's instructions–– I wasted a lot of time with it.

The Garmin 52123 is also capable of reading the actual level of fuel in tank if you buy the optional GFS 10 Fuel Sensor for $199.99 list from Garmin or a dealer. This gizmo attaches right at the fuel tanks sensor wires either at the tank or further along its path. However, the GFS 10 appears to not work with diesel engines according to the footnote at Garmin's site page describing the unit: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=11561

My digital engine display gauge is starting to work a bit (i.e., read something else than zero or 100% full) so I guess the sensor is bouncing about a little. That's good cause I'd hate to cut up the floor to get to it. If I can use the 5212 estimator (after entering my fuel level after each fill up) and then refine the reading by looking at the digital display gauge if it starts working reliably, then I'll be a happy camper and skip the $200 for the GFS 10 which might not work anyway.

 

[JerryE]

I probably spoke too soon! After writing the above post, I read Fuel Gauge on this forum and find other with the Yanmar 150hp engine (and even the Cummins) have trouble with their gauges. Read that post, cause we need at least one good way to estimate fuel consumption, either from the engine display and/or from the 5212.

 

[rt11002003]

Life used to be much simplier. 😉 Want to know how fuel you have? Open the filler cap, insert marked stick, remove stick, read. Now one can't even get to the fuel tank. 🙁

But, one can still survive without fuel gages, flow meters, etc. Keep track of engine hours (hours meter), keep track of fuel added. Log books are good for that. After a few hours of operating one can arrive at fuel consumption rate in gallons per hour. Use that number to estimate the gallons used since last refueling. As time goes by that number will become more refined and your estimate will be better. 🙂

But, it's always an estimate. Leave a good estimated reserve and keep the engine running. 😉

Gene

 

[JerryE]

Yo Gene,
I thought to do just what you suggested. I started with a full tank and had been tooling about for a number of hours (which I recorded) between idle speed (manatee zones) to WOT to break in the new engine. Added up my hours and averaged them against what I thought was my mean fuel consumption and decided I must be almost empty! Got scared and ran (well putted) to the nearest diesel source and put in a whopping 13 gallons!

Good news is the Yanmar 150hp really does sip fuel. Bad news is I was off my about 60 gallons in my calculations! Yeah I'll get better with time, but that's a really inaccurate way to track fuel consumption when you vary speed a lot and/or face different weather and water conditions. We need a gauge that works!

 

[bluebayou]

Gene,
I couldn't agree more. I put 280 hours on my R 25, with Cummins 150, before selling her. In all that time, none of the fuel gauges worked. Didn't bother me, occasionally I laughed at how wrong they were.
But I always kept a Log Book, down to 15 minute intervals, and every day or two, I would make a running total of Hours on that particular previously full tank.
I found that, over a full tank, I always averaged less than 2 gallons per hour of, with varying uses and speeds.
Then, as you stated, you always need a significant reserve. The tank held 75 gallons; I allowed a 25 gallon reserve.
So, 50 gallons at 2 gallons per hour, it simply meant that----whenever my total hours on the tank approached 25 hours, well I headed for the nearest fuel dock.
Digital gadgets can drive you crazy. A stick down into the fuel tank isn't possible.
Keeping a highly accurate Log will save the day, every time.
Charles