rgano
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2007
- Messages
- 4,996
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- FROLIC
- Vessel Make
- Mainship 30 Pilot II since 2015. GB-42 1986-2015. Former Unlimited Tonnage Master
I installed four-inch diameter deck plates over the port and starboard WEMA fuel tank level senders a couple of year back while troubleshooting the inoperative fuel gauge on my 30 pilot II. At the time I discovered odd arrangements which were fuel return to only the port tank and both tanks with installed senders with only the starboard side connected to the Faria cluster gauge. Both of the tank senders were inoperative as was the fuel gauge; so I replaced the starboard tank sender and the Faria cluster. At the time, I just put one of the defective senders back into the port tank in order to fill the hole in the top of the tank.
With this return fuel arrangement, if one were to close off the fuel supply from the port tank with a relatively full tank, the return fuel would soon fill the port tank to overflowing without the operator being unable to determine the condition of that tank at the helm. If one shut off the starboard tank, the danger of overfilling the port tank is averted, but the fuel gauge would remain static with the operator unaware if he were about to run the engine out of fuel. The whole thing argues for two fuel gauges ad or a switchable return fuel system.
I wonder if P34s are similarly deranged?
Anyway, today I involved myself in a little three-hour fuel gauge job while some really nice weather was visiting the Florida panhandle. I installed a brand new fuel tank sender in the port tank giving me an operable one in each tank. What next? Why hook it up, of course. I installed a double-pole double-throw toggle switch above the Faria cluster gauge and ran a wire from the red lead of the new sender to one side of the switch and removed the existing similar lead of the stbd tank from the Faria cluster gauge and hooked it up to the other side of the switch. The center contact of the switch is connected to the Faria cluster's fuel contact. The ground lead of the new port sender was simply connected to one of the five screws securing the new sender to the aluminum tank.
Now I can use the single Faria cluster's fuel gauge to read either tank while with a flip of the toggle. It isn't normally going to matter because I leave the fuel tanks connected, something I NEVER did in my twin engine trawler.
Someday I am gonna do something about this cockeyed fuel return system.
With this return fuel arrangement, if one were to close off the fuel supply from the port tank with a relatively full tank, the return fuel would soon fill the port tank to overflowing without the operator being unable to determine the condition of that tank at the helm. If one shut off the starboard tank, the danger of overfilling the port tank is averted, but the fuel gauge would remain static with the operator unaware if he were about to run the engine out of fuel. The whole thing argues for two fuel gauges ad or a switchable return fuel system.
I wonder if P34s are similarly deranged?
Anyway, today I involved myself in a little three-hour fuel gauge job while some really nice weather was visiting the Florida panhandle. I installed a brand new fuel tank sender in the port tank giving me an operable one in each tank. What next? Why hook it up, of course. I installed a double-pole double-throw toggle switch above the Faria cluster gauge and ran a wire from the red lead of the new sender to one side of the switch and removed the existing similar lead of the stbd tank from the Faria cluster gauge and hooked it up to the other side of the switch. The center contact of the switch is connected to the Faria cluster's fuel contact. The ground lead of the new port sender was simply connected to one of the five screws securing the new sender to the aluminum tank.
Now I can use the single Faria cluster's fuel gauge to read either tank while with a flip of the toggle. It isn't normally going to matter because I leave the fuel tanks connected, something I NEVER did in my twin engine trawler.
Someday I am gonna do something about this cockeyed fuel return system.