Marine Electronics Forum - Do I need a fuel gauge?
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gonefishn
05-11-2004, 01:11 PM
Hello,
I'm rigging out a new boat with the Suzuki DF140. I'm going to go with the additional Suzuki gauges for trim, water pressure and volt meter. I'm also looking at installing a fuel flow meter such as the Navman 2100.
Maybe a dumb question but . . . if I install a fuel flow meter that can show gallons remaining, do I really need the standard fuel gauge? Should I have it for redundancy? Does one need battery power and the other doesn't?
Any advice is appreciated,
cgrand
05-11-2004, 01:28 PM
gone
i just did the exact same upgrade (df140 & navman)
i kept my analog gauge as back-up, and because i watch it when i'm filling up to see when i get close to being full
remember that the navman only goes by what you tell it, in other words, it doesnt know when the tank is full, until you tell it that it's full. the only way YOU'LL know it's full is by the fuel gauge, or when gas starts gushing out the fuel cap!
one other thing...look at the 3100 for not much more $$
bigger display, more features, and a gps interface for MPG, estimated range
Tsunami
05-11-2004, 01:41 PM
I don't think you do, a fuel management system is far more accurate and reliable. It won't tell you how much you have left (of course neither will a fuel gauge, 1/2 tank reading can mean anything from full to almost empty). All you have to do to know how much fuel is left is subtract gallons burned from the amount you carry (or the amount you can actually get out of the boat, sometimes that can be less than the advertised amount).
Personally I don't think you need a water pressure gauge. What you need is a temp gauge, it measures what matters, engine temp. I have seen water pressure just fine on an overheating engine. Plus the water pressure hoses can get clogged or worse yet break and shoot water all over the backside of you instrument panel. My new boat did not even come with a water pressure gauge so somewhere along the way Contender figured it out also.
Kirk
warthog5
05-12-2004, 04:04 PM
I'm putting one in for the same reason that cgrand said. I'm installing a Navman 3100 hooked to
2- Suzuki Df140's.