Official Caterpillar3116/3126 Thread

fwebster said:
As a general rule, you should add your Diesel Kleen, Biocide, and lubricity additives before adding fuel to the tanks. Estimate how much you will add based on hours run since your last fill up then treat that quantity of fuel. This way, even if life or Biden, gets in the way, everything in the tanks is properly treated.

Another factoid about fuel, is if you keep your tanks topped off then you likely spend less money than if you just add some fuel for ,say, Saturdays outing, plus if you follow the previous paragraph, all your fuel is properly treated, all the time.
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understood, so follow up question to that (maybe this is more a question for the treatment manufacturers)

I treat just as you describe at every fill up using the maintenance quantity of each additive. So, that 10 month old fuel was treated when it went in. Do those additives diminish over time requiring a boost, when the fuel isn’t burned?
 
My fuel gauges are not real accurate and on an inland lake, we burn through the tanks on average in about a year. Last February or so, I figured/thought I needed about 100 in each 167.5 gallon tank. So mixed up the Performance Forumula, Lubricity Formula, and Biocide for 100 gallons in 2-separate clean milk jugs. Pulled into the fuel dock and dumped the cocktails in each tank...each tank took about 65-70 gallons. Mixing too rich may not help anything, but it certainly did not hurt anything either.....

Bennett
 
Similar experience here on my first fill up. Tanks were reading 1/8, I expected well over 100 gallons per tank, both tanks stopped at exactly 100 gallons each at the pump.
 
Strecker25 said:
understood, so follow up question to that (maybe this is more a question for the treatment manufacturers)

I treat just as you describe at every fill up using the maintenance quantity of each additive. So, that 10 month old fuel was treated when it went in. Do those additives diminish over time requiring a boost, when the fuel isn’t burned?
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I talked to the technical folks at power service when I was writing the fuel management article. At that time, they had no data showing degredation of quality or effectiveness of biocides or Diesel Kleen. I keep 250 galons on my place in Tennessee and have stored off-road diesel indefinitely. None of my equipment seems to care as long as the additives are in there and the fuel is adequately filtered.
 
fwebster said:
I talked to the technical folks at power service when I was writing the fuel management article. At that time, they had no data showing degredation of quality or effectiveness of biocides or Diesel Kleen. I keep 250 galons on my place in Tennessee and have stored off-road diesel indefinitely. None of my equipment seems to care as long as the additives are in there and the fuel is adequately filtered.
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awesome! Thanks again
 
mrsrobinson said:
I'm still new to diesel, but based on my research here and online I think that sounds like a good plan. You could also run the tanks to a quarter or 8th and then fill them up to get rid of all the possible bad fuel before you put new fuel in. Of course you're running the risk of clogging up the injectors if you do that.
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As long as you keep your filters clean, contaminated fuel should not make it to the engines. If you have a contamination problems, you will first see it in your Racor bowls. If you suspect any contamination, keep a bunch of Racors on board and be prepared to change a lot of them out.
 
Diesel itself doesn't deteriorate, but the low sulfur stuff available today will get bugs fairly quickly if left untreated. Follow the cocktail, and your very unlikely to have any problems. Dont use anything with alcohol in it either.

Replacing the old float style tank senders with the Maretron Tank monitors was pretty cheap and easy and now I have very precise fuel levels (at least sitting at the dock). Make it much easier to know how much fuel I'm able to add and plan the additions accurately.
 
dtfeld said:
Diesel itself doesn't deteriorate, but the low sulfur stuff available today will get bugs fairly quickly if left untreated. Follow the cocktail, and your very unlikely to have any problems. Dont use anything with alcohol in it either.

Replacing the old float style tank senders with the Maretron Tank monitors was pretty cheap and easy and now I have very precise fuel levels (at least sitting at the dock). Make it much easier to know how much fuel I'm able to add and plan the additions accurately.
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Hey Dave - Did you install the focus tubes with the tank monitors? If not install them; they will dampen out the sloshing and your accuracy will be much better. Also I believe you can change the sampling and averaging in the TLM setup. What did you do about the OEM helm gauges?
 
dtfeld said:
As long as you keep your filters clean, contaminated fuel should not make it to the engines. If you have a contamination problems, you will first see it in your Racor bowls. If you suspect any contamination, keep a bunch of Racors on board and be prepared to change a lot of them out.
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In 15 years I have never needed to swap out my Racor filters and I run 10m. That being said, I have always used the prescribed additives.
 
ttmott said:
Hey Dave - Did you install the focus tubes with the tank monitors? If not install them; they will dampen out the sloshing and your accuracy will be much better. Also I believe you can change the sampling and averaging in the TLM setup. What did you do about the OEM helm gauges?
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No focus tubes...No headroom to get them in. I really dont care about accuracy while running, I use time as a gauge as well, but once sitting at the fuel dock +/- a couple gallons.

When filiing up, I have to let things settle out to get an accuare reading (I assume there is a little foaming up while filling), but They are a pretty good upgrade and not too much $$ @$200 each.

I wish they would have a wide angle version for those that cant get focus tubes in.

@ttmott Edit: All my gauges are digital/N2K displayed on 2 Maretron DSM410s However I left all the old gauges up under the dash in case some future owner doesn’t want to fool with the converter. I have a box with the original senders, so it can be easily converted back to stock.
 
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ttmott said:
Hey Dave - Did you install the focus tubes with the tank monitors? If not install them; they will dampen out the sloshing and your accuracy will be much better. Also I believe you can change the sampling and averaging in the TLM setup. What did you do about the OEM helm gauges?
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I just bought two sender's. Two focal tubels and one DSM 410 screen
 
Early on I installed the WEMA (Now KUS USA) fuel tank sensors in all the tanks on my 10 meter.

These are standard 5 hole sending units utilizing a floating magnet of sorts that travels up and down a vertical tube. It's not a mechanical device and these solid state sensors proved to be FLAWLESS over my 21 years of ownership.

The tube is nearly the height of the tank.

Looking at the arrangement of the saddle tanks on the 450 and precious little clearance at the top between the tank and the cockpit floor, how do you manage to get the old sending unit out and that long tube in ?

BEST !

RWS
 
Maybe A Dancer said:
Early on I installed the WEMA (Now KUS USA) fuel tank sensors in all the tanks on my 10 meter.

These are standard 5 hole sending units utilizing a floating magnet of sorts that travels up and down a vertical tube. It's not a mechanical device and these solid state sensors proved to be FLAWLESS over my 21 years of ownership.

The tube is nearly the height of the tank.

Looking at the arrangement of the saddle tanks on the 450 and precious little clearance at the top between the tank and the cockpit floor, how do you manage to get the old sending unit out and that long tube in ?

BEST !

RWS
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The WEMA/KUS reed senders are what a lot of us have used also. A good quality alternative to the lever type of senders. I had them in my 400Da and also in the 52DB. I wanted to install the Maretron senders like @dtfeld did in his boat in the 52DB but could not find a way to interface the Smartcraft data system as well as the boat's NMEA 2000 data system for fuel level and how to drive the OEM fuel level gauges. The Smartcraft system looks for 240-0 ohm resistance values.
I think you will find there are access plates above the senders in the 450DA like the other SR boats. The hard part is removing things to get to the access plates.
 
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On the 450DA, there is usually an access plate (Looks like a plastic 6" Bomar access plate) on the floor of the rope locker on the port side about even with the front of the passenger's seat. There usually isn't one on the stbd side so access is by removing the cockpit side panel, locating the sender, transferring the location of the fuel tank sender to the cockpit deck which is behind the cockpit side panel then cutting an access hole with a hole saw and installing a removeable hatch plate there.
 
fwebster said:
On the 450DA, there is usually an access plate (Looks like a plastic 6" Bomar access plate) on the floor of the rope locker on the port side about even with the front of the passenger's seat. There usually isn't one on the stbd side so access is by removing the cockpit side panel, locating the sender, transferring the location of the fuel tank sender to the cockpit deck which is behind the cockpit side panel then cutting an access hole with a hole saw and installing a removeable hatch plate there.
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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

THANK YOU !

Well, i suppose it would make sense to "WHILE YOU'RE IN THERE" when I get to the point of removing/rebedding/resealing the air intakes I'll just go ahead and get this project done on both sides.

Seems like there's a whole lotta "WHILE YOU'RE IN THERES" as I take this boat to where she's gonna be.

BEST !

RWS
 
dtfeld said:
Let us know if you manage to stuff in the focus tubes...
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I was short 9n time so I was only able to install the port side. I installed the focal tube with dead space eliminator with ease. More to follow this week.
 
I might try to tackle replacing all of the engines zincs this weekend. Been watching some videos and see where some of the zincs can break off and they need to be soaked and dissolved. What do you folks use for this, I'm seeing muriatic acid and other stuff, looking for the consensus? Also how long does it need to set?
 
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