Fuel guage challenges

[Emagine]

I have mercruiser smartcraft guages installed. The fuel guages seem to be interlinked and read inaccurately. A typical example is after filling both tanks they will both read full. After using a quarter tank each side, one side will read full and the other half full, when both should read about quarter. This can happen on either side and the readings will sometimes switch sides. On the other trip one side might go to 1/4 tank while the other reads 3/4. This is when both tanks are really 1/2 filled. This has happened since new but I didn't pay it to much attention because I could figure out the true amount. It bugs me more each time I refill, and now I would like to address it, especially while I'm doing my annual out of water maintenance. I figure something might be wired wrong and it should be a simple repair.

Any information, advice or suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[JustUs2]

I'm not sure if this is related or not, but my fuel level senders haven't worked properly since we took delivery. The dealer tells me that SeaRay has a problem with the senders and that they are on backorder. My symptoms are similar. One tank reads full, the other 3/4 full, 1/2 and 1/4, etc. Neither are right.

 

[boatmailster]

I have mercruiser smartcraft guages installed. The fuel guages seem to be interlinked and read inaccurately. A typical example is after filling both tanks they will both read full. After using a quarter tank each side, one side will read full and the other half full, when both should read about quarter. This can happen on either side and the readings will sometimes switch sides. On the other trip one side might go to 1/4 tank while the other reads 3/4. This is when both tanks are really 1/2 filled. This has happened since new but I didn't pay it to much attention because I could figure out the true amount. It bugs me more each time I refill, and now I would like to address it, especially while I'm doing my annual out of water maintenance. I figure something might be wired wrong and it should be a simple repair.

Any information, advice or suggestions will be appreciated.

do they read correct level while in dock? and going crazy while underway?

 

[Emagine]

Thats interesting, because if Searay has this problem thats a long backorder. My boat is a 2007. They read incorrectly at anytime. The only time they read correctly are with both tanks full. The error is related to both tanks, as whatever one tank is short by, the other is over by. I'm not an electrical technician but it makes me believe that the problem might be in the smartcraft system (perhaps a wiring error) and not the senders.

 

[tobnpr]

I'm so happy I've got an old boat with mechanical fuel senders, toggle switches, and cable controls...

 

[skibum]

Have you set the tank configuration in Smartcraft? I only have one tank, but I had to correct the tank size when I got the boat. There was also a setting to tell it that you had a "square" tank, meaning that the tank level drops evenly as the fuel is burned. An irregular shaped tank requires that you empty the tank, save the "empty" setting into SC, add 1/4 tank of fuel, save the "1/4 tank" setting in SC, and repeat until you hit full and save it.

Since you have 2 tanks, I would start by making sure that SC knows that they are the same size...