Fuel Monitoring Systems: Lowrance, Floscan, others?

[mark guthrie]

Guys, thanks for input. Delayed on install. Will do tomorrow.

here is what I am understanding. Each of my 4.3l have a lift pump from the gas tank. There is a "rubber" gas line as input...this is where the GFS 10 gets spliced in.

as for the mounting of the chart plotter, looks like the best place is to the right of the dash gauges.

Rollercoaster, so don't use gel packs.

my understanding is the GFS 10 will work on any gas engine, injected or not, as long as there is not a return to the fuel tank.

 

[RollerCoastr]

Those wire leads are very small, so if you don't have a good alternative to the ScotchLok's, then take additional steps to secure them - they're good at MAKING a connection, just not so good at KEEPING it. I probably would've been fine if I had taped the leads or added some shrink tubing.

You haven't mentioned the NM2K side of things, possibly including:
- backbone cable
- t connectors
- terminators
- power injectors

(I had an assortment of pieces when I began the project, so I don't remember what parts came with what device)

I also used a piggyback push-connectors to tap into my ACC power.

 

[Gunn]

Guys, thanks for input. Delayed on install. Will do tomorrow.

here is what I am understanding. Each of my 4.3l have a lift pump from the gas tank. There is a "rubber" gas line as input...this is where the GFS 10 gets spliced in.

as for the mounting of the chart plotter, looks like the best place is to the right of the dash gauges.

Rollercoaster, so don't use gel packs.

my understanding is the GFS 10 will work on any gas engine, injected or not, as long as there is not a return to the fuel tank.

Thinking that through, that clears it all up for me. I have no doubt the GFS 10 will work on my MPI engine. I have only one fuel line coming from tank, which splits to each engine and goes to the fuel filter. This would be where I'd install it. In between fuel filter and injector rail are a pair of lines, but that's inconsequential here. Any fuel that flows through the single line will have been burned and metered by the GFS 10.

I have my Garmin mounted to the right of the dash gauges. I'll see if I can dig up a pic.

Tom

 

[mark guthrie]

Tom, yes that sounds right. A pic would be great.

.mark

 

[Phlorida]

Thinking that through, that clears it all up for me. I have no doubt the GFS 10 will work on my MPI engine. I have only one fuel line coming from tank, which splits to each engine and goes to the fuel filter. This would be where I'd install it. In between fuel filter and injector rail are a pair of lines, but that's inconsequential here. Any fuel that flows through the single line will have been burned and metered by the GFS 10.

I have my Garmin mounted to the right of the dash gauges. I'll see if I can dig up a pic.

Tom

Tom - I don't know a thing about fuel injected engines but I have to ask whether your statement aligns with this caution from the GFS 10 installation manual. "On pressurized fuel injected systems, the GFS 10 must be mounted on the low pressure side of the high-pressure fuel pump."

 

[Pack66Dad]

I have Lowrance in mine and would NOT recommend it. I am still having issues with accuracy and I have gotten 4 bad sensors so far. My next boat will have a Garmin.

Maybe if you would have had it PROFESSIONALLY installed, it would work perfect like mine does :smt043

 

[themikehyde]

Gunn, thats interesting because if i remember right, my tank has 3 lines, one for each engine and one for the genny. I pit a floscan sensor on each engine line.

 

[Gunn]

I re-read what I wrote and I can see the confusion. What I meant by a single line is that I have a single supply line for each engine (no return line to the tank). So I would have to put a fuel flow sensor in each of these lines...so I'd need two of the sensors.

The line going from the tank to the fuel pump is the low-pressure side of the pump.

So it all would work. Now I just have to see what remains in the $$ boat account after all my other upgrades and maintenance costs, before I splurge on this!

Tom

 

[themikehyde]

Tom,
I will be happy to send you pics of the floscan sensors installed on my boat. I managed to do it without cutting anything. That way I could remove it and return to factory look, if needed.
Mike

 

[psubill78]

yes yes!!

 

[themikehyde]

Her is the install of the Floscan on my 280, with 4.3's.

 

[mark guthrie]

I installed the Garmin system on one of my engines...still need to get a fitting for the other one. Installed easily. I put it on the gas line between the fuel tank and the lift pump?

 

[Bob & Sue]

I installed the Garmin system on one of my engines...still need to get a fitting for the other one. Installed easily. I put it on the gas line between the fuel tank and the lift pump?

Do you have a fuel filter before the sensor if not you might want to add one debris of any kind with jam the paddles.

 

[RollerCoastr]

The GFS-10 comes with an inline filter. (and a warning about debris) I have filters both upstream and downstream of sensor, so I didn't use it.

 

[dpmulvey]

Just curious but isn't this what SmartCraft was supposed to do by reading pulses for the injectors via the ECM?


Are these better or is SmartCraft just that expensive. I cannot find a soul around these parts who knows squat about SmartCraft.

 

[mark guthrie]

Does you boat have SmartCraft? My 280 is a 2001. It has throttle body EFI...some computer functions (like they can read codes)...but I guess the computer functions don't include monitors like temp, rpm, etc. I would like to figure out how to display engine vitals on my Garmin CP that is connected to a NEMA2000 network.

 

[RollerCoastr]

How did the rest of your GFS installation go?

 

[mark guthrie]

was easy...although I need the last step of hooking up to the fuel tank.

 

[themikehyde]

Would love to find an interface for the 01 fuel injection computer to display vitals on an ipad. I know the rinda software can do it on a laptop, but dang it is expensive!