best option for fuel measurement on DF115

[greyghost]

I have a 2007 DF115 on a R.I.B. with an under floor 50 gal tank but no way to measure the fuel. One dealer told me the engine pulses & that a floscan would not work because of it. Is there any way to measure fuel on this?
It has a real small console with only a tach on it, & I use a handheld garmin76csx so I don't have any plotters / sounder to plug into.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Swanie1975]

A garmin gmi10 gauge run off a nmea2000 network will give you all the fuel info plus speed, trim revs and pretty much any other engine info you could ever want

Cheers Ryan

[Harper]

Swanie, if you're using a GMI10, I assume you're using it with GFS10 sensor? The GFS10 won't sense fuel flow any better than a FloScan, for the same reason. The low pressure pump cycles off and on, rendering the sensor for either unit useless for fuel flow, although it might accurately measure total fuel usage. So I'm curious....when you recommend the GMI10 system, does your recommendation come from your personal experience on a Suzuki 4 stroke, or from another source? I use a Garmin GPSMAP 546s for fuel flow and use info, but it comes from the NMEA2000 network via the Lowrance designed Suzuki SMIS engine adapter, which reads the data directly from the EFI output of the engine, same as a Suzuki SMIS digital gauge would.

Greyghost, you're not going to find any means of reading fuel flow from your DF115 without an outlay of several hundred in cash, unfortunately.

[greyghost]

Thanks Mike,
I spent a couple hours reading a post on the hull truth in regards to the Lowarance system. Not sure if I understood it correctly but is sounds like my best option would be to buy a NMEA2000 starter kit, then call Browns Point Suzuki when they re open & get interface and adapter cables, & then the Lowarance 400-LMF gauge.
Does that sound about right?

[Harper]

Yep, you could do that. You can also try Hustler Sports. They carry Suzuki parts, too, including the parts you'll need. View products from Suzuki Outboard at http://www.hustlersport.com

[Swanie1975]

Hi mike yes I run two gmi10s for instruments on my 2011 df140 but you're correct it is powered off the nmea2000 network but connects direct to the engine with the interface cable. I can get the data also displayed on my lowrance unit if I want it. I do not have the gfs fuel sensor for the reasons you have mentioned. The range of info available for display is incredible.

Greyghost in my opinion the gmi 10 while it is more exxy the range of info it can display is definitely worthwhile when connected to the outboard.

Cheers Ryan

[Harper]

Thanks for the clarification, Swanie.

[kmoose]

Been using floscans on my 250 for years. Surge and fluxuation are no issue and the total used will be accurate. Once you establish a base line for gph or mpg you will find you don't need the meter and base your useage on miles traveled and logged on your gps. You're probably getting near 4+ nautical per gallon and can utilize your trip log on your gps to keep you close.

You can also save yourself a bunch of money by running your motor on a 3 gallon portable tank and test your fuel economy in different conditions and load. Once you have established a base calculation you can log usage and come very close to an accurate estimate of running fuel usage based on miles traveled.