In order to show oil tank level, a sensor must be added to the standard oil tank to read the tank level. The sensor will typically be a resistive type tank sensor. These sensors must be added to the existing oil tank. The plastic body of the oil tank will already have a bolt circle embossed into the tank, and the tank level sensor is typically installed there. To install a sensor, a 1.375-inch diameter hole will need to be cut into the tank within the bolt circle. There may already be an embossed relief molded into the tank in the inner portion of the bolt circle. Also note that the fastener holes in the bolt circle are not symmetrical, so be certain to carefully align the sender and its gasket with the fastener holes, and verify the location of the new hole before drilling.
Drilling into the tank top will create debris in the tank. The tank must be carefully cleaned of all debris before being return to service and filled with oil.
The typical sensor (as shown above) will have a two-wire output which provides a resistance that varies in proportion to the tank level. There are two general standards for the range of resistance: American or European. Sensor for use in the USA would have the American resistance range. For more information on tank level sender resistances, see a separate article on that topic: "Tank Sender and Trim Sender Resistance," http://continuouswave.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3043.
A further consideration with the oil tank sensor is the size of the tank. Evinrude has two oil tank sizes, 1.8-gallon and 3-gallon. An oil tank level sensor that matches the tank capacity (height) must be used. The 1.8-gallon tank uses a sensor with 6.5-inch height. The 3-gallon tank uses a sensor with 8.5-inch height.
There are two methods for converting the resistance readings from the sensor into data that can be shown on Evinrude ICON Pro gauges:
- the sensor can be wired to an analogue input on the ICON Pro RPM gauge which will convert the resistance value of the sensor into a tank level reading; or,
- the sensor can be wired to a NMEA-2000 convertor that will create a NMEA-2000 datagram from the resistance value at its input.
Analogue Input to ICON Pro RPM Gauge
If the analogue input to the ICON Pro RPM gauge is used, the sensor must be wired to an appropriate analogue input circuit, available on the ICON Pro RPM gauge wiring harness. The chosen input must be configured to become an oil tank level input. Then the display settings of the ICON Pro RPM gauge must be changed from the default configuration to add a display screen for OIL TANK level. Refer to the ICON Pro RPM gauge installation and operation instructions for advice.
NMEA-200 Tank Level Data
If the oil tank resistive sender is to be connected to a NMEA-2000 adaptor, the adaptor must be wired to the two-wire tank level sensor output circuit. If using the Evinrude Oil Tank Sensor Kit, follow the instructions in the kit for installation and wiring. The sensor leads are typically on wire with black insulation and white insulation. The NMEA-2000 adaptor sensor input is typically on leads with black insulation and red insulation. Connect black to black, and white to red.
Further, if the sensor kit is purchased from Evinrude, the NMEA-2000 adaptor must be chosen to have the proper pre-configured setting for INSTANCE. These two variables create a large number of tank sender option permutations. See a separate listing of part numbers in a follow-up article below.
The NMEA-2000 adaptor network output must be connected to the boat's NMEA-2000 network backbone. The adaptor must be configured for the proper INSTANCE setting. For a single tank level adaptor on a network the proper setting is INSTANCE = 0. For multiple tanks, each tank's NMEA-2000 adaptor must be set to a different INSTANCE. The Evinrude kits include an additional DeviceNET Micro T-connector to facilitate adding the new node to an existing network.
Configuring ICON Pro RPM Gauge to show OIL TANK Level
To configure the ICON Pro RPM gauge to show the OIL TANK level data, the gauge must be configured to know where to look for the data (DATA SOURCES), either on one of its own analogue inputs or from the NMEA-2000 network data (called BUS DATA in the gauge's menus). In some versions of the firmware in the ICON Pro RPM gauge, the menu structure for DATA SOURCES is a bit confusing. I believe that the data source defaults to BUS DATA (that is, NMEA-2000 data) unless the setting is altered to point to a particular analogue input on the ICON Pro RPM gauge harness. Later version of the menu have an explicit branching to a TANKS submenu, where either BUS DATA or analogue inputs can be configured.
For help navigating the gauge menu structure, see my article:
Evinrude ICON Pro RPM Gauge User Interface
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/ICON_Menu.html
Note that the above linked article was created from a very early firmware version and likely will not reflect the newest firmware now provided with recently purchased ICON Pro RPM gauges. Evinrude has, however, now included a detailed menu structure mapping in their literature, which will be very useful. The earliest version of the literature did not have a map provided.
Evinrude Literature
ICON Pro Series Gauge Installation Guide is available for download from
http://www.operatorsguides.brp.com/OperatorsGuidesAttachments/OwnersManuals_EJ/attach/Accessories/356351%20EN.pdf
ICON Pro Series Gauge User's Guide is available for download from
http://www.operatorsguides.brp.com/OperatorsGuidesAttachments/OwnersManuals_EJ/attach/Accessories/766075%20EN.pdf
I-Command Oil Tank Kit Installation available from:
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/BRP/763727_ICommandOilTankKitInstallation.pdf
Note: originally for somewhat older NMEA-2000 devices but still useful to show general procedure.