Fuel Management with GARMIN, E-TEC, and ICON Pro

Information about Evinrude I-Command, ICON Pro, and ICON Touch Color Displays
ferdinando
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Fuel Management with GARMIN, E-TEC, and ICON Pro

Postby ferdinando » Fri Nov 30, 2018 11:46 am

Last year I installed an I-Command Digital Gauge on my 2010 150 HP E-Tec. When I purchased this gauge it was recommended I also install a Memory Mod (764181) to be able to obtain fuel information. Everything worked fine with real time fuel information and what I most wanted was Fuel remaining so I could monitor how much gas was left in the tank.

At the FLL Boat Show I picked up a new Echo-Map Plus 94sv with a GFS Fuel Sensor. I also saw the Icon Pro Series Tachometer which I really liked and I purchased it also.

On my first trip out with my new GPS and Icon Pro I noticed that the fuel reading on the Garmin was reflecting double my normal fuel use. I have a 60 gal tank and at the end of the day it reflected 30 gals used when I normally only use 13 to 14 gals. To top things off my Icon Pro was reading only 1.7 gph fuel usage at about 1200 rpm. I would push is up to 3500 rpm and the usage was only 1.8 gph. My Garmin reflected 10 gph which I know is quite out of the norm for 150 hp engine.

I called Garmin to ask them what could be the problem and the answer I rcvd was that I had two fuel monitors hooked up to the system and that this was causing the Garmin to reflect almost double the fuel usage! I'm kinda stumped and I'm close to putting the I-Command Gauge back in action. Any suggestions are welcomed. Thanks, Fred

jimh
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Re: Fuel Management with GARMIN, E-TEC

Postby jimh » Fri Nov 30, 2018 12:10 pm

Fred--here are a few comments about your situation:

The Evinrude I-Command gauge used the external FUEL DATA MANAGER (also known as the DATA STORAGE MODULE or the MEMORY MODULE) to actually keep track of values like FUEL REMAINING.

The Evinrude ICON Pro RPM gauge does not use the FUEL DATA MANAGER at all. In the ICON Pro RPM gauge the FUEL MANAGER function is completely self-contained, and the value of FUEL REMAINING that the ICON Pro RPM gauge displays will have nothing to do with the MEMORY MODULE. If you no longer have any I-Command gauges, you can remove the MEMORY MODULE from the NMEA-2000 network.

As for the GARMIN, I cannot speak with any authority about its operation, but my impression is that any sort of FUEL MANAGER function in the GARMIN device is also likely to be completely self-contained to the GARMIN device, and won't rely on any other device except that GFS-10 fuel flow sensor you mention as having also installed. It won't use the old MEMORY MODULE, either.

Perhaps GARMIN means to say that with a GFS-10 fuel flow sensor in the system, that sensor reports fuel flow data. But your E-TEC engine is also reporting fuel flow data. Now you have two devices reporting the fuel flow. It is acceptable to have two devices reporting fuel flow, but you have to distinguish them by giving them separate settings of their INSTANCE parameter. Your E-TEC engine is set to INSTANCE=0.

I recommend you call back to GARMIN. Ask them if their multi-function gauge can just use the fuel flow data from the E-TEC engine itself. If it can--and I would expect it can do that--then just remove the GFS-10 device. You did not need to buy it. This should eliminate the problem.

Or, alternatively, ask GARMIN if the GFS-10 can be set to a difference INSTANCE--I would expect it can do that. Then set the GFS-10 to be INSTANCE=1, and configure the multi-function GARMIN display to work with that sensor. This should give you two different calculations of fuel flow rate.

The present readings of an almost constant FUEL FLOW RATE on your ICON Pro RPM gauge are probably due to showing the average value of fuel flow, called FUEL FLOW. If you want to see the instantaneous fuel flow rate, reconfigure the gauge to show FUEL INST. (See page 138 of the operating guide.)

Also, you can configure the ICON Pro RPM gauge to deduce FUEL USED and then TANK LEVEL by using an indirect method, where the gauge uses instantaneous fuel flow data and integrates the data over time to develop a volume of fuel used from the rate of fuel flow. With that method on the ICON, you would not be connecting the ICON to the actual tank level sensor.

For a longer explanation of the difference between direct and indirect measurement of fuel tank level, see

Fuel Tank Level Measurement
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/fuelTankLevel.html

I need some further information from you:

--how is the ICON Pro RPM gauge configured in the fuel set up?

--is it possible to change the INSTANCE setting of the GFS-10 sensor?

ferdinando
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Re: Fuel Management with GARMIN, E-TEC

Postby ferdinando » Fri Nov 30, 2018 1:28 pm

The reason for the GFS-10 module is that when I went to refuel the tank the Garmin would not show the Top Off display on the screen, I followed the instructions to the letter, but no display. I called Garmin and that's when they said I needed the GFS-10 so I could see the display. Sure enough as soon as I purchased the module and installed it, the display for refilling came right up and I could top off to my full fuel capacity of 60 gals.

Regarding the [ICON Pro RPM gauge] configuration I will have to get back to you as I have my boat at the marina and I frankly don't remember.

I appreciate all your help Jim.

Thanks,

Fred

jimh
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Re: Fuel Management with GARMIN, E-TEC, and ICON Pro

Postby jimh » Fri Nov 30, 2018 1:34 pm

I see a conflict in what GARMIN has told you:

--first they tell you that you must have a GFS-10 to use a certain function ("top off");

--but next they tell you that you cannot have a GFS-10 if you have an E-TEC or by inference any other modern engine that is sending fuel flow data.

If both those are true, then there is NO GARMIN display that would be useful with any modern engine, as ALL modern engines send fuel flow data via NMEA-2000, except Mercury engines, but since Mercury engines use a proprietary protocol, they can't be used with a GARMIN either.

I suggest you call back to GARMIN and ask to talk to a customer service representative with more familiarity with this problem. The answer you got from them makes no sense.

ferdinando
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Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2015 3:51 pm

Re: Fuel Management with GARMIN, E-TEC, and ICON Pro

Postby ferdinando » Fri Nov 30, 2018 2:08 pm

I was just looking through my ICON Pro Series manual, where it says "Select Fuel Sender Source" (G-1).

The manual shows a display after you select source which shows three options: NMEA2000, US240-33,and EU-10-180. However on the actual gauge it showed everything except NMEA2000. I will be going to my boat again as soon as possible to check this out but like I mentioned NMEA2000 was nowhere to be found.

I'll get back to you once I follow your instructions and of course calling Garmin again.

Thanks,

Fred

jimh
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Re: Fuel Management with GARMIN, E-TEC, and ICON Pro

Postby jimh » Fri Nov 30, 2018 2:20 pm

ferdinando wrote:...I was just looking through the ICON Pro Series manual where it says "Select Fuel Sender Source" (G-1)...options, NMEA2000, US240-33, EU-10-180


Fred--that section is asking about a TANK LEVEL SENDER source. It is not asking about a FUEL FLOW RATE SENDER. You don't have a NMEA-2000 TANK LEVEL SENDER. That would be the GARMIN GLS-10, not the GFS-10.

Cf.: Tank Sender and Trim Sender Resistance
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3043

jimh
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Re: Fuel Management with GARMIN, E-TEC, and ICON Pro

Postby jimh » Mon Jan 14, 2019 2:57 pm

ferdinando wrote:I'll get back to you once I follow your instructions and of course calling Garmin again.

FRED--are you still working on this problem? Please report any success with resolution of the problem. This sort of feedback will be useful for others.

ferdinando
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Re: Fuel Management with GARMIN, E-TEC, and ICON Pro

Postby ferdinando » Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:23 pm

I finally was able to get the [Evinrude ICON Pro RPM] gauge working properly. I played with the page setup, and I finally obtained fuel being used and fuel remaining. My Garmin and [E-TEC ICON Pro RPM] gauge are also displaying the same exact GPH [flow rate] also.

As I think I mentioned, the fuel remaining amount on my Garmin is not accurate at this time. I have not had time to call Garmin while on the boat to correct the problem, but hopefully this Friday, January 25, 2019, I will get the chance to do so. The Garmin is displaying 50-percent more fuel usage then what I’m actually using. In other words when I get back to the fuel dock and it displays 30-gallons used it will top off with approximately 15 gallons.
As I mentioned I hope to correct this on Friday, January 25, 2019. I will advise results.

Again thanks for your help.

jimh
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Re: Fuel Management with GARMIN, E-TEC, and ICON Pro

Postby jimh » Thu Jan 24, 2019 9:07 pm

ferdinando wrote:\The Garmin is displaying 50-percent more fuel usage then what I’m actually using. In other words when I get back to the fuel dock and it displays 30-gallons used it will top off with approximately 15 gallons.


The GARMIN is showing 100-percent more fuel used. If you only really use 15-gallons and it shows 30-gallons, the increase in fuel used is 15-gallons. As a percentage of 15, 15 is 100-percent. Or, more easily understood, the GARMIN shows the fuel used to be double the actual fuel used.