Adding a fuel flow meter/display to KAD300

Melida

Melida

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Hi all.
I have a 2005 Searay 315DA equipped with Volvo Penta KAD300 EDC.
I want to add and fuel flow meter/display to see how much my engine consumes in different cruising times, i.e. light load, heavy load, clean/dirty bottom, heavy seas etc.
I know that D series engines with EVC has VP display and can see every parameter of the engine. But KAD series or EDC engines doesn't have this option available or it is too much expensive to convert EDC to EVC in KAD300 costs thousands of Euros.
I found NAVMAN Diesel 3200 instrument with suits my needs. But it needs speed data and could be hooked to another brand gps via NMEA cable. I have Raymarine C80 radome and gps.
Would the Navman work on my engine also C80 would be matched to it and work also.
Does anybody have this Navman or heard about it ?
Hope to hear from you soon.
Best regards.
Melida
 
They used to do an EDC display I would have thought you could still get it. It was about £1500 I think. I don't think there is anything available that will convert the EDC to NMEA like there is for the EVC.

You would need to save a lot of fuel to get your money back. And I think it would spoil your day having an instrument on the dash to tell you how much it is costing you!
 
You can get an electronic EDC display which will show you engine parameters including fuel usage.

The part number for display is 881674 you also need cables depending on your setup.
 
Melida said:
Hi all.
I have a 2005 Searay 315DA equipped with Volvo Penta KAD300 EDC.
I want to add and fuel flow meter/display to see how much my engine consumes in different cruising times, i.e. light load, heavy load, clean/dirty bottom, heavy seas etc.
I know that D series engines with EVC has VP display and can see every parameter of the engine. But KAD series or EDC engines doesn't have this option available or it is too much expensive to convert EDC to EVC in KAD300 costs thousands of Euros.
I found NAVMAN Diesel 3200 instrument with suits my needs. But it needs speed data and could be hooked to another brand gps via NMEA cable. I have Raymarine C80 radome and gps.
Would the Navman work on my engine also C80 would be matched to it and work also.
Does anybody have this Navman or heard about it ?
Hope to hear from you soon.
Best regards.
Melida
Click to expand...

the navman is great but needs it's own flow meters. They stopped making them sadly.
 
Dazzajohm said:
I know this post is old but has anyone come up with a suitable display for the EDC system?

I'm looking for the same thing
Click to expand...

With a single and I note from previous posts your confusion on exactley which 44 vs 300 ??.
I would not bother with a 3.7 L block .
Ball park will be 30-40 L/h
During normal designed speed not WOT from dawn till dusk .
Further more with that engine and it's age unless you want really bigger bills than other average VP outdrive owners keep it between 2900-31 perhaps 3200 rpm ---near enough 35-40 ish L/h
Go lower ( to save fuel ) does not work with supercharging cos you hit there operational range 1400-2600 rpm
Run about all day with that running is a no no .
1-it wines -straight cut gears
2- it's designed for short periods to get up on the plane @2600 rpm the turbo kicks in and the supercharger cuts out .

Below 1400 rpm D speed --ok ish for marina manoeuvring but everything cools down and prolonged usage @ low temps will shorten the life too ,--low temp = poor fuel burn = gunk,s up the valve s and the rings don,t expand enough to seal the cylinders -burn oil and glaze them .

What's left ---well back to operating temps so we are @ sq1 3000rpm +or - a grand or two .
Book says WOT (on a clean bottom-correctly propped ) is 3700 ish rpm .I here you say ---
Heat,s a killer of diesel engines -exceed a certain temp of Exhaust Gas Temp -EGT by running it too hard ,too fast too long ie in your case 3500 rpm ( 15-20 y old engines ) == valves and valve stems will loose there seal -first --excess EGT damage is slow oncoming and cumulative .
While we are on the subject weight is a diesel killer in a leisure boat -- hint -tip there in a single engine instal !

So what's left ,can,t go D ( all day planned ) can,t go between 1400-2600 ( supercharger on )
Can,t go over 34-3700 ( excess EGT -getting dangerous ?)

3000 + or - a grand or two = 37-40 L/h

If you want to splurge on a toy - another dial -- then an EGT guage trumps a fuel flow ---- unless you like spending your evenings posting problems with your VP .:)

@ JFM -- a D 12 pair planning none supercharged sq 58 --doing long passages in the Med 100,s of hours logged --then sure -fuel monitoring I can see is usefull - because it's got a bigger span of " safe "rpm and the numbers are bigger % changes worth while ---- well in theory ?
 
Portofino said:
With a single and I note from previous posts your confusion on exactley which 44 vs 300 ??.
I would not bother with a 3.7 L block .
Ball park will be 30-40 L/h
During normal designed speed not WOT from dawn till dusk .
Further more with that engine and it's age unless you want really bigger bills than other average VP outdrive owners keep it between 2900-31 perhaps 3200 rpm ---near enough 35-40 ish L/h
Go lower ( to save fuel ) does not work with supercharging cos you hit there operational range 1400-2600 rpm
Run about all day with that running is a no no .
1-it wines -straight cut gears
2- it's designed for short periods to get up on the plane @2600 rpm the turbo kicks in and the supercharger cuts out .

Below 1400 rpm D speed --ok ish for marina manoeuvring but everything cools down and prolonged usage @ low temps will shorten the life too ,--low temp = poor fuel burn = gunk,s up the valve s and the rings don,t expand enough to seal the cylinders -burn oil and glaze them .

What's left ---well back to operating temps so we are @ sq1 3000rpm +or - a grand or two .
Book says WOT (on a clean bottom-correctly propped ) is 3700 ish rpm .I here you say ---
Heat,s a killer of diesel engines -exceed a certain temp of Exhaust Gas Temp -EGT by running it too hard ,too fast too long ie in your case 3500 rpm ( 15-20 y old engines ) == valves and valve stems will loose there seal -first --excess EGT damage is slow oncoming and cumulative .
While we are on the subject weight is a diesel killer in a leisure boat -- hint -tip there in a single engine instal !

So what's left ,can,t go D ( all day planned ) can,t go between 1400-2600 ( supercharger on )
Can,t go over 34-3700 ( excess EGT -getting dangerous ?)

3000 + or - a grand or two = 37-40 L/h

If you want to splurge on a toy - another dial -- then an EGT guage trumps a fuel flow ---- unless you like spending your evenings posting problems with your VP .:)

@ JFM -- a D 12 pair planning none supercharged sq 58 --doing long passages in the Med 100,s of hours logged --then sure -fuel monitoring I can see is usefull - because it's got a bigger span of " safe "rpm and the numbers are bigger % changes worth while ---- well in theory ?
Click to expand...


Thanks for the very detailed reply. A couple of points.

I've definitely got a 44 as double checked. Seems that it was just that I had a 300 plastic cover which confused me - doesn't take much.

I guess for me I've not had the best of starts with this boat and my intention this season is to go further afield. A brief background - I've spend the last 3 years with a small and really old cabin cruiser chugging up and down a local river. Changed to this boat in January and moved to Dover and want to to go across to France and up the Thames etc.

I'm currently in the process of trying to get my boat working right and set up so I have confidence in its reliability but also as everyone will know part of any passage planning is working out fuel and most economical engine speed for cruising etc. Came across this post and thought the display looked like a really good tool to serve my purpose. Shame it seems it's no longer available.

Thanks for your help - I find these forums really informative for a relative novice and finding out information.

Cheers
 
Ok --- you have a fuel guage and should know the tank capacity -- just guessing 3-400 L -perhaps 8- 9 hrs at 3000 rpm ?
It's gonna be 1/2 tank to cross to France bumble about a bit -so -top up come B4 coming back .

Anyhow with a diesel the show stopper is dirty fuel ---
Add diesel bug agents now .
Familiarise yourself with changing the primary and secondary fillters and bleeding it through ------ on a hot engine .
That's a major problem with a tight instal --access - how ever you are where you are --so ---
If not already done -new belts on that engine - the pully wheels are base metal and rust leading to excessive black dust and premature wear .
There also an awkward pully bely tensioner -- it's tricky to do when access is easy ,nevermind a tight instal ! And hot engine !! In a sea way
I had one let go ( sods law the inner of Stb 3 ) --- while out of sight of land in the Med -- managed to change it .

Wife n kids colour to faces restored when I got it going :) adds a bit of excitement to a hol .

Not too sure I would want a container ship bearing down on me in the straights of Dover !

If you get a bag blocking the water inlet on the leg = new impeller -- Cary a spare and spare hex bolts for the plate --cos you will drop em ,fiddley things .

Less important trim ram relays --- Cary spares -- not a show stopper .

What state is the engine currently in .? How many hrs ?
 
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Portofino said:
Ok --- you have a fuel guage and should know the tank capacity -- just guessing 3-400 L -perhaps 8- 9 hrs at 3000 rpm ?
It's gonna be 1/2 tank to cross to France bumble about a bit -so -top up come B4 coming back .

Anyhow with a diesel the show stopper is dirty fuel ---
Add diesel bug agents now .
Familiarise yourself with changing the primary and secondary fillters and bleeding it through ------ on a hot engine .
That's a major problem with a tight instal --access - how ever you are where you are --so ---
If not already done -new belts on that engine - the pully wheels are base metal and rust leading to excessive black dust and premature wear .
There also an awkward pully bely tensioner -- it's tricky to do when access is easy ,nevermind a tight instal ! And hot engine !! In a sea way
I had one let go ( sods law the inner of Stb 3 ) --- while out of sight of land in the Med -- managed to change it .

Wife n kids colour to faces restored when I got it going :) adds a bit of excitement to a hol .

Not too sure I would want a container ship bearing down on me in the straights of Dover !

If you get a bag blocking the water inlet on the leg = new impeller -- Cary a spare and spare hex bolts for the plate --cos you will drop em ,fiddley things .

Less important trim ram relays --- Cary spares -- not a show stopper .

What state is the engine currently in .? How many hrs ?
Click to expand...

That's the first problem - my tank is tiny - about 120 litres I recon. As my fuel gauge doesn't seem that accurate I tend to top it up once I get to what looks like half a tank (I can see it when I open up the engine hatch) and usually put in about 60 litres.

Regarding the engine, I was told it had done about 600hrs before it was re-conditioned and put in my boat. If you've seen my other posts, you'll know that I have a Princess 266 which of course came with twin petrols as standard and the dealer I got her from re-engine her to the KAD 44 for the previous owner who then decided to buy one of the dealers other boats he was selling on part exchange. Probably why the fuel tank is so small as the Kad44 will be much bigger than the original petrols so space will I imagine have been quite limited. Again, this is why I was looking at a way of understanding the most economical way of operating the boat for longer passages.

Anyhow, I've got a problem with black smoke and large increase of fuel consumption, but it's still under warranty. The dealer thinks it's a turbo problem so is ordering parts and hopefully will resolve sometime soon.
 
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