[TG] [TG11] Estimated fuel level and distance to empty at zero

[JeepSWAG]

My Estimated Fuel Remaining is reading and distance to empty read zero on the MFD. These worked correctly for about 11 hours.

I have a DF200 connected to a NMEA 2000 network. I also have a Raymarine es78 MFD connected to the network.

The MFD Fuel Economy continues to display functions normally.

After speaking with Raymarine (who was very helpful) I put the following list of questions together and sent them to Suzuki. Below are the questions with responses from Suzuki.that I have;

I'm using part numbers;
- 990C0-88149-350 (SMIS Engine Interface Cable)
- 990C0-88136 (Suzuki SMIS Adapter to SDS)

Q: Are either or both of these firmware update-able? (I believe the Interface Cable is) Is the latest firmware v3.5?
A: The interface is, but it is the latest. The other is just a cable, so no

Q: Are either of these a gateway?
A: No

Q: Is the data flow from the engine unidirectional?
A: No

Q: Is the Engine transmitting PNG 127497 ?
A: No, K Line

Not related to this issue, I also asked;
Q: Does the engine transmit engine temperature to the NMEA network?
A: No it needs a C10 in the system to be able to read temperature

Per Raymarine Support, I;
- Backed up my settings
- Backed up my routes and waypoints
- Did a factory reset
- Restored my settings, routes and waypoints
- I also know that I have about 70 gallons in an 88 gallon tank. In order to initialize the fuel management, I set the tank size to 70 gallons and set all tanks full. I then changed the size of the tank to 88 gallons.

I still have some follow up to do, but need to get down to the boat to do so. Will report back with more details.

[Tom - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hello JeepSWAG,

Here in Australia I've seen very similar things when engines or engine gateways have been outputting engine data that we're not expecting. For example, I've seen Estimated Fuel empty very quickly when the NMEA2000 messages:

- Engine Parameters Dynamic (127489) has contained very large fuel-flow values just for a few messages just on engine-start
- Trip Parameters Engine (127497) has contained Trip Fuel Used which is not reset by the engine on each trip and instead continually counts up

Either of these cause our display to think that more fuel has been removed from the tank than is actually the case.

There are lots of ways to try to approach this problem but in my experience by far the most effective and efficient is to record some of the raw NMEA2000 data through few engine start-stop cycles and a few minutes of running. Ideally you'd do 'All Tanks Full' in the MFD beforehand so that you can see whether the Estimated Fuel is going down unexpectedly whilst you're doing the recording. Of course if the fuel levels look normal then the log isn't going to tell us anything and you need to keep recording.

If you can follow the instructions at http://forum.raymarine.com/showthread.php?tid=6849 and post a log-file back here, I would be happy to read the raw data and see what's wrong.

Regards,
Tom

[JeepSWAG]

Thanks Tom, I'll gather some diagnostic data. BTW, my Estimated Fuel went from a number (guessing about 22 gallons) to zero, while cruising.

[Tom - Raymarine - Moderator]

Ok, I'll look out for the NMEA2000 logged data.

[JeepSWAG]

Tom,

Just realized that the data logging link that you posted is for Lighthouse 3. I'm running Lighthouse 2, as my es78 is connected to an a78 via Raynet. Am I okay to proceed with this data collection method?

[Tom - Raymarine - Moderator]

Sorry, I've been answering LH3 questions recently and posted that link from habit. Try this page instead.

Tom

[JeepSWAG]

Tom,

Thanks for the link. To confirm, I should do the following;

With a memory card inserted in slot 2 (that's an assumption. I keep my chart card in slot 1);

On the system's Data Master MFD - HOME->SET-UP->MAINTENANCE->DIAGNOSTICS->INTERFACES->N2K/STNG->BUFFER->DIRECTION->BOTH; START BUFFER

When finished, stop the recording using the STOP RECORDING feature.

Questions,

Do I need to set the recording direction?

Will I need to use a bus analyzing tool? (I hope not)

Thanks.

[Tom - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hello JeepSWAG,

Yes, ok to keep your chart in slot 1, just change 'Record File' at the bottom of Interfaces > N2K to SD2 to record to the bottom slot. Please leave Direction at the default setting of Both.

No, no need for a bus analysis tool, that's what I'm here for. Just send the log-file to me and I'll come back to you with whatever I find.

Regards,
Tom

[mark d]

Hello Tom and Jeepswag,
I read this with interest as I have the same issue with a DF140 2012.
After successfully hooking up axiom 12 to engine via Suzy interface I am able to to see (engine hours, litres per hour, engine temp) and for a while there (est fuel remaining) which was very accurate.
est fuel remaining has gone and now shows dashes not numerals, I went through fuel setup and now fuel messages are not detected, this happened randomly once while using the boat and I was able to re enter data, the second time was after latest software update and now cannot enter values.

So I hope you blokes can come up with the solution.
Many thanks Mark

[Tom - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hello mark d,

You shouldn't need to (and are probably best not to) re-do the Fuel Manager setup. The message types coming out of the engine shouldn't change (unless there's something wrong) and if the initial setup was right then re-doing it shouldn't be necessary.

When you say you cannot enter values: what values are you trying to enter, and what is going wrong with that entry?

One thing that might be causing you problems after your recent software update is that we're finding a range of intermittent, inconsistent behaviours in MFDs after a software update at the moment. Our software engineers are looking into the problem, but in the meantime we're advising that people do a software reset after doing an MFD software upgrade. This solves these inconsistent behaviours and may well solve your problem. To do a reset, please:

1. Back up all of your settings and data to a MicroSD card through Home > My Data > Import/Export > Save Settings and Save My Data
2. Reset through Home > Settings > This Display > Factory Reset
3. Re-do the Fuel Manager setup.
   

If this solves the problem, great. If not, please can you log NMEA2000 data as I described before and send to me?

Regards,
Tom