272LE fuel gauge??

[31seahorse]

Hello List Members,

We have finished the repair/upgrade of our 1988 272LE, Breezin' Up. In the course of learning the systems of this boat I spent a bit of time in the quarter berth and the sail locker looking for and at the fuel tank and its connections. The PO told me that the tank was repositioned in order to accomodate the stearing mechanism and thus took away the possibility of using a "dipstick" to measure fuel in the tank. The fill neck is offset a few inches.

I could not identify any optional openings in the top of the tank after I removed the engine control panel behind the binnacle. So, no easy way to screw in any gauge there. There is room to access the top of the tank, but I didn't think cutting in a new opening sounded like a good idea.

Has anyone considered (or better yet done) a relocation of the deck fill for the fuel tank? It looks like it would be possible to move the fill neck a small distance toward the centerline of the transom in order to line up the deck fill and the fuel opening in the top of the tank.

I will get some pictures today to better illustrate my description, but I thought I would get the wheels turning on this site in the hope someone has a solution that they have already used.

Thanks

 

[RAD]

Keep it simple and figure fuel usage by engine hrs......I have a fuel gauge thats not so accurate but I look at the engine hours used to figure how much fuel I used and I'm always pretty close

 

[cbourne200]

On my 272, I don't think fuel take has been moved, and no evidence of filler moved either. However, there is a slight displacement of the filler neck towards the port side. Maybe 1-2" I have to push the wooden dowel down at an angle toward port side to get it down neck. And it takes 3-4 'pokes' to find the one place where the dowel will go down. How far has your tank been offset? Has it really been offset? What type guage are you condifering adding? I've also considered adding one, but I go by 'If it ani't broke, don't fix it'. Or as some say, 'If it ain't fixed, don't break it!'. Like RAD said, fuel consumption is low (I have a Westerbeke ten-2 deisel), so fuel up in spring, add stabilizer (when I bought a bottle at West, consumption directions were such that I can go about 15 yrs on 1 little bottle of stabilizer. And our sailing season is continuous (except for some weekends in Feb/March). I've had the boat about 15 months, and have used less than 3 gal fuel. Boat goes out an average of 2 weekends per month, but short distance to where sails raised (1/2-3/4 mile). Returning, sails stay up until approx 1/4 mi from marina.

 

[31seahorse]

Thanks RAD & cbourne200,

I had read some other posts about calculating fuel consumption and engine hours. I am not very careful about recording such things, so I thought a rudimentary "gauge" of some sort would be a good backup. Besides.....What if my wife takes the boat out and doesn't take me along????? While investigating the offset distance I used a piece of coat hanger to poke into the filler neck. I discovered like cbourne said there is a bit of room to push a thin "stick" into the tank.

I discussed that with a friend and he suggested a dipstick like used for oil or for transmission fluid. So......off I went to Auto Zone this morning and bought an $8 generic dipstick from their HELP department. It worked fine. If I can upload pictures I can show how It is used. I straightened the large curve at the top and bent a small finger hook to prevent pushing the dipstick into the filler neck and to aid in removing it. I might wrap the dipstick in tape of some type to help in reading the level of the fuel on the stick.

Thanks All for your interest and especially for these suggestions. My next task is to sail the boat and enjoy her.

 

[Pat]

Hello List Members,

We have finished the repair/upgrade of our 1988 272LE, Breezin' Up. In the course of learning the systems of this boat I spent a bit of time in the quarter berth and the sail locker looking for and at the fuel tank and its connections. The PO told me that the tank was repositioned in order to accomodate the stearing mechanism and thus took away the possibility of using a "dipstick" to measure fuel in the tank. The fill neck is offset a few inches.

I could not identify any optional openings in the top of the tank after I removed the engine control panel behind the binnacle. So, no easy way to screw in any gauge there. There is room to access the top of the tank, but I didn't think cutting in a new opening sounded like a good idea.

Has anyone considered (or better yet done) a relocation of the deck fill for the fuel tank? It looks like it would be possible to move the fill neck a small distance toward the centerline of the transom in order to line up the deck fill and the fuel opening in the top of the tank.

I will get some pictures today to better illustrate my description, but I thought I would get the wheels turning on this site in the hope someone has a solution that they have already used.

Thanks

I just bought a 3 ft. long 1/4 dia. wooden dowel and marked the distances
they suggested in the 272 manual and it's worked like a champ for 26 years
I wipe it off well and store it on the shelf in the quarterberth.
I agree the offset is maybe 1 or 1 1/2 inches from the tank fill lid...you do have to stick it in and out several times to find the right angle...simple

 

[cbourne200]

Your deck fill location looks to be stock. My '87 272 has a charcoal 'drink holder' plate vs your clear one... But mine is not an LE.

How's your instrument cluster? I see in the photo you have removed it. My volt meter only shows 12 v when diesel running, but checking lug on alternator shows 13.4. Tach doesn't register when motor is at operating speed. Must be loose/dirty connections somewhere. But when I'm there at the boat, I'm more interested in sailing than working on the boat...

 

[Pat]

I just bought a 3 ft. long 1/4 dia. wooden dowel and marked the distances
they suggested in the 272 manual and it's worked like a champ for 26 years
I wipe it off well and store it on the shelf in the quarterberth.
I agree the offset is maybe 1 or 1 1/2 inches from the tank fill lid...you do have to stick it in and out several times to find the right angle...simple

Seahorse, your pictures are helpful.....we finally busted the plexiglass plate for the little compartment on the stern and I'm going to have a new one made from teak. Will probably break as well. We have a teak helmsman seat that bridges the port and starboard cockpit seats. It is attached on the angle of the port seat and lifts up so I can keep the area clean under the seat. This seat makes the LE & wheel much nicer...A friend designed and built it with plans from this old boat magazine, 26 years ago. Also purchased a teak cockpit grate and a teak drop leaf table from a supplier at the Newport Boat Show...It is great to eat at when anchored, but a lot of work....I'm going to take it in a week or two to have it striped and then try to re-finish it. If I knew how to send pictures, I would. Thanks, Patrick

 

[31seahorse]

Hello cbourne200 & Pat,

Taking out the instrument panel was a bear! There is some strong, black,rubbery sealant on the inside of the opening. The back cover finally broke loose from the panel and both came out. I wanted to replace the plastic panel anyway so it needed to come out. I did the replacement of the instruments, buttons, and the switch today in about two careful hours of work that included a picture of the back of the old panel's wires.

I've been thinking about changing the clear panel on that storage space to a smokey one. The corners of the present one are either broken off or at least cracked. I hadn't thought about wood, but that is a possibility.

I made two stern rail seats for Breezin' Up. I don't have pictures except that you can see the extra crossbar that I added in the first of my pictures. The seats pivot on that rail and are supported by one leg that rests against the angle of the seat and the backrest part of the cockpit. The seats were made from one of those grate style covers that fit in the sole of a powerboat to cover the storage area for water skis. A bit of work with a saber saw and a router turned one cover into two seats. They provide a high seat for looking ahead and the top stern rail provides a backrest. If anyone is interested I can take some pictures of the finished seats in place.

Winches are now greased and much more quiet. Eileen and I are now ready to sail the boat for the first time.

Best Wishes

 

[cbourne200]

31Seahorse - can you send the pic of back side of guages, Here's mine, but thnk something is not wired correctly. Maybe I have a bad tach, or maybe connections are dirty, but Tach shows less than 500 RPM at idle, 0 at slow speed, and less than 300 RPM at cruising speed. Never sure what RPM is at any throttle setting. Volt meter won't show more than 12 v (idle or speed), but I get about 13.4 off alternator. Volt meter does not show battery voltage with engine off/key on. PO supposedly rebuilt engine before I bought it (PO sold to broker, who sold to me, so I can't contact PO).

Did you replace instrument cluster? Looking online they are about $700.

Charles

 

[31seahorse]

Hello Charles,

Your picture certainly looks familiar. I'll attach the pictures I used. One may be better for you than the other. I'm no electrician! I only replaced the black, plastic face of the panel. The gauges were reused. I removed each gauge individually and moved it to the new panel. Some wires could remain attached. It all worked when I had finished. (Even though I had one flat washer left over! When I installed it that washer nearly touched another post and I was concerned about arcing between the posts.)

Phil

 

[cbourne200]

Thanks Phil - yes, looks very familiar. I'll attempt to magnify yours & compare to mine. MAYBE something is wired wrong on mine, or maybe just bad connections, Haven't taken time to remove/clean them. Where did you get new panel/cover? Might save me looking for it again...

Charles

 

[31seahorse]

Marine Diesel Direct (Torresen Marine) They have parts diagrams for several diesel engines. The ignition switch I ordered did not completely match the original so I did not use it. There was no flat spot on the switch to keep it from twisting in the opening of the panel. I'll contact them about sending it back. They have a phone number on the web site and I did call them to order.

I did not caulk the panel in yet. I think I'll take it out and clean the terminals and cover them with some of that corrosion preventing grease. I was too intent on getting the wires back correctly to do the cleaning in that step.

Phil