Auxiliary Fuel Tank Gauge

[Wsullivan71]

I have a 2001 Carver 404 CPMY. It has 3 fuel tanks (port, starboard, and auxiliary) and 2 fuel level gauges on either side of the steering wheel. To gauge the fuel in port and starboard tanks, I operate a switch on the dash to starboard of the steering wheel (reads either port or starboard tank). I am not sure what the fuel gauge to the left of the steering wheel does? Is that for the auxiliary tank? How do I check the fuel in that tank?

The Carver specification sheet says my boat holds 318 gallons of gas. While crawling around in the engine room I noticed that the port tank says it has a 98 gallon capacity. Assuming the stbd tank is the same, does the auxiliary tank really hold 122 gallons? Mine is leaking so I took it out of service but I am always nervous now when planning a trip with only being able to max out on 180 gallons or so of fuel. Any advice?

[bud37]

Considering your problem....if you want make sure of your usage a good remedy would be to install some sort of fuel flow meters....that way you can fill up and track your fuel usage as you go along to stay on the safe side. They have displays that can hook up to your tanks and track levels and show real time fuel flow with mileage estimates etc.etc.

There are some here that could help you with the new stuff on the market....I installed Garmin equip years back.

After install as a check....we filled the tanks and kept track of fuel usage then filled the tanks again and compared....never exact because its nearly impossible to fill marine tanks the same every time but after a couple checks a pattern will emerge you can count on.....good luck with your boat.

[buster53]

There is a switch to the left of your wheel that activates the aux fuel gauge, and yes, that tank is 125 gallons. You can turn that switch either to the left or the right, but only one direction actually works, and I don’t recall which direction works.
Is it the tank that is leaking or one of the fuel hoses, either the fill hose or hose to the engine? Obviously you don’t want to use that tank with any kind of leak issue.

[Wsullivan71]

Thanks for the tips. It appears to be leaking at the bottom of the tank but it's hard to see. I think the tank is v shaped like the hull as it is transversely situated and the seam at the bottom of the tank might be the source of the leak. The last time I tried to put fuel in that tank, I could see it dripping into the bilge at the center of the tank bottom. It's just so hard to access and pinpoint the leak. I wish there was a way to fix it or seal it somehow so that I could use that tank.

[buster53]

Any leak, no matter where it is on the tank will most likely run along the sides/bottom of the tank until it reaches the lowest point before actually dripping into the bilge..so the leak could potentially be anywhere on the tank.
I would imagine the cost to replace that tank won’t be cheap. Have you looked into it?

[tomschauer]

aft tank replace.jpg

Here is the price that was paid to replace my aft tank in 2001.
Note, the boat was only three years old!

[Wsullivan71]

Ouch!!!

[chpsk8]

At least they said Happy Holidays to help soften the blow!

[Wsullivan71]

Just an update...it turned out to be the fill hose thankfully and not the tank. The auxiliary tank fuel fill is in the transom and the hose runs down to the tank under the aft deck. Where the hose takes a bend it had been rubbing on a frame which chafed the hose and eventually led to it completely cracking. The fuel had been running out of the hose when filling and running down to the bottom of the tank which made it appear to be a tank leak.

[km1125]

Wow, that's great news!! Troubleshooting can really save some $$!! Imagine if you had just given the 'go-ahead' to replace the tank!