Electronics question...

[Miles Offshore]

no not at all, mine is one of the best investments i ever made in my boat and i love the thing- but i have a carbed inboard 350- you just need to read the manual/instructions and make sure your application,model , installation and motor agree with each other- i dont want to confuse you with the issues my bud has with his motor-

[jayded1]

No, the previous post was correct Merc motors 2002+ don't need the navman fuel unit Smart System will do it for you, but with motors 2002- it is needed.
I've been so impressed with the features that Navman offers ALL my electronics will be Navman. I have a 7200VHF and am just trying to decide which combo of fishfinder/GPS to get now. I was thinking of the all in one units but am leaning toward seperate pieces now, not in the least for the 2 screen possibilities.

[Bryan A.]

I have had my Navman fuel monitor for three years now with intermident problems througout the seasons. The symptoms were fuel starvation when I would try to get up on plane. I have it installed as Chuck described as far as order but physically the fuel sensor is slightly lower than the fuel filter, it is still like that but the boat is out of the water now. I have replaced any clamp I could find in the fuel system including inside the engine because my assumption was the in line monitor was putting a strain on all the connections causing an air leak. After that I would still have problems occasionally. This season I had to replace my VRO because the diaphram was ripped, I chalked it up to old age because the motor is a 96. Did the Navman fuel sensor cause a strain on the fuel pump and rip the VRO diaphram?????? Maybe.
The unit has been great for keeping track of fuel but the problems suck. I am seriously considering disconnecting the thing and keep track of fuel the old fashioned way. The reason I bought the thing was to avoid fixing the FOUR fuel guage senders on top of the Four tanks on my boat. Any other stories or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[Miles Offshore]

one other thing i noticed about the one i am talking about is when he removed it he had replaced those plastic retaining rings that connect the hose with stainless hose clamps. he overtightened them(doesnt take much since they are plastic, and crushed/kinked the inlet or outlet i dont remember which one now but that in itself would restrict fuel flow greatly..

[Capt Chuck]

he overtightened them(doesnt take much since they are plastic, and crushed/kinked the inlet or outlet i dont remember which one now but that in itself would restrict fuel flow greatly..

Thats a very good point Miles and that could be a significant cause for interruption. On the other hand, I had concerns about the big block HP motors being restricted by the Navman but was assured "not to worry" after reading several threads on other forums. I'm not a motor mechanic at all but fuel starvation sounds like a fuel pump or some sort of line problem. If the lines are old, I think I would start by replacing all the clamps and fuel lines with new 3/8" all the way