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Ate humble pie in the worst manner last weekend when I literally ran out of fuel in the middle of the track. Fuel gauge still showed 40 liters still despite there being zero fuel pressure and mechanic confirming that the tank went bone dry...
[Insert noob joke here]
With the initial humiliation over, what do I need to replace? I looked up and down the MY07 parts catalog can't seem to find a dedicated fuel sensor. Is this part of the fuel pump assembly? Then I look at the stock images for said pump and there's only two wires coming out of it--presumably just the power and ground leads. What am I missing?
I believe you have to tell the motec how much fuel per lap you use and then the dash will calculate it for you?
I don't think there is a fuel level sensor
Just realized I may be searching for the wrong term. It's probably this bit, "Fuel Level Sender"... those in the know pls correct me if I'm wrong? I don't need more junk in the garage
That pic is a street car. If you are looking for one for the Cupcar, then u are in trouble as the Cups (later 997s) only have a fuel cell that DO NOT have any sort of fuel level sender. What you see on the Motec is a calculated amount based upon values of calculated fuel use (which is generally not too accurate). For accuracy everyday we pump out the cell and see actual to calcualated. We do try and refine the fuel calculation, but in the end it is a guess really. Couple that with the fact u cant set the motec to a full fuel load anyway and the Fuel Display is pretty much worthless.
Fuel cells are not made with sensors level sensors (although there are a couple that can be fitted with an electronic sensor and then calibrated). The one in the 996 was only there because it was a plastic tank and was same unit as street car that had a level gauge. We dump the fuel everyday after running and compare with estimates at each track to gauge per lap fuel use.
Also the Motec only goes up to 18.99 gallons and your tank holds like 27. So you always just have to reset fuel and generally it never matches what is actually in the tank.
The 997 Cup with the factory tank has a fuel sender. If it is functioning properly, you can set up the dash to show "Fuel Level", with this setup you do not need to push the alarm button to reset. It is displaying the fuel level of the sender. If you have a fuel Cell, Motec should be set up to show "fuel Remaining". This value counts down toward zero as fuel is used, and gets reset when you hold the alarm button for three seconds (hopefully after the tank has been filled). Subtle difference but really important to set it up correctly in Motec.
Many thanks Jerry, that's what I thought coz I've seen the Fuel Level channel in the feed... my Motec's programmed to show absolute fuel level too (just like yours) and it's stuck at 40L. I'll have the wrench look at this "fuel sender" in the tank and see if it's just a jammed floater...
As for others, thanks for the pointers--am aware that there's a host of fuel consumption math in the Motec but let's see what comes back after my wrench has had his round...
7.1 Cups do have a fuel sender, although that part may have been removed from the 7.2 when the factory went the way of fuel cells (speculation). It's the Motec's job to decipher the voltage from that fuel sender, which the factory cable loom feeds into pin #35 of the ADL. The resulting channel is labeled "Fuel Level" in the factory ADL config as Jerry suggested. The ADL can calculate "Fuel Remaining" based on user-definable parameters (theoretical tank capacity minus consumption based on ignition pulses from ECU being one), but for all intents and purposes the raw data to use is "Fuel Level" as said above.
So what happened in my case?
When I had my ADL unlocked and upgraded, the vendor gave me a config from a fuel-cell car. Hence, no fuel sender. That ADL config had its I/O to pin #35 blanked out... As a result my dash wasn't even interpreting the fuel signals being fed, and probably left the "Fuel Level" channel populated with gibberish...
Noob mistake, admittedly, but now I know more about the Motec system. A year ago when I was debating between spending $$$ to unlock+upgrade vs. buying a new colored AIM system, experienced guys all advocated staying with Motec for various reasons... raw capability, customization, analysis tools, etc. I'm beginning to realize what they all meant...
kudos to Jerry and Viper Bob for getting "my" one of the first aim MXL with fuel level working to the 10th of a gallon and all 3 warning light working as they should!!!
04-07-2015, 03:56 AM
Fuel Level Sensor
