Kidoo
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Re: Monaco Fuel gauge FULL all the time
dougrainer wrote: The Centroid fuel sender has no moving parts. It works by measuring capacitance, an electrical property, between its inner and outer tubes in the tank. The more fuel between the tubes, the higher the reading. Electronics in the hockey-puck head of the sender convert the capacitance to current to drive the fuel gauge. Connections: The Centroid sender has four connections: • Positive and Negative: Battery voltage to run the electronics in the sender head. • Send: Connects to the Send terminal of the gauge on the dash. • Alarm: Makes a connection internally to the Negative terminal when the low alarm fuel level is reached (when gauge is reading about 1/8 tank). This turns on the alarm light on the dash. It is not adjustable. Checking the Gauge: • Remove the SEND wire from the Sender. Turn the ignition power ON. The fuel gauge should read above FULL. • Touch the SEND wire to the NEGATIVE terminal of the sender. When the ignition Power is applied, the gauge should read EMPTY. • If this test passes, place the send wire back on the SEND terminal of the sender. Checking the Voltage: • Place the BLACK lead of the voltmeter on the sender NEGATIVE terminal. • Place the RED lead of the voltmeter on the POSITIVE terminal of the sender. • Reading of the voltmeter should be about 12 Volts DC. • Place the RED lead of the voltmeter on the SEND terminal of the sender. • Reading of the voltmeter will range between Zero and 9 Volts DC. Calibration and Adjustments: • Calibration and adjustments to the fuel sender must be performed with the engine running since this affects the voltage at the sending unit. There are Two Adjustments on the Centroid Sender: • Empty: Adjusts for length of sender, should be sealed with a brown sealant, stating that the sending unit is factory adjusted. If the sealant has been tampered with, the sending unit may have an incorrect calibration. Do not change if the sealant is intact. • Full Adjustment: The full adjustment can be used to correct for slight differences between fuel meters. During installation, it has been calibrated for your meter and should not need readjustment. NOTE: Calibration procedures should be performed by a qualified service technician. Calibration procedure will require both Empty and Full potentiometers be adjusted. Proper calibration is performed by calibrating the Empty side first, then the Full side. Ensure the Fuel Tank is full prior to performing the following procedure. 1. Setting Empty: • Place the sending unit in two inches of clean diesel fuel. • Rotate both the full and empty potentiometers fully clockwise. • Slowly adjust the Empty potentiometer counterclockwise until the needle on the gauge just covers the empty mark. • Rotate the potentiometer back clockwise slightly and then counterclockwise to Empty ensuring the needle on the gauge is not below empty. The sender will not show anything below the Empty mark. 2. Setting Full: • Put sending unit in the full tank of fuel. • Slowly turn Full potentiometer counterclockwise until the needle on the gauge is down to the full mark. Both adjustments should be verified several times to ensure proper calibration. The key for proper adjustment technique is to start with the full adjustment screw fully clockwise, and with a full tank of fuel. This causes the readings to be above marks. Slowly adjust counterclockwise until the marks are reached. The intent is to always adjust downscale rather than upscale. Troubleshooting: A. Fuel Only: One possibility, when there is a constant above full reading, may be water in the bottom of the fuel tank. The sender will not work correctly in conducting fluids such as water (it will read above full all the time in water). B. Electronic Output: The sender has a transistorized output. This prevents an ohmmeter from getting a correct reading of its output resistance. C. Contact Centroid: Probably 90% of the returns Centroid tests work okay on the bench. If you have incorrect readings contact Centroid (telephone: 800-423-3574 or, preferably, fax: 904-423-3709) with the symptoms. A short,"fill in the blanks" troubleshooting test is provided, appropriate to the sender. It is easier to find the problem that way than after the sender has been removed from the system, since the problem is not necessarily with the sender. NOTE: Sending units are calibrated by length from the manufacture. If replacing a sending unit and the sender needs cut, the empty setting will require being set first Thanks, I will try these test.921Views0likes0CommentsRe: Monaco Fuel gauge FULL all the time
dougrainer wrote: Monaco sending units have a calibration POT screw. You fill the tank full and then SLOOOOWLY turn the Pot screw in very small increments until the needle is straight on the full mark. It takes up to 1 minute per adjustment to get the correct reading. So, you cannot use any sending unit. Doug Yes I tried that, nothing moves.918Views0likes0CommentsMonaco Fuel gauge FULL all the time
Hi, I have a 2003 diesel Monaco Cayman and my fuel gauge started to indicate full all the time. Before, it indicated full only when it was warm outside, when cold it indicated the correct fuel level. The fuel sending unit is a Centroid Capacitance type unit like they use on aircraft. I can get a new one from centroid but it is very expensive with shipping, tax and custom to Canada and I am not sure it will fix the problem. The sending unit has 4 wires, pos. neg. send. alarm. I wonder if I can use a normal standard float 2 wires unit. I don't car if alarm does not work. A member of this group has used it and he said it works fine. I wonder how I could wire this float unit. The float unit has a negative and positive wire only. Should I connect the pos. to the pos. wire and the send to the negative wire, or pos. to pos and neg. to neg. will it work with my RV gauge? Thank you.2.7KViews0likes6CommentsRe: RV permit question, going my way?
MEXICOWANDERER wrote: Should be a slam dunk on a 180-day permit. You have an ideal setup IMHO. Legal on the street. By the way using a pricey manganese square link steel chain and a "shrouded" padlock reduces chances of theft radically. Hacksaws, rotary grinders, and four foot long Rigid bolt cutters cannot touch manganese square link chain. I know folks who drain both tires of air to help prevent theft. Due to fuel prices I want to buy a $23.000 peso COSTCO scooter for bopping around the tiny town. Good luck with 2-1/2 months of social security income :( Hope will be fine.490Views0likes0CommentsRe: RV permit question, going my way?
MEXICOWANDERER wrote: Motorbikes 499 cc and under get added as an accessory to an 180 day permit. A 10-year RV permit cannot have an accessory. Choose one. 10 year permit with no motorbike or 180 day permit with a motorbike. Non street legal motorbikes will be refused their own 180 day permit. The vehicle must have license plates, and functioning highway lighting. So the husband wife 2 permits thing is a pipe dream unless the motorbike is street legal in the USA. They are strict about this. And Aduana is every bit as strict about the motor bike as they are a car. A big Harley would require a top tier deposit, a 499 cc or under motorbike issued a 180 day permit squeezes through for the 200 dollar deposit. And non plated motorbikes can be cited (read CAN again, it does not mean WILL) for unregistered use on a public street. Carry a ZEROX copy of legal ownership with you when you putt-putt into town. Enforcement is utterly up to the attitude of local government. Things change to serious if a Highway Patrol catches you on an SCT highway. Keep it in mind. My bike is plated and street legal. Last year it was too but I did not have a TIP, it was on the RV 180 days TIP. Hope to go through no problem, both are on my name.477Views0likes0CommentsRe: RV permit question, going my way?
I plan on crossing at Colombia with the RV and a 400cc burgman scooter/motorcycle on the hitch. Last year at Colombia, I had a 250cc scooter and they listed it on the RV 180 days TIP, no separte TIP for the scooter. Both, the RV and the scoot is on my name. Wonder if it will be the same this year? Will I have to drive the motorcycle on it's onw? I was planning to cross at Ojinaga but this border does not seem to handle many RV as I saw in april and maybe I would have trouble to cross with the RV and the Scoot.478Views0likes0CommentsRe: Vagabundos insurance - Is it a broker or a licensed insurer?
daveB110 wrote: Mexican law demands that for Liability, insurance must be from a Mexican company, no other. But this means that while liability insurance is from a Mexican company, this can be made available for others to purchase, outside their country, through brokers, some who can offer excellent service while you are in Mexico. One that has stood out well in the test of time, is Los Angeles -based, Lewis and Lewis. Watch for the company you are planning to use, for example, their deduction amount. Our first venture to Mexico was through Vagabundos. But when our air conditioner was destroyed while driving a very primitive detour route that took us under the Copper Canyon railway overpass, we were out of luck because of their 1,000 dollar deductible. At the time Lewis and Lewis had a 500 dollar deductible, which we later bought, enjoying their good service although we never had another claim. We liked that they offered advice if problems should arise while driving in Mexico, with such as wide knowlege of contacts, for instance, with lawyers who could help visitors. Thanks, I am leaning for Lewis too, I had a few good comments on people that had accidents. They sell Qualitas and saw some bad comments too about Qualitas, so hard to say when it comes time to deal with them once problem arise.449Views0likes0CommentsVagabundos insurance - Is it a broker or a licensed insurer?
Hi, I would like to purchase my RV insurance with Vagabundos because they are cheaper. Are they a brooker or a licensed insurer? What are your experience with them? From their web site, they pay $75 US for repair, is this the norm? Thanks.1.5KViews0likes9Comments
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