Beneteau 473 - Water Tank to Fuel Tank Conversion "Kit" Help Needed
bille...@gmail.com
Can any B473 owners out there, who have converted the starboard aft cabin water tank to a second fuel tank using the conversion “kit” from Beneteau provide any photos and/or advice on the actual installation? The two most critical areas for me are the tank selector valve module (where and how it is mounted and configured) and the cabling and connections between the fuel gauge and the fuel level sender on the tank (also how is this signal powered?).
Background:
Last April, I purchased a “kit” from Beneteau USA (using all P/Ns specified by Beneteau) to convert the starboard aft cabin water tank to a second fuel tank. I received most of the components of this kit within a month or so but the replacement tank finally arrived last month. I have laid out all the bits and pieces and can account for how most of them are to be installed. Note – the ONLY “instruction” supplied with this “kit” were the two diagrams at the bottom of this email. The folks in Marion, SC USA stated that no service bulletin or technical note existed with any written instructions for the installation other than these diagrams. I think they must have assumed that anyone purchasing this kit would bring it to an authorized Beneteau dealer with a service department to be installed. However, I plan to do the install myself, with assistance from Worton Creek Marina (Chesapeake Bay) mechanics if needed, so I need additional information.
More Detail:
There are a few critical items that I cannot figure out how and/or where they are to be installed. Supposedly, there have been “many” other kits sold to B473 owners. I’m hoping that one or more of you can provide some advice and photos.
- Fuel tank selector valve kit (P/N 054595) – A photo here would be great as to how this “kit” is to be assembled, mounted and where it is to be mounted. I also included a photo and discussion of all the parts from this valve “kit” at the end of this email.
- Cabling between the fuel gauge and fuel level sender – A cable harness was NOT supplied as part of the conversion kit nor any instruction as to how the sender/gauge are to be powered. There is a cable harness available from Beneteau (P/N 125376 – not supplied with the conversion “kit”) that connects to the fuel gauge but only has short leads with male spade terminals. There does not appear to be a corresponding cable harness/connector P/N for the sender. Does anyone have any pinout info for this fuel gauge and sender? How is it powered? Again, if anyone has a photo of the connectors and cabling, that would be great.
- I can see where each of the grounding cables are to be connected to the tanks and deck fill. However, I assume the other ends of the grounding cables are connected to the engine block but where exactly? Same place as the grounding cable from the original (port cabin) fuel tank?
If anyone can provide photos of their installation and any other advice that would be much appreciated!
Thanks!!
Bill
B473 – Skylark
Diagrams, Photo and Additional Info:
The following two diagrams are the only instructions that Beneteau supplied for installation of their tank conversion “kit”. The red text in the first diagram are my English translations:
Fuel Tank Selector Kit (P/N 054595):
The only guidance provided for this kit configuration/assembly are the graphics on Slides 1 and 2. The area of assembly missing the most detail is the configuration/assembly of this Fuel Tank Selector Kit. As you can see from Slide #1, the Fuel Tank Selector is shown only as two valves with attached hose barbs. The hose barbs didn’t actually come as part of P/N 054595 but separately as one of the other P/Ns (P/N 048357) comprising the tank conversion kit. However, it was obvious that they must go with these valves. Slide 7 shows everything that came as part of P/N 054595 including the hose barbs assembled on the valves. Various groups of parts are indicated by different colored ellipsoids – e.g., the valves with hose barbs (Yellow). I am assuming that the aluminum bracket (Red) is supposed to provide a mount for the valves and maybe some of the other hardware but it is not clear how anything in this kit attaches to the bracket nor where that bracket is to be mounted, presumably somewhere inside the engine compartment. There is a machined aluminum piece (Blue) that kind of looks like a handle, but to what? The cotter pin and brass piece (Fuscia) were loose in the box as received but then there was an empty envelope with a P/N 302392 – “Brass Pivot (19.38mm)” label (not a Beneteau P/N). It looks like the cotter pin fits through one of the holes of the brass piece but I can’t tell where it is used. There is a clip (Violet) that might hold a cable in place. Finally, there is a bag with parts and an instruction sheet (Green), which states that it is a DC Dash Control with Tension Lock (P/N 301916 – not a Beneteau P/N). It looks to me like the sort of mechanism that would clamp onto the end of a wire cable (that slides within a cover) and pulls and pushes the wire cable within its cover using a T-handle (see attached PDF file). I’ve seen this sort of mechanism as an engine stop to manually cut the fuel supply on a diesel engine – but that’s not how one stops a B473 diesel so I can’t figure out how or why this is used in the Fuel Selector Kit.
Can anyone provide any clarification as to whether these are all the correct pieces for this kit and, if so, how are they to be assembled, mounted and where??? Thanks!
(BTW – non-sequential “Slide Numbers” above are from another document)
DAVID FLETCHER
Can any B473 owners out there, who have converted the starboard aft cabin water tank to a second fuel tank using the conversion “kit” from Beneteau provide any photos and/or advice on the actual installation? The two most critical areas for me are the tank selector valve module (where and how it is mounted and configured) and the cabling and connections between the fuel gauge and the fuel level sender on the tank (also how is this signal powered?).
Background:
Last April, I purchased a “kit” from Beneteau USA (using all P/Ns specified by Beneteau) to convert the starboard aft cabin water tank to a second fuel tank. I received most of the components of this kit within a month or so but the replacement tank finally arrived last month. I have laid out all the bits and pieces and can account for how most of them are to be installed. Note – the ONLY “instruction” supplied with this “kit” were the two diagrams at the bottom of this email. The folks in Marion, SC USA stated that no service bulletin or technical note existed with any written instructions for the installation other than these diagrams. I think they must have assumed that anyone purchasing this kit would bring it to an authorized Beneteau dealer with a service department to be installed. However, I plan to do the install myself, with assistance from Worton Creek Marina (Chesapeake Bay) mechanics if needed, so I need additional information.
More Detail:
There are a few critical items that I cannot figure out how and/or where they are to be installed. Supposedly, there have been “many” other kits sold to B473 owners. I’m hoping that one or more of you can provide some advice and photos.
- Fuel tank selector valve kit (P/N 054595) – A photo here would be great as to how this “kit” is to be assembled, mounted and where it is to be mounted. I also included a photo and discussion of all the parts from this valve “kit” at the end of this email.
- Cabling between the fuel gauge and fuel level sender – A cable harness was NOT supplied as part of the conversion kit nor any instruction as to how the sender/gauge are to be powered. There is a cable harness available from Beneteau (P/N 125376 – not supplied with the conversion “kit”) that connects to the fuel gauge but only has short leads with male spade terminals. There does not appear to be a corresponding cable harness/connector P/N for the sender. Does anyone have any pinout info for this fuel gauge and sender? How is it powered? Again, if anyone has a photo of the connectors and cabling, that would be great.
- I can see where each of the grounding cables are to be connected to the tanks and deck fill. However, I assume the other ends of the grounding cables are connected to the engine block but where exactly? Same place as the grounding cable from the original (port cabin) fuel tank?
If anyone can provide photos of their installation and any other advice that would be much appreciated!
Thanks!!
Bill
B473 – Skylark
Diagrams, Photo and Additional Info:
The following two diagrams are the only instructions that Beneteau supplied for installation of their tank conversion “kit”. The red text in the first diagram are my English translations:
<image001.png>
<image002.jpg>
Fuel Tank Selector Kit (P/N 054595):
<image003.jpg>
The only guidance provided for this kit configuration/assembly are the graphics on Slides 1 and 2. The area of assembly missing the most detail is the configuration/assembly of this Fuel Tank Selector Kit. As you can see from Slide #1, the Fuel Tank Selector is shown only as two valves with attached hose barbs. The hose barbs didn’t actually come as part of P/N 054595 but separately as one of the other P/Ns (P/N 048357) comprising the tank conversion kit. However, it was obvious that they must go with these valves. Slide 7 shows everything that came as part of P/N 054595 including the hose barbs assembled on the valves. Various groups of parts are indicated by different colored ellipsoids – e.g., the valves with hose barbs (Yellow). I am assuming that the aluminum bracket (Red) is supposed to provide a mount for the valves and maybe some of the other hardware but it is not clear how anything in this kit attaches to the bracket nor where that bracket is to be mounted, presumably somewhere inside the engine compartment. There is a machined aluminum piece (Blue) that kind of looks like a handle, but to what? The cotter pin and brass piece (Fuscia) were loose in the box as received but then there was an empty envelope with a P/N 302392 – “Brass Pivot (19.38mm)” label (not a Beneteau P/N). It looks like the cotter pin fits through one of the holes of the brass piece but I can’t tell where it is used. There is a clip (Violet) that might hold a cable in place. Finally, there is a bag with parts and an instruction sheet (Green), which states that it is a DC Dash Control with Tension Lock (P/N 301916 – not a Beneteau P/N). It looks to me like the sort of mechanism that would clamp onto the end of a wire cable (that slides within a cover) and pulls and pushes the wire cable within its cover using a T-handle (see attached PDF file). I’ve seen this sort of mechanism as an engine stop to manually cut the fuel supply on a diesel engine – but that’s not how one stops a B473 diesel so I can’t figure out how or why this is used in the Fuel Selector Kit.
Can anyone provide any clarification as to whether these are all the correct pieces for this kit and, if so, how are they to be assembled, mounted and where??? Thanks!
(BTW – non-sequential “Slide Numbers” above are from another document)
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bille...@gmail.com
Hi Fletch,
Thanks for the response! I do already have a second VDO gauge, which came as part of Beneteau’s conversion “kit” and was planning to mount it next to the existing gauge. I suppose I could just figure out which of the 8 pins on the current gauge are used to connect to the sender and which are used for power (and from where) and replicate it for the new gauge and sender.
As far as the tank selector valve kit goes, I am coming to the conclusion that I may have to design my own mount and location for the two fuel tank selector valves. Hopefully another B473 owner that has done this before will be able to provide some additional information (photos?) as to how and where this was done! The plumbing of the fuel lines is reasonably clear from their diagrams. However, I still have no idea what the other parts from the tank selector kit are for that they sent me. If they are, in fact, not needed I’ll have to negotiate with Beneteau to take them back for credit.
Thanks again!
Bill
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/beneteau-owners/C7A299FE-DD1D-4783-8031-10A2333C6F10%40rogers.com.