Gas tank gauge issue.

[charliec30]

Hello all
Does anyone have a photo of how the gauge on top of the tank should be wired. I found mine this way and am trying to figure out how to put it together correctly

 

[Calif. Ted]

That's a "direct reading" mechanical gauge, there is a capsule to convert to an electric gauge, if there was one there, it now appears to be broken/missing.
Conversion capsule: Conversion Capsule – Mechanical to Electric - Moeller Marine
Original mechanical: Replacement Mechanical Direct Site Read Gauge - Moeller Marine

 

[charliec30]

That's a "direct reading" mechanical gauge, there is a capsule to convert to an electric gauge, if there was one there, it now appears to be broken/missing.
Conversion capsule: Conversion Capsule – Mechanical to Electric - Moeller Marine
Original mechanical: Replacement Mechanical Direct Site Read Gauge - Moeller Marine

Thank you tex

 

[dlochner]

If this is a gasoline and not diesel tank I would be concerned about the 2 wires sitting there. For the electric conversion to work, it must be connected to power, and where there is power there can be a spark.

FYI, the bolt pattern is a standard SAE 5 bolt pattern. Any number of sending units can be used. The ones from KUS USA are high quality and accurate.

SSS/SSL Sender - SAE 5 Hole Pattern Mount Level Sender | KUS Americas, Inc.

This is our SSS/SSL electric liquid level sender. It mounts with a standard SAE 5-hole pattern. It works great with our industrial and marine applications.

kus-usa.com

 

[charliec30]

Thank you Ted. So something I should invest in

 

[charliec30]

Thanks for the advice I’ll loof for a replacement today. It’s a diesel. A 1991 RDS 18 gallon

 

[dlochner]

Thanks for the advice I’ll loof for a replacement today. It’s a diesel. A 1991 RDS 18 gallon

If you go with the KUS gauge you will need to know the depth of the tank, then order one an inch shorter.

 

[Tally Ho]

Mine looks like this…

One wire goes from the bronze not to the gauge, and a ground wire where yours is…

I think mine is an old Moeller.

 

[Calif. Ted]

No denying a fuel gauge is nice, in the meantime many people use hours to gauge their fuel needs. After a known number of run hours on a full tank, refill and calculate your burn rate. 1/2 GPH seems common to many boats and is a good starting point. You need to get the right length sender for any brand, I assumed it a Moeller as they are most common, but there are others. A general sort of wiring schematic attached.
https://support.jamestowndistributors.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/360083573474
https://support.jamestowndistributors.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/360084721433

 

[dlochner]

No denying a fuel gauge is nice, in the meantime many people use hours to gauge their fuel needs. After a known number of run hours on a full tank, refill and calculate your burn rate. 1/2 GPH seems common to many boats and is a good starting point. You need to get the right length sender for any brand, I assumed it a Moeller as they are most common, but there are others. A general sort of wiring schematic attached.
https://support.jamestowndistributors.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/360083573474
https://support.jamestowndistributors.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/360084721433

We have an inaccurate fuel gauge and we calculate the burn rate with each fill up. The gauge serves as a reminder that when it reads empty, we have less than half a tank and it is time to start looking for fuel.

Our burn rate on a 33 hp Yanmar on 36' boat runs about ⅔" of a gallon per hour, less if motor sailing, more if pounding into an adverse current. To be safe I use .75 gallon per hour.