After refueling a nearly empty tank in August 2002, the guage registered Full until the next time out. It has not registered since. 1986 Catalina 30. Problem with gauge or in the tank and how will I know ?
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most of the time...
the sender in the tank is what goes first. It is fairly easy to remove and replace with a new one. They aren't terribly expensive from West Marine or Boat US. The resistor coils on the sender deteriorate. If you do replace check your wiring from the sender to the gauge. You might want to even do that first by checking for continuity with meter. Also, when installing a new sender, make sure the gasket is installed properly and the screws are tight to prevent leakage around the top of the tank
the sender in the tank is what goes first. It is fairly easy to remove and replace with a new one. They aren't terribly expensive from West Marine or Boat US. The resistor coils on the sender deteriorate. If you do replace check your wiring from the sender to the gauge. You might want to even do that first by checking for continuity with meter. Also, when installing a new sender, make sure the gasket is installed properly and the screws are tight to prevent leakage around the top of the tank
Check the ground...
Seems to me that it's almost always the ground. Just my experience. But if you're gonna go to the trouble to pull it and test it, having a spare on hand might be the way to go. Geof s/v Day-O
Seems to me that it's almost always the ground. Just my experience. But if you're gonna go to the trouble to pull it and test it, having a spare on hand might be the way to go. Geof s/v Day-O
Why Bother?
It's either the sender or the wiring or the gage itself. On a C34 I worked on recently, the ground wire from the tank grounding strap to the sender to the fuel pump had four or five butt connectors and two of these were disconnected. Running a new solid wire fixed the problem. OTOH, your engine uses less than 1/2 gallon per hour of running. Keep track of the engine hours and you can forget about the fuel gage forever.
It's either the sender or the wiring or the gage itself. On a C34 I worked on recently, the ground wire from the tank grounding strap to the sender to the fuel pump had four or five butt connectors and two of these were disconnected. Running a new solid wire fixed the problem. OTOH, your engine uses less than 1/2 gallon per hour of running. Keep track of the engine hours and you can forget about the fuel gage forever.
I echo Stu's feelings...
My O'day 272LE doesn't have a fuel guage at all. But I DO know that it uses .30 GPH @ 2500RPM and I have a nine-gallon tank. I keep track of the engine time and top off accordingly. Linkage to my web site below. Cheers, Bob
My O'day 272LE doesn't have a fuel guage at all. But I DO know that it uses .30 GPH @ 2500RPM and I have a nine-gallon tank. I keep track of the engine time and top off accordingly. Linkage to my web site below. Cheers, Bob
diy
Simple test is to ground the positive term at the tank (key on) . If gauge reads reads full, trouble is in tank sender. If no reading, look toward the gauge or wiring. Test, isolate, repair. Good luck red
Simple test is to ground the positive term at the tank (key on) . If gauge reads reads full, trouble is in tank sender. If no reading, look toward the gauge or wiring. Test, isolate, repair. Good luck red
While you have the tank opened up ..
to remove/service the sender, check the bottom for sludge, dirt, etc. Might be time to clean out the fuel tank. Not too long ago, there was an interesting related thread about "fuel polishing" too. Dig through the archives. Might be able to suck out the dirt/sludge and filter it out externally. --Ron
to remove/service the sender, check the bottom for sludge, dirt, etc. Might be time to clean out the fuel tank. Not too long ago, there was an interesting related thread about "fuel polishing" too. Dig through the archives. Might be able to suck out the dirt/sludge and filter it out externally. --Ron
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