fuel tank gauge

[mark]

my fuel tank gauge always read full. any advice on how to service. the gauge is mounted on the tank.

 

[RonD]

Guage problem

I had a similar problem when I bought my C320. Had the dealer pull the guage from the tank & they found it had been installed incorrectly. Turning it 90degrees allowed the float arm to move again freely.

 

[Ron H]

fuel gauge

The most common problem is the sending unit in the tank. Pull the sending unit from the tank, should be four or five sheet metal screws. Use an ohm meter to measure from the center terminal to the ground lug. Moving the arm on the sending unit you should see the resistance change from around 35 to about 240 ohms. If it doesn't change it's bad. Take it to West or any marine store and buy a new one. Most are Tempo & cost about 25-30 bucks. Of course it could be the meter itself or wiring, but I'd check the sending unit first.Hope that helps.Ron

 

[Randy]

Are you sure it's not full?

Are you sure the gauge is actually providing an incorrect reading? I have an 84 Catalina 27, and the gauge usually reads full, but that's because the diesel burns very little fuel. Cruising speeds of 5-6 knots usually yield a fuel consumption of 1/4 to 1/3 of a gallon per hour. With my twenty gallon tank, it takes many hours of motoring before the gauge falls below the full mark. Though I was hesitant to believe the guauge when I first bought the boat, the accuracy of the gauge has been confirmed at fuel stops. I keep a log of engine hours and fuel consumption. Should the gauge ever fail, I can refer to the log and know aproxximately how much fuel has been burned.Randy