Fuel sender?

[lalnx]

ok, upon researching here on other posts, here is what I have.

symptom fuel gage reads less than zero.

what I've checked

5-6 volts to sender, this is a good thing, guage has power and is regulating proper voltage.

ground pink sender wire, guage pegs to full, this is a good thing, no broken wires, guage appears to be functional.

assumption based on above = bad sender.........

confusing part though, resistance across sender was about 160, where it likely should have been with what I had in the tank for gas.

Bottom line is, it must be a bad sender right?

thanks.

 

[shrew]

Re: Fuel sender?

It's most commonly the sender. I just helped a neighbor at the marina diagnose a similar problem. However, he had two tanks and two guages. Stbd tank reading below empty. Port reading 3/4. Connected the Stbd tank to the port guage..Below empty. Connected the Port tank to the starboard guage..3/4 tank. The port tanke read 3/4 on both guages. The stbd tank read below zero on both guages. We confirmed we were getting power to both sending units.

Deduction: Starboard sending unit was bad.

 

[gm280]

Re: Fuel sender?

If you actually read 160 ohms at the sender unit and that corresponds to the level of the fuel in the tank, then I don't see how your sender unit is bad. What about the wiring (both lines) going from the sender unit. Have you checked them and the wires on the gauge as well..? Don't only examine the wires, trace them down to where they go and attack as well as corrosion issues... You may have neither the gauge or the sender unit bad, but a wiring attachment issue...

 

[Streetgang]

Re: Fuel sender?

Sending units come is a variety of OHM ranges. 2 popular ranges are 0 - 90 and 33 - 240 (also referred to as SW or Stewart Warner).

Since you can read OHMs suggest remove s/u and run the float arm through its normal motion and see if you get a full range of reading. Many times the rehostat (sp) will corrode in just a portion of its travel.

The gauge itself must match the same OHM range, so if your s/u works OK, take out your gauge and hook it up to s/u and run it through the normal motion seeing if your gauge responds to full thru empty.

Good luck.