fuel sending unit

brunolund

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 26, 2008
Messages
432
3. where can i get a fuel level sending unit? my reads wierd. full till about half, then it bounces all over the place.96 lund tyee
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,771
Re: fuel sending unit

Chances are there is nothing wrong with the sending unit. Fuel tanks in boats tend to be long, wide and shallow so fuel tends to slosh around a lot. Siince the sender is simply a long arm with a float on the end, it bounces around as the fuel level gets about 1/2 or less. That's why I installed a fuel flow monitor. Tells you what rate you are burning fuel at (gallons/hour), amount remaining, amount used this trip, and amount used since last reset. It measures fuel flow so it does not rely on a fuel tank sender.
 

marty f

Seaman
Joined
May 23, 2007
Messages
52
Re: fuel sending unit

i have a 95 lund tyee grand sport outboard and am having the same problem there has to be a way to fix the problem
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,771
Re: fuel sending unit

There isn't. Think about it. Put a cork in a washtub of water and slosh the water around. The cork will bounce around just like the float arm on the sending unit. With a partial tank of fuel, take a fuel reading with the boat on the trailer. Launch the boat and with nobody in it, take another reading. Then step into the boat and take another reading. Move to the front and take another reading. Chances are all for readings will be different. Now start out and stay off-plane - and you will get yet another reading. A fuel gauge is a fuel "level" device, not a fuel quantity device so the attitude of the tank will affect the reading. There are some aftermarket senders that operate on a different principle and don't use a float arm but how much more stable they are I can't say as I've not used one.
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
17,075
Re: fuel sending unit

i have a 95 lund tyee grand sport outboard and am having the same problem there has to be a way to fix the problem


Bag the float on the end of a lever type sensor and go with a linear, induction type sensor. They are direct replacements for the lever type and they don't bounce around because of the linear actuation of the sensor.

An electronic fuel monitoring system is the best method of managing your fuel but a working analog fuel gauge is a must should your electronics fail or go on the blink for some reason.
 
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