Picking the right fuel sender?

[Condor1970]

The fuel sender on my boat is not working. I tested the gauge by connecting the two wires that attach to the sender, and the gauge pegs high. So, the gauge seems to be working fine. However, when I install the wires to the original sender, and rock the boat around, the sender seems to send a strange intermiitent signal that will peg the gauge on occasion, otherwise it stays bottomed out. I took the sende rout, and the float arm was stiff. So, I cycled it, and cleaned to make it go up and down loosely. Still doesn't work.

Anyway, the sender looks kind of like those small Moeller senders on Amazon, but they are mechanical. Mine needs to be electric. The one I have also has a very short arm. About 5" with a cork on the end, instead of a plastic float.

How do I go about picking the right sender?

 

[dingbat]

The first thing to do it throw that float arm sender as far as you can. Then go and buy a Wema, or equivalent, fluid level sensor (Standard American 240-33 ohms) 3/4-1" shorter than the depth of our tank. Gone are the calibration issues (adjusting floats) and the days of wildly fluctuating fuel readings.

 

[dingbat]

The first thing to do it throw that float arm sender as far as you can. Then go and buy a Wema, or equivalent, fluid level sensor (Standard American 240-33 ohms) 3/4-1" shorter than the depth of our tank. Gone are the calibration issues (adjusting floats) and the days of wildly fluctuating fuel readings.

 

[Condor1970]

So, to ask a rather obvious and noobish question.

I assume I just take the fuel sender out, and a tape measure and measure straight down to the bottom of the tank to the top?

 

[trumanlake]

that's pretty much it.