Fuel gauge not working.

[slick2526]

I posted this last year I thought and I searched my user name and couldnt find the post.

I have 87 Alumacraft competitor 16.5 With a fuel gauge that isnt working. Never got around to fixing it last year and it drove me nuts. I need to fix it.

What is the common problems they have and how can I test it to see if I have a bad in dash gauge, wiring, or sending unit? thanks for any information.

[Fowlmouth]

A couple ideas that come to mind would be a bad ground or no power to the sending unit. I would doubt that the gauge on your dash is bad. Use a multimeter or test light with the key in the on position and see if the positive wire going to the sending unit has 12v. If so then see if the ground wire has good contact. If you got both of those, more than likely a bad sending unit or the unit is stuck.

[Ufatz]

I will suggest this, knowing you probably won't pay any attention and neither will anybody else, but I long ago gave up on fuel gauges on small boats. Most of them are cheap Krapp to begin with and they are ALL prone to a variety of problems. How about learning the consumption of your boat engine at most speeds and using that knowledge to know when to add fuel. You can figure out your own way of doing this since I am not going to waste a whole bunch of time describing various methods. But once you pretty well KNOW your consumption figures you don't NEED a fuel gauge.

Half the pilots I knew in AK did not pay any attention to a fuel gauge but used dip sticks and other methods of KNOWING how much fuel was in those tanks.

[Alagnak]

I will suggest this, knowing you probably won't pay any attention and neither will anybody else, but I long ago gave up on fuel gauges on small boats. Most of them are cheap Krapp to begin with and they are ALL prone to a variety of problems. How about learning the consumption of your boat engine at most speeds and using that knowledge to know when to add fuel. You can figure out your own way of doing this since I am not going to waste a whole bunch of time describing various methods. But once you pretty well KNOW your consumption figures you don't NEED a fuel gauge.

Half the pilots I knew in AK did not pay any attention to a fuel gauge but used dip sticks and other methods of KNOWING how much fuel was in those tanks.

Totally agree!

[delcecchi]

I have learned that when my gauge comes off the peg at F it is about half full.

The trip feature on a gps is also useful.

[brakedancer]

I had a incident a couple years ago where the fuel gauge quit working similar to your problem..turned out the older boats gas tank floats weren't able to take ethanol fuel...melted the foam...disappeared into my gas..

really a cheap fix..and I got lucky and didn't take out my motor..yet..

[Ufatz]

P.S.

And I never ran out of fuel either and had to sit down in a tundra pond!! Ha Ha Ha!

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Same issue here. I've thought about carrying a small reserve gas can.

[slick2526]

i ran with a extra 5 gallons all year last year. Might just do it again. I am really going to start trip logging this year and top off fuel after each time on the water.

After all I have read about the fuel gauges none of them seem accurate. I have a pretty good gps on my graph so I should be able to figure things out with a little practice.

[marine_man]

Check out this post:

Gas Gauge Troubleshoot

marine_man

[tacklejunkie]

I used to own a Navigator that the fuel guage quit working for almost a full summer. I hit a good pothole one day while trailering it and it worked again