fuel gauge not working

trucker28

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
177
Hello all
So over the weekend I ran the boat out of gas and it is probably cause my fuel gauge don't work can anyone lead me in the right direction to help fix this problem like were to start checking for starters the boat is a 1985 chaparral xl 200 with a 5.0 merc any ideas were to start would be much appreciated thanks mike
 

tpenfield

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Jul 18, 2011
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17,618
Re: fuel gauge not working

I would start at the beginning . . . which would be to check the wiring. You can Google yourself a wiring diagram of a typical fuel gauge schematic.

Places to check would be at the sender, which is on the top of the fuel tank. Make sure the wiring is in good condition there. Then check the wiring at the back of the gauge. Usually, you can pull the gauge out of the instrument panel for better access, etc.
 

trucker28

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Apr 1, 2009
Messages
177
Re: fuel gauge not working

thanks for the reply guys not sure if its electrical or mechanical but I think its electrical its got a bunch of wires in back and 2 that hook to the top of the tank
 

tpenfield

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Re: fuel gauge not working

thanks for the reply guys not sure if its electrical or mechanical but I think its electrical its got a bunch of wires in back and 2 that hook to the top of the tank

Electrical . . . I didn't think that Chaparral would be using a mechanical gauge, even back in 1985.

Gauge-SenderWiring.jpg
 

jhebert

Ensign
Joined
Jul 24, 2005
Messages
902
Re: fuel gauge not working

Here is the circuit:
[Battery Positive]---->[Meter]--->[Rheostat]--->[Battery Negative]

Where I have drawn "--->" there are wires, connections, terminals, posts, and so on.

The [Meter] is the fuel level gauge.

The [Rheostat] is the sender unit on the fuel tank.

The [Battery] is the boat's battery and its distribution circuits.

Check all seven elements of the circuit. It should be quite easy to find which one is causing the problem.

The typical Rheostat will have a resistance range of about 33 to 240-Ohms. Often there is a separate conductor that brings the battery negative to the fuel tank sender so that it does not rely on a bonding conductor to complete the circuit.
 

trucker28

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
177
Re: fuel gauge not working

Ok thanks I will have to do some checking on the wires I went out earlier and it is way to hot out there so maybe tomorrow afternoon when I get up I will take a look again time for work now thanks for the help
 

mjf55

Chief Petty Officer
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Jun 17, 2014
Messages
462
This is a three year old thread. You should start a new one, as it will generate more views and address your specific issue. I expect that the mods will be here shortly to move it.

That being said, if they function, but are only hard to see, some folks have taken apart the LCD and repaired them. You can search in google repair faded yamaha multifunction gauge and look at the tutorials.
 
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