Re: Replacing Gas Gauge
The fuel tank in most recreational and fishing boats is the problem because they are generally long, shallow and narrow. About the only time you can get a reliable reading is with the boat on the trailer or tied to the dock. Remember, a fuel gauge sender is a float mechanism that rises and falls depending on the LEVEL of the fuel in the tank, not the volume. To put this in perspective, think of an ice cream cone as a fuel tank. When full, the gauge would read full because the float is at the top. When empty, the gauge would read empty because the float is at the bottom. However, any amount of fuel in between those two limits is impossible for a gauge to accurately measure because the sender is a relatively linear device where the actual fuel volume which determines fuel level varies dramatically between full and empty. When the gauge reads 1/2 for example, there is far less fuel in the bottom half of the tank than there was at the top half because of the shape of the tank. Same with your boat but your fuel tank is actually on its side and very long. It was for this very reason I installed a Navman (now Northstar) fuel flow monitor. You fill the tank, tell the computer how many gallons you have and it will monitor the amount of fuel being burned, the amount remaining, instant fuel flow in gallons/hour, total for the trip and total since reset. These units are dead accurate and available all over the internet for $125 - 175 depending on where you buy.
