New here with a question

[Sharritan]

First off, hello to everyone. I have been browsing around here for a while and found tons a great stuff.

I bought a new (09') 185 Sport 4.3 190hp. Absolutly loving it so far.

One issue that maybe someone can help with. My gas guage has never worked right. Symptoms are it will typically read full when full, then after about 3/4 tank to 1/2 tank it is all over the place even reading below empty at times, when I can see gas in the tank. I had the purchasing dealer send me a new sendor which I installed and the problem is even worse now. The gauge rides up to around half tank when I start the boat, then quickly drops back down to empty.

I took it into the local SeaRay shop here and they swear they can find nothing wrong and that it works fine for them. I bought the boat in Maryland, but live in VA, so I cant take it back to the original dealer without a long day trip.

The local dealer says the sendor in the boat is new to them and he hasnt seen any like it. It is a two wire sendor with no float or pole. I am assuming it must be an issue with the wiring or the gauge itself.

Any ideas of what else to check?

 

[rcknecht]

I would pull the black ground wire and sand it, and put it back on...

 

[Sharritan]

Thanks. Ill try that. Just so I ask, I am assuming you mean pull it from the gauge? The connections at the sendor are actually a clip of sorts that clip together to the wiring coming from the gauge, so there isnt anything to sand. I'll take a look tonight and see what happens.

 

[fwebster]

Sounds like an ultrasonic fuel sender. Our dealer has had fits with them on larger boats. They sense the interior baffles of the tanks sometimes and sometimes they don't, hence the erratic readings. Their solution is to replace the OEM sender with a simpler and cheaper design that has a real float on it.

They get the tank manufacturer to supply the float type sender and just replace it. Florida Marine tanks makes the tanks for larger boats but I don't know who makes the one you have.

That might get you started in the right direction....or at least a different one.

 

[OldSkool]

Sounds like an ultrasonic fuel sender. Our dealer has had fits with them on larger boats. They sense the interior baffles of the tanks sometimes and sometimes they don't, hence the erratic readings. Their solution is to replace the OEM sender with a simpler and cheaper design that has a real float on it.

They get the tank manufacturer to supply the float type sender and just replace it. Florida Marine tanks makes the tanks for larger boats but I don't know who makes the one you have.

That might get you started in the right direction....or at least a different one.

Frank,
Do you think a univeral type float that is adjustable that can be bought from an after market vendor will work? I put one in my tank and it workes great but I'm not sure about this application.
Thanks.

 

[Sharritan]

Thanks everyone. I will keep looking into it. I am not opposed to an aftermarket sender. However, the main fristration is this is still under warranty so you would think they should get it working. Good news is I can see the tank, so I know about where the fuel is without a guage. Just like things to work.

Thanks again, and I'll keep checking back.

 

[Sharritan]

Hey again. Just talked to a friend of mine and he may be on to something.

I never paid any attention to it, but my horn is terribly soft also. Sounds like a sick whale and cant even hear it when the engine is running. He thought the fact that my gas gauge and the horn are both hosed up may be related. Specifically, he thinks they may not be getting enough power. Said to check the hot wire going into the fuse box.

Does this have any merrit? My other gauges (Tach, Spedo, oil, Temp, Trim) all work fine but I suspect it is because they are powered differently.

If this has some weight to it, how do I check what he is referring to?

 

[rondds]

A horn draws a HUGE amount of current - almost a dead short. Very common that it will sound sick with a dirty contact, bad switch or a weak battery - or a horn on it's way out (yes, even though brand new!). But I seriously doubt there's any correlation btwn your horn issue and lack of power to the fuel sender, unless it turns out to be a bad ground like Rod mentioned above.

 

[Jasonandjess]

If you hook a multi-meter up to the wires from the fuel sender (in the mode that checks continuity) and run your boat around, it should tell you if the sender is sending erratic signals. The resistance should be fairly constant if the sender is working right. I did this on my 2001 185 when I was getting a full reading all the time. I didn't want to replace the sender if it was a bad gauge or wiring. Although because mine was a float type I just pulled the sender, hooked up the multi-meter and moved the float up and down. Hope this can be helpful.

 

[Sharritan]

Thats great. I will try this over the weekend and report back. Thanks a ton.

 

[Sharritan]

Re: Gas Gauge problem

Hey again,
I am really hoping someone has a suggestion for me as this is driving me NUTS!

So on my 185 Sport, the gas gauge has never worked right. For the record, it is a transducer style sender. I now have tried 3, yes 3, new senders, and two new gauges. Nothing seems to get this to work. I have bridged the wires on the back of the gauge and get a full reading. Also did the same at the end of the wiring harness that plugs to the sender, same thing full reading. So it appears the wiring harness is fine. Put the new sender on, gauge rises to 1/4 tank and then just drops to E. Keeping in mind there is around 3/4 tank of gas. what am I missing here? Anyone here have a 185 with the transducer style sender? If so, any chance you can take a picture of it mounted so I can make sure it is installed right? Although it is as simple as can be. 5 screws and a plug.

This is driving me crazy and the local dealer is of no help. The parts keep being shipped to me from the dealer I bought it from in MD. :smt021

By the way, he sent me a new horn and that works great.

 

[beernutz]

My fuel gauge is erratic as well although not so much as the OPs but enough to be annoying. It reads full for several engine hours of use then quickly drops to between the half and quarter tank indicator until I'm practically running on fumes at which point it drops to zero. Like I said, annoying.

I've pretty much established that running typically I used between 6 and 6.5 GPH, so with a 38 gallon tank I can expect about 6 engine hours of use. Consequently, I monitor my gas consumption not though the gauge but using my engine hours meter. Each 1.5 hours of engine use is a quarter tank. YMMV.