Replace fuel gauge on tank

[tko676767]

I have a Catalina 30 with the fuel gauge on the 18 gallon tank. It does not work. Is there a replacement for this and how does a person go about changing it? Thanks.

[sastanley]

HI, Welcome on your first post, even though you've been around a while. Mine didn't work either. However, my tank failed, so I went with a translucent Moeller tank I can see thru for seeing fuel level. I am not sure who the manufacturer is of those tanks, but maybe someone else here knows?
Have you tried removing the sender to see if the float is waterlogged or otherwise stuck ??

[Ando]

Also check that the gauge is getting power.

[Al Schober]

I recommend doing some diagnostics before you replace parts.
The sender unit is just a variable resistor. Disconnect the wire and put a multimeter (ohm scale) across the sender. Continuity? What resistance?
Also, turn on the ignition and see what the gauge does. Gauge should move depending whether the wire is in the air or grounded to the tank.
Could be as simple as a bad sensor lead or a bad ground connection. Replacing the sender and the gauge won't correct either of those.

[tko676767]

It is not a 12v gauge. It is the mechanical gauge. ???

[Cambo]

Sorry. It is a direct sight gauge. Are there replacements for these? This is my old post but I never got around to fixing it.

[sastanley]

you mean the gauge is on top of the sender where it is screwed in the tank ?? We had one of those on the boat when I was a kid, and it was NOT very reliable.

[Cambo]

The direct sight gauge is inserted on the shallower end of the tank. What kind of replacement sender do I need so it can read the deeper end of the tank as well?

[capnward]

I would love to have a fuel tank gauge. Instead, I have to keep track of my engine hours, and have an idea how many gallons an hour I use. I can usually do that well enough. Although my hour meter works when the ignition is on, not just when the engine is running, and I sometimes mistakenly leave the ignition switch on overnight. As long as I take that into account, I can figure out when I should get gas. But it's mainly guesswork. The other day I pulled into the gas dock thinking I would need 20 gallons and could only take 12. So, I needed to recalibrate mileage.