Ugh, fuel float stuck again. Thoughts on this?

[Luc Lafreniere]

OK, so I think I'm the world expert on this fuel float problem by now. Even though I understand it well, I still haven't managed to solve it. It got stuck again recently.

Luckily, I have an older, broken version of the fuel float. I'm experimenting with bending the arm at two points to produce a shorter arm. If I do, it will no longer catch the rim of the fuel tank and thus, solve the problem once and for all.

I experimented with drawings and a piece of clothes hanger before doing any real bends in the broken float arm. I want to ping this off of people first. See the pics.

The pivot point needs to remain at the correct angle no matter the level. As you can see in three different positions, it's pretty darn close.

1. Full tank. The float will sit under the fuel line a bit and will thus take longer to register on the fuel gauge since it won't start dropping quite as fast. But I suspect this is very minimal.
2. At about 2/3 of a tank, it will still register slightly high.
3. At about 1/2 fo a tank, it will almost identical.
4. At empty (not pictured), it will register slightly higher.

Anybody see any problems with this? Obviously they'll be a small error in the gauge, but boat fuel gauges are nowhere near linear anyways like a car. Secondly, it's a much bigger problem to have no idea of how much fuel you have than to be off by a tick. lol

Please, discuss.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

To add, the height difference when full is about 3 cm or 1". Which is enough in my opinion to avoid getting caught.

 

[ChrisM]

have you tried replacing the float?

Krueger Sentry Nitrophyl Float

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Yes. Not the float. I have two identical floats. That's why I have this broken one. It's the design of the float vs the tank. It is poorly designed. The new one is identical and doesn't solve the problem. It's simply too long for the tank.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Yes. Not the float. I have two identical floats. That's why I have this broken one. It's the design of the float vs the tank. It is poorly designed. The new one is identical and doesn't solve the problem. It's simply too long for the tank.

Sorry, just realized that was a link, not a signature! lol No, I did not try that. I thought of that... something to consider.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Final solution that actually works. Those are mm.

You can see the pencil drawing beneath where things were located before the bends. Accuracy is almost identical. The only downside to this is that the tank remains full a little longer than before. Fuel level has to be 27.5mm lower.

 

[globaldude]

I have a couple of questions. Where's the float location? Does the rod bend easy enough without worrying about breaking?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

The float is part of the fuel sender. Located under your middle seat, under the access panel. Getting it out is tricky and best done when you're low on fuel to avoid making a mess. Definitely not when it's full.

Essentially, pull up the middle seat, remove 6 screws, clamp off the fuel line, disconnect the fuel line and electrical, then unscrew the giant "nut" that holds the fuel sender down. The sender is under spring compression, so it's way easier to unscrew that while maintaining pressure in the middle. That "nut" is very difficult to remove. In fact, they sell a special tool for it. I did not get it. I used a hammer and a flat tip screw driver... but it's easy to break if you're not careful.

Once the nut is removed, you release the pressure on the fuel sender and it pops up. Then comes the messy part. You needto pull the whole sender out of the tank while pivoting it. You can't just pull it up directly. It will put pressure on the float and break the unit. So you need to pull it up a bit, then pivot it 180 deg (upside down) as you pull it out and it comes out easily. But some fuel pours out in my experience, you need plenty of rags to absorb it.

After that, it's easy. The float comes off the sender easily. And the rod can be bent easily using pliers or in my case, a vice.

Then put it all back together. I can advise further in PMs. If you want more immediate back and forth, send me a message through Facebook: Luc Lafrenière (I also have Whatsapp, Signal, texting (Canada)).

 

[globaldude]

Okay, thanks. So the sending unit and the pump are co-located then. Guess I'll have to decide to live with a stuck gauge or roll up my sleeves. Don't mind getting dirty but smelling like gas is not high on my favorites list.

 

[TeenGee]

In all your pictures, the float points up from the paper. I assume the float hits the wall of the tank at about half way. I also assume that when the tank is empty, the float hangs down.

First suggestion. Would locking the float (instead of free to rotate around the shaft) so the long axis is veritcal get you the clearance to the wall to prevent from getting stuck? doing this would increase your clearance 1/2 the length of the long axis minus 1/2 the length of the smaller axis. this would not change the geometry of your sender.

Second suggestion. What if you twisted the arm so the part with the float pointed to the right in all your pictures? Doing this will move the float away from the tank wall by 1/2 the width of the float. It should read the same as the unmodified at full to 3/4 and 1/4 to empty because you have not changed the distance of the float from the sender. From 3/4 to 1/4 it will probably read lower depending on how much of the float is above the surface of the fuel.

Good luck

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Sorry @TeenGee , it's not the case. To be clear, it gets caught while in the complete, upright, vertical position. Nowhere else (assuming the sender is oriented correctly). When it's in the vertical position, it touches the top of the tank. If the float is pushed a little too far past that vertical position, it then pops UP into the fuel tank opening where the fuel sender is located. Thus, it's stuck on full at all times.

Your first suggestion is something you could try, but you'd have to install something that prevents it from spinning. I'm also not convinced it would be enough based on manipulating it a lot.

Twisting the arm also wouldn't work. The problem is the length. It bends due to the gas sloshing around. Youd have to bend it a lot to compensate and in the process, change the reading quite a bit.

I mean, what I did works perfectly. It's been multiple years. I would have no clue it was bent. The gas gauge works wonderfully at all times.

@globaldude it's really not that bad frankly. I'm very happy I did this. I had opened up that tanks countless times to push the float down. To the point that I was able to do it without tools except a screwdriver. I'd get it done in about 5 min. Just wait until you're low on gas. At least half a tank or lower. You just don't want it under pressure. Fill her up, do a good ride of say 100km at full throttle and it'll be low enough.

 

[globaldude]

Thanks Captain Luc. If it's not that bad, I'll give it a shot in the not too distant future. I think I'm about 1/2 a tank now. I'll take it out again in a few days just to make sure my gremlin is gone and not just taking a nap. I should be about 1/4 by then.