New Fuel Sending Unit

[BuFootin]

Going to finally swap out my original fuel level sending unit to one that hopefully reads accurately. I'm tired of not knowing how much fuel is in my tank. Can anyone provide some feedback on how these units work? Are they accurate? Reliable? Has anyone used one of these to replace their original fuel sending unit.

http://www.livorsi.com/catalog/senders.htm#fuel_level

http://www.hardin-marine.com/detail~ID~63.aspx

Thanks Crew

[Sethro]

Be sure to check out this thread in the DIY section. MLange has a great step by step for you...only difference is his boat is a 2004.

Fuel Sender DIY

[BuFootin]

Thanks Sethro. I looked at that DIY post earlier. Seems pretty straigt forward. I'm hoping someone out there has experience with any the the sending units that don't have the float arm. The technology behind these seems pretty good.

Anyone know what is being installed in the 08 or 09's?

Be sure to check out this thread in the DIY section. MLange has a great step by step for you...only difference is his boat is a 2004.

Fuel Sender DIY

[Sethro]

There was some folks on here, or MasterCraft TeamTalk (or perhaps both) that did not have good luck with the Livorsi sending unit. I'm sorry I don't recall anything more specific, I just remember problems...and I think one was "custom cut" from the manufacturer. Now wait, maybe it was the Hardin unit. Seems like one couldn't get it to work with the 4 in 1 gauge???

Anyway, the only thing I do remember was telling myself just get the cheaper Teleflex unit as it did not appear the more expensive (Hardin or Livorsi) ones were worth the extra money.

[rinconking]

as long as the resistance is the same at full and empty, any sender should work. the range for the medallion gauges is 33 -240 ohms

[mlange]

I was going to swap out the cheaper Teleflex sender I used for the DIY article with that Livorsi one, but the Teleflex sender is dead on accurate and I've got enough other wish list items for the boat that I never bothered. But if you do go that route rinconking is correct. Any sender with that ohm range should work just fine.

Mike

[HRemington]

Rather than start another fuel sender thread and hear the collective groans and yawns, I'll ask the OP to allow me piggybacking rights.

Peter has been exceptionally helpful to me many times, but rather than burdening him every time, I'll throw out my problem along with guidance he has given me so far. Since my ignorance in many areas is exceeded only by my ignorance of things electrical, bear with me.

I was going to just order a new sender and do the DIY project to replace. When I described the symptoms to Peter, he questioned whether the sender was really my problem. When I turn the key on and gauges reset, fuel gauge pegs to max fuel everytime and never budges. Peter suspects a short or the sender grounding out first.

If so, where and how do I start checking it out? Just to be sure something is not stupidly obvious with my unit, here's what it looks like since I can't post a picture. 5 screw mount, seperate screw along outer edge with black wire labeled "S.W." on sender with wire leaving and running under blower. Pink wire attached to center also running under blower. Another black wire attached to center and running along fuel line. Between two of the mounting screws a gold tab sticking up with nothing attached?

OK, where do I start to find a short or if sender is grounding out? And type slowly...I'm dumber than I look.

Thanks.

[mlange]

It sure sounds like a short/ground issue.

You've got three wires going to it? I thought all the senders just used two - a send and a ground. On my aftermarket sender there are two terminals - one marked "S" for send and one marked "-" for the ground wire. Can you post a picture of it?

Has your sender ever worked? Did you buy the boat new or used? If you did buy used and it never worked I wonder if the previous owner put in an aftermarket sender incorrectly or was playing around with it and made it even worse.

Mike

[HRemington]

Hey Mike,

Thanks for weighing in. I bought it used in 2003, but it did at that time work in the usual inaccurate way. The last couple of years it has acted as described. I have no way of knowing if original or aftermarket. I do have pictures of it from the top while mounted on the tank, then pulled out so you can see the whole unit that I'll try to post tonight.

[asnowman]

Hey Mike,

Thanks for weighing in. I bought it used in 2003, but it did at that time work in the usual inaccurate way. The last couple of years it has acted as described. I have no way of knowing if original or aftermarket. I do have pictures of it from the top while mounted on the tank, then pulled out so you can see the whole unit that I'll try to post tonight.

I just replaced the factory one this weekend, after running out of gas...again...

I put in the teleflex unit, and it has the two posts you described. When I went to connect it, I was surprised to find that there were two black wires that came together and connected to the black wire from the old sending unit. There was also the one pink wire for the other terminal of the sending unit. so I connected the two black wires to the "-" terminal and the pink wire to the "s" terminal since that seemed to be how it was wired before.

For the first time I feel like the gauge is actually pretty accurate, now when it reads empty we will actually fill it.