Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Fuel gauge issues


jfw432

Recommended Posts

I have a 2000 Malibu Response with the Monsoon engine and I feel like this has been covered a lot but I'm not sure what all the threads I've read are actually saying. There is a lot of talk about MMDC and MDC but I don't know what that is or where it is so I don't know what to check there.

My voltmeter gives the right voltage, the oil pressure works, the water temp works, and the fuel gauge gets power because it cycles when I turn the key on. The fuel sender in the tank had the wires pulled out so I reattached them and the sender gives a 35-240ohm resistance which is pretty much what the Bakes Online guide says is correct (https://www.bakesonline.com/images/MediaLibrary/MedallionII_Troubleshoot.pdf). However, when I turn the key on, the fuel gauge won't read anything but empty regardless of where I have the sender. There are 2 other wire harnesses in the dash and they give the same results.

Any ideas? I figure if all else fails, I figure it'd be cheaper to just add a fuel gauge in the open spot than replace the entire gauge cluster.

Link to comment

Since you know the gauge works and power is going to the sending unit, I would say your sending unit is broken. Maybe the float is stuck at the bottom??? Either way I would recommend getting a new one. They're cheap, easy to install and much more reliable than the ones from the factory.

Link to comment

The sending unit gives the right resistances though. I've held it in my hand and moved it accordingly. Is power supposed to go to the sending unit in the tank? I just have 2 black wires attached to the "-" and a single red wire going to the "S". There is no voltage going to those wires.

Link to comment

Your sending unit sounds like it's testing fine. As long as the float physically floats.

If you take the "s" signal wire and touch it directly to a known good ground the gauge should sweep to max.

The system is basically its own ohm meter. It measures the resistance of the sender and translates that data in the MDC. Its processed and sends the signal to the gauge. Your gauge is sweeping from the sound of it at power up, so I would assume you can say the gauge is working mechanically and electronically.

Is it possible that when the wires were pulled out as you originally noted that the wiring was also damaged/pulled apart further up the boat harness?

I would recommend eliminating the 2 inline glass fuses going to the MDC as well. This isn't going to fix your existing condition but is the biggest cause of inop gauges in these early boats. as per Malibu bulletin

Link to comment

Your sending unit sounds like it's testing fine. As long as the float physically floats.

If you take the "s" signal wire and touch it directly to a known good ground the gauge should sweep to max.

The system is basically its own ohm meter. It measures the resistance of the sender and translates that data in the MDC. Its processed and sends the signal to the gauge. Your gauge is sweeping from the sound of it at power up, so I would assume you can say the gauge is working mechanically and electronically.

Is it possible that when the wires were pulled out as you originally noted that the wiring was also damaged/pulled apart further up the boat harness?

I would recommend eliminating the 2 inline glass fuses going to the MDC as well. This isn't going to fix your existing condition but is the biggest cause of inop gauges in these early boats. as per Malibu bulletin

You are the man!! I tried grounding the S terminal wire and nothing happened but when I grounded the "-" wire, it works!

I guess the ground for the tank got yanked at some point in time. As soon as I grounded the wire, the gauge read half full and the resistance of the sender read about 110 ohms so I'm guessing 1/2 tank is accurate. I was checking for grounds but not sure why I never thought to just try grounding the terminal.

Link to comment
  • 4 years later...

I have a 1999 response and the fuel and alternator gauges are not working. could it be the gauge cluster since both are out. fuel gauge used to get reading although not correct now nothing. any ideas??

 

Link to comment

Dead 4-1 gauge.  Try swapping the connector with the speedo.  The troubleshooting guide is worth trying as well.  And then buy a new 4-1 (Bakes) or replace them all with analogue  gauges from Ron Tanis at skiboatpartsonline.com .

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...