Fuel gauge constantly reads full

[jeff.sailor]

Can anyone advise me on diagnosing this issue?  Problem, I guess, is in the sending unit in the tank, or the wires leading to the gauge, or the fuel gauge itself.  Any advise on figuring out which is the culprit.

Jeff

[tjmobile]

I've had this, twice. The first time it was cured by removing the sensor and cleaning it (B30c has 5 self tappers into the tank and the sensor is a printed circuit board) it did the trick. Second time, before I could do so the engine failed and it turned out to be deisel bug, so I'd advise a test kit, £15 on Ebay but much better than being becalmed without an engine at 0230 with a ferry looming up about a mile astern!
Trevor.

[jeff.sailor]

Thanks Trevor.  Before i remove the sending unit from the tank, do i need any replacement gaskets (or sealants) for when I replace the unit back into the tank?

[tjmobile]

If it's the same as mine - no. It has a thick gasket and 5 self tappers. Once out, there is a small nut and bolt through the top of the sensor tube that releases the printed circuit strip. Good luck.

[russ]

hi Jeff my sensor did the same thing , read full, then it just stopped working. I tested the guage in the tank and it has a break somewher and I am ordering a new sensor for $200.00

[ZAVIA]

Hi, I have the same problem and I'm trying to find the supplier...do you know the brand and a supplier that can send aboard? I´m in Portugal....thanks, ZAVIA

[Nigel]

I got mine from www.peachment.co.uk

Part number for Bavaria 47 2000 is 226-801-015-001G

£47.76 available from stock, excludes vat & carriage

[ZAVIA]

Thanks Nigel,
I believe that will be enough.
Great help.
Vítor

[Nigel]

Any advise on figuring out which is the culprit...

A gauge reading full means the sender unit or a wire is broken. If you short out the sender unit, the gauge should read zero. If you have access to a 100Ω resistor, then disconnect the sender wires, then connect them to the resistor; the gauge should then read about 1/2 full.

[Willi Cinque]

This happened on my 44 only last week. The culprit was the sender unit which is made by VDO. Undoing the 5 screws that hold it was easy but it is an absolute devil to wrestle the unit out the hole.
You can then test it by lifting the float and looking at the instument.
On advice from the chandler I replaced it with a WEMA unit. You need to know the depth of the tank (300mm) and whether the instrument is European or US. (It's European).  Really easy to fit, a lot less moving parts, and $80 AUD. Hope it helps

[Gary Macalister]

I have spent a bit of time trying to get to the bottom of a similar problem. I have a 2010 Bavaria 38 with a 150 ltr tank. What I have established is that, due to the angle of the tank's installation, it will read full down to about 105 ltrs. Before obtaining a new sender, use sufficient diesel and remove the unit with the five screw bolts. If it is still working, it can be checked by lifting in and out of the diesel and watching the guage.

[Ripster]

I have spent a bit of time trying to get to the bottom of a similar problem. I have a 2010 Bavaria 38 with a 150 ltr tank. What I have established is that, due to the angle of the tank's installation, it will read full down to about 105 ltrs. Before obtaining a new sender, use sufficient diesel and remove the unit with the five screw bolts. If it is still working, it can be checked by lifting in and out of the diesel and watching the guage.

I have a 2011 36C (Farr) and my gauge does something similar - 150L Tank.  I think its working OK (I am going to test it) but it does not show any movement until about 50L down.  Did you a fault with yours or is it just the way its set up?  Did you decide to change the gauge or add an additional one?

[Odysseus]

The gauge on most Bavs is a none linear and the position of 3/4 full is really half full, see photo, my gauge does not move until 50lts are used but it does work ok from then on. Check the calibration on your gauge.

Hope this helps
Odysseus

[Rampage]

The gauge on Rampage developed a sulk a couple of years back.  Couldn't be bothered to fix it during the summer, so became very attentive to engine hours run.  We knew that normal engine running used 2 litres per our, so by keeping a log of how long he engine had run we could work out how much fuel we'd used.  Starting from a full (150 litres) tank, we could therefore know whe we needed to top up again.

Fixed the gauge at winter but we still keep a very accurate track of hours run, fuel into tank and so forth so we find the gauge is not all that accurate anyhow. Oh, the engine hours meter gave up almost as we got the boat and never bothered to sort it out.....