Need to replace fuel Sender for Aquasport Explorer 215

[czizza]

I have an Explorer 215 and during my getting ready for Spring setup I noticed the fuel gauge was not working, I opened the cover and saw the green wire off:



Now the hole looks a little tight and I am sure if I unscrew the ring I can pick up another 1/4 to 1/2 inch but WOW thats tight.


So here are my Questions:
1) How difficult is it to replace this?
2) Where do I buy it?
3) Or should I just bring it to a marina and if so any recommendations south shore of Long Island?

Here is the arial view:

[slvrlng]

Spray it all down with PB blaster and let it set for a day. Then try to remove the screws. DO NOT LOSE THEM!!! Once they are out, carefully pull the sender out. Place a clean rag over the hole. Get a dowel and measure the depth in the tank, take an inch away and call WEMA Monday.
What were those screwdrivers that worked at 90 degrees?
http://www.cmlsupply.com/right-angle-sc ... nQod4DEAlg
 Skewdriver? You might need one, or the shortest phillips you have.
You might have to use the screws again so keep them safe.

http://www.wemausa.com/sensors/level-Fu ... Vdg5Bx1_Sg

I put one of these in my tank last year and now it works everytime I turn the key and it doesn't seem to bounce around as much in wave action.

[wingtime]

Lewis is spot on. Get a can of Pb blaster and soak those screws and let them set a day or even more. See if you can find a screw driver bit adapter that goes on a 1/4" drive socket so you can get some leverage on those screws. Be careful not to snap them off! Turn them back and forth as you take them out to help clear the threads.

[seabob4]

Mello,
While all good advice, and, yes, it LOOKS like your sender needs replacing, first determine that it is no good.

The green wire is simply a bonding wire, and although it ties into the ships DC ground, it is not the ground to your sender.  Remove the black wire, which is the ground, verify that it is a GOOD ground (a continuity check between the that wire and the ground bus bar will determine that), then touch the black wire to the pink sender wire in the center of the sender.  With the ign key in the run position, a "good" sender will peg the gauge full.  Fear not about sparks, senders work on resistance, not voltage...

[czizza]

Bob,

Based on your comments, I understand the wiring on this to be that the pink wire is the reference wire (output of the resitor and goes to the guage), the green is the resitor input wire and the black is a static electric discarge ground (not connected to the resistor)

Therefore the guage measure the resistance between pink and green, does this sound correct?

If so I can remove the pink (once soaked with PB) and then see if the guage works, I should also be able to run my ohm meter between the pink and the green.

Can someone send me a picture of a good sendor top? I might be able to remove it clean it and then weld up a new reference tab.

[Capt. Bob]

The green wire is as SB stated a bonding wire. It looks like the tank is poly( ) so it doesn't need the bond (green) wire but it is used to bond (ground) the tank fill.

The fuel gauge sensor measures the resistance created by the float/arm assembly inside the tank. That resistance is transmitted back to your fuel gauge through the pink wire. The black wire is the sensor ground wire. Again, as SB stated, if the ground is compromised, the gauge will fail to function. The green wire may have been attached to the gauge but it was for grounding purposes only.

Many gauge failures occur due to the internal destruction of the electronic unit inside the sensor due to the harsh environment of fuel and moisture.

I'd bet the sensor is at fault only based on the pics you posted but SB is trying to save you some money with a very easy check (if the screw comes loose) of the ground. I would try that first before replacing the whole sensor unit.

This is not a good pic but it is the same type sender unit (WEMA) that Lew linked too.
Also, this is an aluminum tank hookup. The green wire bonds (grounds) the tank and the fill connection. It is also (in my case) attached to the negative post of one of my batteries. The wires (2) coming from the sender itself attach one each to the ground bus and the pink (factory) wire from the gauge itself.. I'll see if I can find a different member pic for you.


This link shows a much better pic. Notice the setup and how the bonding (green) wire is also attached to the ground (black) sender wire. The red (dark pink ) travels back to the panel gauge and is what measures the resistance to provide movement.

viewtopic.php?p=101907#p101907

Good luck.

[wingtime]

As rusty as that sender looks if you can get get it working again it won't last long.  If you ground the pink wire the gauge should peg full scale.  This will tell you if your gauge and the wiring going to it is good.

[czizza]

I was PB blasting the sender and while testing I found out that the ground wire has some cold spots around the philip head screw. If I can get it off I will replace the solderless loop and replace the screen.

Can someone explain what the bonding wire is it looks like it carries voltage or bleed off from a circuit?

[Capt. Bob]

The green wire is a ground.

It gives a path for the positive build up of charges to travel safely rather than bridging a gap between say, the nozzle on a gas pump and the metal portion on your gas fill. This reduces the chance of an explosion generated by the fuel (in a gaseous state) and the spark that bridges the gap between those two metals. This is a static build up that  occurs quite often hence the need for the bonding wire. It also helps reduce (but not eliminate) the effects of galvanic corrosion encountered between stray electrical charges in water (often encountered in a marina/dock environment) and parts of your boat (think brass thru hulls). It can also help (depending on how well one bonds) the effect of a lightening strike but that is another whole story and a lot more complicated than a simple wire hooked to your tank.

Google bond/ground and you can get a much better understanding of what this is all about.

Here's a start. Blow boaters are fanatics about bonding.
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-main ... nding.html

Good luck.

[czizza]

Okay, so where does it connect? I checked google and some boats (1996 Pro-Line) had it connected to the same spot as the black ground wire and other sites only show the two wires the black and pink.

Should I just connect the black and green.

[Capt. Bob]

Should I just connect the black and green.

You can. If you look close at the link I posted showing the sender unit on Gran's boat, you'll notice that SB used the traditional tank lug and connected both green and black wires to together on a sender mounting screw. I'm guessing but I'd bet the green wire is connected to your fill pipe so you want it grounded. If it's long enough hook them together.

It wouldn't hurt to check (if possible the connections on each end (green and black) from your sender to be sure they too are clean and tight. SB has stated often and it's worth repeating again (and again). Check your grounds first!  

Good luck.

[czizza]

Got lucky guys, once I soldered the wires together the guage started to work:


Here is the guage before the repair:


Here is the guage after the repair (yeah I know the fuel is low, I was preparing the engine for an outing next week):


So the needle moves which is awesome, as for all of the screws not one was able to move after 5 days of PB blaster. I hope I never have to replace this sender because if I do I am screwed  :(

[Bergertime]

I replaced my sender several months back and could not get the seized screws to turn no matter what I put on them.  I finally had to carefully drill the heads off.  Good news was that after the heads were removed and the cap of the old sender was taken off there was enough of the screw to grab with some vice-grips and it was easily backed out.  Replacement was a standard machine screw.   I agree - with the location of your sender and the pie-plate you will have a significant challenge there.  Hope she works steady for you!  Good luck.

-Bruce

[Capt. Bob]

Got lucky guys, once I soldered the wires together the guage started to work:

Very good.
This says to me that the sender ground was tied to the "bond" or that the black wire ground on the sender is not working.

Here is the guage after the repair (yeah I know the fuel is low, I was preparing the engine for an outing next week)

This a good sign but a better one will be when you fill the tank. Gauge movement will confirm the sender is still functioning.

Good luck.