help tank is full but only 1 bar showing on yam gauge

against the wind

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hello all. any help will be great.. my yamaha gauge on my 1999 208 was working fine.. i put it on the trailor and when i launched her back in the water ,it is only showing 1 bar.. I topped it off and still 1 bar my motor is a 1999 yamaha 200 SS ox66 any ideas what it could be thanks :huh
 

Fishermanbb

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Could be one of several issues but it is most likely the sending unit. Also could be a stuck float. Both are very easy to check via the access plate in the deck.
 

seasick

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Fishermanbb said:
Could be one of several issues but it is most likely the sending unit. Also could be a stuck float. Both are very easy to check via the access plate in the deck.

If you tank is full and you unscrew the sender flange, gas will pour into the bilge!

I assume your float is stuck also. Sometimes just running the boat and bouncing around will un stick it but that doesn't work all that often.

To check the guage, open the access plate at the rear of the deck. You will see the sender plate and wires. Undo the pink or purple wire that goes to the sender (not the ground tab) and using a piece of wire to a good ground, ground the wire. Turn on the ignition and look at the gauge. It should read full. Now disconnect the ground leaving the wire just floating:) and the gauge should read empty. If that works the gauge and wiring are good and the sender is probably bad. On rare occasions, the tank ground is bad but that will usually result in a false empty reading, not one bar.
 

against the wind

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thank u.. I did bounce the boat around pretty good but nothing. i wiggled the wires on top of the sender nothing .. If i pull the wires to check the ground ,can i put them back without having any problems. It just seems funny that it was working just fine before i trailered it home
 

beachbum

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thats the way mine failed. if you unplug the wire and gauge goes blank, prob sender.

always with cleaning all connections first and see what happens
 

sling

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I had the opposite issue with mine (Read 3/4 full when empty) and I suspect your has the same cause. The design of the senders used to use a float inan enclosed cylinder. When Ethanol blends became common, the ethanol swelled things up causing the float to become stuck. Apparently there is a new float design that eliminates the problem. I haven't had any issues since changing senders.