Installing Replacement Fuel Sending Unit - '93 Spot

[mndanielsncsu]

Hoping to get a little help from the always clutch board... My fuel gauge has never worked since I bought my boat over a year ago. I ordered a new sending unit last year from MWCC but never got around to installing it and now that the weather is coming around, I'd like to get this thing in. The replacement part that I ordered did not come with any instructions on installation, but I'm sure I can handle that part.

My concern is that the unit that I was sent came with an arm that is 2x as long as the one that is currently in the tank. I'm assuming that I'm supposed to cut the arm on the replacement unit to match the length of what's currently in the tank? If that's the case... should I just bend the bottom of the arm to a 90 degree angle to keep the float on?

Is the float supposed to stay stationary on the arm? If yes, how to I keep it in place, because it just slides up and down the arm.

Please advise.

[DavidF]

RE: Installing Replacement Fuel Sending Unit -

I replaced the sending unit on my '93 SN many years ago and remember having the same questions you have. I cannot exactly remember how I solved the questions in my case, but here goes:

One of my hobbies is radio controlled airplanes, so I had on had several wheel collars of different sizes. One size fit the fuel sending rod perfectly. I believe I used two...one to keep the float from moving up the rod and one to keep the float on the rod. I did not want the float moving up the arm; otherwise, the float would move and not the rod as you filled up the tank.

Now what I will also say is that you should experiment with the new sending unit wired to the fuel gauge. See where the gauge reads while moving the sending unit. Make sure that you get an empty reading when the tank is actually empty. In my case, I dd not really do this and my guage reads empty way before the tan is actually empty. I use this as a built in reserve, but you get the point.

BTW, I had my tank out of the boat anyway when I replaced mine, not sure you can install the new sending unit without removing the tank.