2019 scarab 195 with 300hp. fuel gauge problem...how to test?

[2019scott195wake300]

hey guys im having problems with my fuel gauge not working. Yes i know my boat is under warranty but i took it in and they just put a sending unit in it and its still not working now it dang near reads full all the time. Im a 2 stroke guy with seadoos. is there away i cant test the sending unit with the voltmeter?

thanks
scott

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

If it's reading full all the time, it's likely the float is stuck in the upright position. It may not have been "indexed" correctly (whereby the float must be aligned in a specific orientation for your boat so as to not catch anything and to correctly reflect the fuel level.

It's unlikely to be the electrical... usually electrical will show nothing on the gauge. But yes, you can technically test it using resistivity. It's a very small value I believe between 0 and 90 ohms, but don't quote me on that. You'd have to disconnect it and touch the two correct pins out of 4. But likely, you'll simply be reading whatever ohms corresponds to full because it's probably the float that's stuck.

To unstuck it, you would need to open up the tank (careful with fuel) which is a pain but definitely doable. I've done it many times on my 165 and I presume it's very similar in yours. Once open, you'd push the float back down and correctly spin the fuel sender so that the float is in the correct position. What that is on your boat though.... there's supposed to be some sort of mark on the tank to show the orientation, but mine doesn't have one. I can advise further if you want to attempt this. I have various pictures of everything.

 

[2019scott195wake300]

If it's reading full all the time, it's likely the float is stuck in the upright position. It may not have been "indexed" correctly (whereby the float must be aligned in a specific orientation for your boat so as to not catch anything and to correctly reflect the fuel level.

It's unlikely to be the electrical... usually electrical will show nothing on the gauge. But yes, you can technically test it using resistivity. It's a very small value I believe between 0 and 90 ohms, but don't quote me on that. You'd have to disconnect it and touch the two correct pins out of 4. But likely, you'll simply be reading whatever ohms corresponds to full because it's probably the float that's stuck.

To unstuck it, you would need to open up the tank (careful with fuel) which is a pain but definitely doable. I've done it many times on my 165 and I presume it's very similar in yours. Once open, you'd push the float back down and correctly spin the fuel sender so that the float is in the correct position. What that is on your boat though.... there's supposed to be some sort of mark on the tank to show the orientation, but mine doesn't have one. I can advise further if you want to attempt this. I have various pictures of everything.

yes i would love to. im very handy...the boat will read 100% then it will read 79% sometimes and take 12 gal of fuel (boat only hold 30) also if i start the boat and it says 79% it will go up to 98 or 100 when your driving

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Ah, that's a little different. If they replaced the whole sending unit, there's nothing left! Assuming they didn't break it during the install. After that, it's sent to the computer/dash... not much to break there.

So I made a long-ish video a while back for my different problem. It's not searchable but you can see it here:

That video will pretty much show everything you need to know and more. lol The two pins are the ones on the right of the connect that correspond to the red wires going to the float resistor card. Those are the pins you need to touch with a multi-meter set to resistivity. Look for small values....

 

[2019scott195wake300]

im almost thinking this is the problem. when this got stuck on you when you pulled it out of the tank could u see it stock?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Yes. The yellow float was stuck in the rim of the hole for the tank. On many occasions, I've popped open the sender (spring loaded, so I keep pressure downwards on it as I unscrew the giant plastic nut), and slowly let it rise to find the float stuck. I would take a screw driver and just push it down a tiny bit and it would pop back into the tank. That's the problem I've been trying to solve.

I haven't heard much of this problem in other models. But there are many 165 owners with this issue including myself. I've got it mostly solved I believe but I haven't re-posted on the big thread on this subject yet since I'm waiting to see if it gets stuck again this summer.

If you can see the tank like that, check to see if there's a mark of some sort on the tank. It's suppose to indicate where the float is supposed to be positioned inside the tank. If you do have that mark, then you could open and see if the float is in that position and if not, fix it yourself. But be careful, the float is fairly delicate. Make sure you handle it carefully.

 

[2019scott195wake300]

Thanks for the help. So the arrow on the sending unit was pointed to the passenger side of the boat. Does anyone know the croccet location it should point. My friends 2015 195 is pointed at the battery in the back conner. I moved the arrow to point to the front but the plug won't reach. So I pointed it at the rear of the boat and now when I turn the key on the fuel gage will start at 10% and run its way up to 100%. The tank is full ...so at least its moving now lol

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

So I assume your sender is identical to mine and all models. But if not, then this won't apply. But as you can see on my picture, you can know where your float is located inside the tank based on the angles. It's essentially 135 deg, CCW from the arrow mark on the sender. So by having you arrow point at the stern, your float is now located pointing towards the front-right. Be careful as you spin this sender to ensure it doesn't contact a tank wall and bend/break if you keep rotating. In my tank, there's a wall at the back of the tank that could definitely break the float. I had to take out the sender to get the float to go in on the other side.

On the bright side, means that your problem was definitely mechanical like mine and not electrical. On the down side, it also means it got stuck like mine.... hope this was a one off for you.

 

[2019scott195wake300]

Thanks for all the help! I'm 99.9% the fuel gauge is working now! Now on to the next problem lol

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Excellent. Next problem? Uh oh. Lol

 

[2019scott195wake300]

Well, I don't have any check engine light but sometimes I think it has a miss at low rpms. Like when I'm in natural or just one click forward. Its not all the time though. Today I put the boat in and as I'm idling it just seems like it was missing then come out of it. It will bounce say 200 to 300 rpms. As soon as you give it gas it purrs like a kitten. Tops out at 7700 to 7800 rpms and flys around. Drove around today for 30mins and when I came back down to idle it seems ok ....boat has 58 hours on it and we got it about 10 weeks ago brand new with .1 on it lol. Leaving for torch lake MI on Wednesday. I was thinking of changing plugs. I did a oil change st 30 hours.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

I was going to suggest plugs as I was reading. It won't hurt and cheap to do. At the very least will rule that out.

 

[Easy E]

I’m having the same problem only it’s opposite to what you’re experiencing. Mine the empty gas light is comes and stays on even though I have a full tank of gas. Additionally, I’m also experiencing intermittent loud beep every every 10 to 15 minutes. Anyone one experienced this? Mine is a 2020 Scarab 195G. Thanks all!

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

The beeping means you're "low on fuel". So the beeping is just doing its job based on the fact it's not reading any fuel.

I'd say the most likely problem is an electrical issue. I'm not sure where your fuel sender is located on your boat, but if you can find it, I'd start by simply unplugging and re-plugging it back in. Check the pins of the connector while you're there in case there's something obvious. I've had a similar issue before and that solved it pretty quick.

But if that doesn't solve it, then there's more troubleshootings steps you could do, but you'll have to be willing to play around with the fuel sender inside the tank. If you're not comfortable with this, I'd suggest you ask a dealer. That's what they're there for.

 

[Easy E]

Thanks, Luc! I’ll have a dealer look at it. Just wanted to find out if anyone has had the same problem in the past and sounds like you have. Thanks for getting back to me - much appreciated!