Fuel tank Sender or Gauge playing up.

Morning all.

I have this fault on my 1997 XJ 900 Diversion http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=29596.html where the fuel gauge shows full on a full tank, but drops quickly to show Empty, even with a 1/2 to 2/4 tank full.

I've had a search through the forums but no dice, anyone got any suggestions?

Cheers!

Johnno

 

Troubleshooting it without removing the sending unit will require patience; take Ohm readings when it's full and then incrementally afterward and see if the signal from the sender suddenly falls off at some point.

If the sending unit is anything at all like the ones used in the earlier bikes, it's pretty primitive; just a float operating a simple swiper-type "rheostat" inside a little folded-metal (unsealed) box.

If it is the sending unit, it might benefit from being pulled and flushed with contact cleaner and its wiring connections checked.

Here's a pic of one from an '81~'83 series bike; the arrows are calling attention to the fact that the insulation has crumbled off the single lead wire. The "box" is the sending unit, the arm/float are out of frame.

 

Cheers mate, I'll have to strip it out and have a look-see.