What happened to my fuel gauge?

[Cos]

It hasn't run quite right in a while but my fuel light always came one. Yesterday it got a stuck on E for a while, my fuel light never came on and i ran out of gas just as i was thinking that something fishy was going on. When i filled up, it went straight back to full any more, and the low fuel warning light seems to be ok (as in not  a blown bulb).

Any ideas? Fuel sender, float thingy getting stuck...

[audiododd]

Probably!  Mine didn't work when I got it and I didn't trust the light to come on. I bought a used one off eBay (for a later model one - they are a little different material and are SUPPOSED to last longer. As soon as I put it in, I had a fuel reading and it seems to be working well.

[Cos]

First of all, i'd like to apologize for the horrible syntax of the first post. Jeez, i must have been really tired when i was typing that.

My Tiger is an 05. What exactly do you mean by "later model"? A 1050? And what are we talking about here? A complete fuel sender thingy replacement?

[audiododd]

I don't think the 1050 fuel sending unit will work.  I don't know what year they changed the design, but the "older" units had syrofoam (or something similar) as the float and the "newer" ones have some type of hollow plastic-type material for the float.  I bought one on eBay for an '06 (my Girly is an '02) and it fit fine.  Bike Bandit has new units for $100.  I think I paid about $60 for my eBay one.  I didn't want to pay for a new one and find out that it was actually the gauge or something.

[HockleyBoy]

My 05 had a nightmare of a fuel gauge, after filling up used to go up and down with the low light coming on about 5 times before settling down, always put it down to the sender. As the low light was reliable and I always set the trip meter I just ignored it.

More of a problem if the low light is not accurate, looks like you will have to keep an eye on your trip meter and look for a new sender.

www.worldoftriumph.com

Have them, bit steep at Euro 78 though.

[Cos]

My 05 had a nightmare of a fuel gauge, after filling up used to go up and down with the low light coming on about 5 times before settling down, always put it down to the sender. As the low light was reliable and I always set the trip meter I just ignored it.

More of a problem if the low light is not accurate, looks like you will have to keep an eye on your trip meter and look for a new sender.

www.worldoftriumph.com

Have them, bit steep at Euro 78 though.

Was just looking at that. I've been going by fuel light so far. If that starts being an issue too, i don't see that i have much of a choice, other than decide to fill up at x miles every time.

[iansoady]

They all (well lots of them) do that. Mine did but like yours sometimes would mysteriously start working. I'd never had a fuel gauge before (always worked off the trip) but after having it for a while grew to like it.

I eventually bit the bullet and fitted a new sender. The float on the earlier ones is made of a sponge-like white material which seems to stick or maybe absorb petrol; the later ones (which don't) are a dark grey harder material.

You can check the resistance across the terminals to make sure it's the sender - ISTR it should range between about 10 and 90 ohms but I can't remember which is full and which empty.

[cba191]

Mine went wonky the other day too.  I was on a pretty rough dirt road, and had just filled up.  All of the sudden, the fuel light came on.  I was expecting to see a long trail of fuel behind me.  It happened a couple more times, but it sorted out, and worked alright for the rest of the ride though.

[metalguru]

Strangely mine only goes awol when the weather is warm!!
When I was wandering around Europe in August it played up on every fill-up. It was in high 30sC.
As soon as I came back to the UK it's fine again and works as it should

[Bixxer Bob]

Same here.  Truth or Dare fuel guage.......

[Chris Canning]

Must be lucky,mine has been the same from day worked perfect even after being stripped.

[Timbox2]

I took mine apart twice to free off the float, second time I put it back in I turned the assy 90 degrees and didnt have a problem again, maybe luck or not.

[ChillMan]

(Old thread but perhaps good to keep stuff together?)

I have the same problem sometimes on my 2001 Tiger 955i.

This year I went on several small day trips, no problems. Saturday it was warmer (18-20 deg centigrade only though), I went around for hours, loving it (I got it serviced same week). At the end of the day I filled it up 100%. A few minutes later on a bumpy road, suddenly yellow light and low fuel! Then everything was back to normal. A few minutes later same thing again.

One theory here is that the fuel meter inside the tank gets stuck. Could it also be some poor connection somewhere, like a connector or fuse that needs brushing or similar?

[Bixxer Bob]

All of the above     mine has always done it, I set the trip and watch the mileage.  the gauge does work better lower down but some of the issues, better known as "character" you learn to live with rather than spend hours chasing.... 

[ChillMan]

Thanks!

At my service place a new gauge costs 1100 SEK (£85) plus work (unknown time.)

If it mostly happens when the tank is full, the gauge is the most likely source of the problem. Poor connections wouldn't depend about the tank level, I would guess. Still, as you said, it could be both.

Getting the warning light for half a minute now and then after filling up with gas isn't a big problem, since I'd know that I filled up. BUT.. if the problem escalates, I'd have to also set the trip and keep track.

I still want to learn the basics of connectors and fuses!

First, I want to check for oxide and brush them, perhaps once a year would be often enough. (Unless they do this on the yearly service?)

Second, if I get dead engine or something while on the road, I know the most likely suspects.

For instance just last week I got a completely dead bike in the middle of a street crossing. It took me half an hour cratching my head and calling friends, another 15 minutes to locate the tools under the seat, and then 1 minute to fasten the cable screw on one battery pole. (At least it wasn't me who installed the battery after the winter.) Then, off I went again.