Fix for non functioning fuel gauge

rms344 · Post by **rms344** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 8:59 am

Hey all, thought I'd share my fix for the fuel gauge on my stella as problems with it are pretty par for the course (this is already my fourth fuel gauge, the first 3 being replaced under warranty when I took the bike for everything else breaking). It had been stuck on E for about a year now and I'd basically come to terms with it, but figured I may as well either get it working or pull the whole damn thing off and be done with it.

Well in a recent post someone suggested that you can test the gauge by shorting the cable from the float to ground and that should make the gauge read full. Sure enough mine did and I knew the problem was with the float unit. I knew that my float was still attached to the wire and was freely rising and falling with the gas level so that also wasn't the issue.

I pulled the whole unit out and pried off the brass case that covers what I think is a variable resistor that the gauge reads. Sure enough, the electrode attached to the float wasn't contacting the resistive wires so even though the float could move it always appeared as infinite resistance. Theres a little spring that attaches the electrode to the float and if you depress it it forces the electrode to make contact, but would always just return to its previous position. I couldn't see any way to adjust the unit so I put a little shim (a small plastic housing that I cut down to around 1mm thick) between the float unit and the brass housing. This seemed to have done the trick! Maybe not the best solution and it might crap out in a month, but it's better than either being resigned to no fuel gauge or buying a new float.

Hope this can either help someone or someone can tell me why this was a horrible idea.

jimmbomb · Post by **jimmbomb** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 11:52 pm

Congrats!! Good job on a D I Y!!
and thanks for sharing!!!
next time.. document your effort with pictures..
way to troubleshoot and fabricate a solution!

Clipper · Post by **Clipper** » Sat Oct 18, 2014 9:01 pm

I tried your fix and it worked for me. I used a bit of carved down wood as a shim.

Photos- start from the bottom-
1. Fuel gauge with metal cover removed
2. Close up of warped rheostat thing
3. Shim in place straightens the bent part
4. Presto. Working gauge!

rms344 · Post by **rms344** » Sun Oct 19, 2014 5:35 am

Clipper wrote:I tried your fix and it worked for me. I used a bit of carved down wood as a shim.

Photos- start from the bottom-
1. Fuel gauge with metal cover removed
2. Close up of warped rheostat thing
3. Shim in place straightens the bent part
4. Presto. Working gauge!

Good to hear it worked for you as well! Your pics aren't working on my computer though.