Bavaria 42 Fuel Gauge and Sender

[Carrick Blue]

I have a Bavaria 42 (2007). The fuel gauge is corroded and erratic. I'm struggleing to specify a new gauge as I cannot determine if the sender and gauge work on the basis of a 4 to 20 mAmp signal or a resistance range such as 6 to 180 omhs. Can any one help?

[Rumrace]

I have a 1953 Triumph and a 69 Harley both needed their instruments restored. They both worked and the Triumph was a multi instrument so complex.
Connections fail. Tank sender get gummed up but instruments rarely fail. Boosting a boat and crossing grounds can fry them but otherwise a fuel gauge is just an ohmsmeter. No ox grease on connection. A Green wire has resistance

[AKA-None]

Once you eliminate loose contacts I believe you will find that the common sensor will be a simple resistance design

[donradcliffe]

I suggest using a multimeter to measure the resistance at the sender.

How many ohms should a fuel sender have?
For the standard American version sender (240-30 ohms), you will have between 232 to 252 ohms @ empty, and 28 to 36 ohms @ full. For the standard European version sender (0-180 ohms), you will have between 0 to 2 ohms @ empty, and 171 to 192 ohms @ full.Sep 25, 2020

How To Troubleshoot Your Marine Fuel Level Senderhttps://kus-usa.com › resources › troubleshoot-fuel-leve...

[dcarratt]

Bavaria usually uses VDO parts with 10/180 resistance range. See for example https://www.svb24.com/en/bavaria-fuel-gauge.html

[Rjt]

I have a Bav 44. My fuel gauge also failed. The sender unit is a simple float that changes the resistance. 180 Ohms sounds correct.
Turotuss made my original gauge. They are available in Europe. Down Under the freight cost is excessive. So, I just bought a standard fuel gauge (50mm diameter) locally for a 180 Ohm sender.
Plugs straight in.
Bad news is the Turotuss is a graduated gauge to match the triangular tank.
Normally, half full is in the middle of the gauge. On the Bav’s using Turotuss half is where 3/4 normally is.
So, with a standard gauge you need to remember 3/4 = 1/2 full. And 1/2 on the standard gauge is about 1/4 of the tank.
Hope this helps.

[Rjt]

Forgot to mention, besides buying from a Turotuss dealer, you’ll likely get the gauge from SVP in Germany.

[patprice]

My Bavaria 42 2000 and Volvo MD22. The fuel guage shows empty when "ignition" is off and full when engine running. But as fuel is used the guage stays on full.
My guess is the tank sender is the problem?
Comments please as I do not want to remove the sender unnecessarily. Is there a gasket?

[Rjt]

On my BAV44 I can test the sender by using a multimeter. The sender is a 180 Ohms unit. If you can use a multimeter and read across the two terminals on top of the tank you’ll soon know if the sender is faulty. My sender was OK, but the gauge failed. The Turotuss gauge isn’t available in Oz now.

[NYSail]

Originally Posted by patprice

My Bavaria 42 2000 and Volvo MD22. The fuel guage shows empty when "ignition" is off and full when engine running. But as fuel is used the guage stays on full.
My guess is the tank sender is the problem?
Comments please as I do not want to remove the sender unnecessarily. Is there a gasket?

I’ve got the sme issue…….

[Rumrace]

It’s strange. A fuel gauge is an omhmeter with a resistor. They are polarity sensitive. When there is no ignition no power should run to the gauge and the dial should fall to zero. If it just shows on or off then some one has added a draw on the line. Some of the senders which attach to the outside can separate from the tank. A floating sender can just plain fail in old fuel. If the instrument has a fuse on line I’d remove it then check all the connections for a stray current. Maybe Bav go a bad supply of senders. The PETG poly tanks are made from resist even Epoxy. Heat bonding is one of the few dependable ways to attach. Sweat between the reader and the tank will give you a full reading ignition on.
I’d suggest Lexel to hold a sender on a plastic tank. It’s not an adhesive but will out last an adhesive.