Smoked my fuel gauge

[CT_KAT]

Ok, last year my battery was on it's last legs so I started my bike with the battery charger still attached. It actually worked, but in the process I think I killed my fuel gauge since it just sits at "E" now. The rest of the electronics are fine (turn signals, brakes, lights, etc).

Is it more likely that a wire is shorted or that the gauge itself is shot? Is there any way to use a multimeter to test the fuel gauge?

[kevin2502000]

I don't think starting the bike with the charger attached did any damage. Had the amps been too high the fuse would have blown. I haven't been able to figure out how to test those units. I do know they need to be in the tank and mounted to work properly. I would buy a known good unit and save a headache of trying to test it. Then if it doesn't work you KNOW it is something else and have a good one as a spare. (they go bad ALL the time)

[Truck Tech]

you should be able to jump the wires to the sending unit and if the gauge goes all the way over that means the gauge is good and it's your sending unit.

[Cheriff]

The manual you can download from the site has a testing method in it. Never done it myself, just remember flipping past the illustrations.

[tamerwi]

How would I get to the manual that showed how to test the fuel guage and/or sensor. Mine has never worked.
Thx.

[Kreylyn]

I do know they need to be in the tank and mounted to work properly.

I tested my spare by holding it in hand, hooked up, power on, move the float up and down slowly, and watched the gauge do the same...

What are the issues that they must be mounted to test them?

Krey

[Cheriff]

link to manuals

http://www.katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=56167

[kevin2502000]

I tested my spare by holding it in hand, hooked up, power on, move the float up and down slowly, and watched the gauge do the same...

What are the issues that they must be mounted to test them?

Krey

I don't know exactly, I had 3 that wouldn't work so I put in the one I had just bought that was said to be good. Works fine now but wouldn't work as you described. I figured it had to be a grounding issue.

[CT_KAT]

you should be able to jump the wires to the sending unit and if the gauge goes all the way over that means the gauge is good and it's your sending unit.

Good reference Truck Tech. Here's the steps out of the manual:

Fuel gauge
Remove the seat and the right frame cover.
Find the black/white and yellow/black wires that
run to the fuel level sender and disconnect them.

Connect the wires in the harness side of

the connector to each other with a short
length of wire and turn on the key. The gauge
should move to the Full position. If the
gauge doesn't indicate Full, check the wiring
to the gauge for a break or bad connection. If
the wiring is good, the gauge is probably

defective.

[DumbLuck]

you could also hook up a multi meter set to ohms to the leads from the fuel sender, reach into the tank (tank almost empty works best) with a stiff wire with a little hook bent on the end and catch the arm of the fuel level float. move the float up and down watching the meter. the resistance should change along with the movement of the float