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Ok everyone, my 1998 205 sundowner is having a fuel gauge problem. It only reads on empty, Probably the sender, anyone here have experience getting to it. The access hatch runs under my bench seat. Do I really have to remove almost all my interior to get to the tank. Am I wasting my time going for the sender? It's going to be an almost impossible task if I have to remove the seat. Thanks

does it read past empty like the gauge needle is pinned down to nothing? sender.

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

Pretty sure it's as far down as the needle can go.

Do basic things first. Clean all contacts and ohm out the wires.

Do basic things first. Clean all contacts and ohm out the wires.

if it's pegged all the way down it's not getting any resistance. Dirty connections or bad sender. My boat does the same thing but I know it's a bad sender.

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

Post pix of the bench seat, how does attach to the rest of the interior? Once you have the seat out, the sending unit has a circular cover with 5 small bolts or screws that hold it down.
Others have removed their bench seats in similar boats, you might PM rpenger I know he had his out recently to do the manifolds. When I re-did the interior on mine I had to start over because the PO had a couple of marine coolers with thin cushions on them for the rear seat. I made a new bulkhead that is in 2 halves, with a hinge in the middle. I used two 36" pontoon boat couches for the rear seat, and used threaded fasteners in the deck to hold them down. If I have to check the sending unit I can have them out in about 10 min. The bunkhead and divider panels next to the engine are all held in with wingnuts so it is pretty easy to take it all apart.
Before you go through all that work, see if you can go under the dashboard and access the terminals for the gas gauge. Turn on the ignition to the first notch and have someone watch the gauge while you touch the connections on the back of the gauge. On mine once in a while it will drop to E and if I just touch the gauge on the outside it comes right back up. There can be a little corrosion on the terminals. Of course getting back there ain't easy either.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

my old 98 sundowner 205 had a round access cover above the sender

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"Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes "

1996 238 Vista dlx "Casper's Toy Too"
2006 5.0GXI w/closed cooling, DP-sm 1.95 drive
Previous boat:
1998 Sundowner 205