1980's vintage tank level guages

[Will]

There are mechanical fuel/water level guages located on the bronze fitting plates on both of my fuel tanks and on the water tank. The level indicators are about 2" in dia. with a hex nut shaped outer ring. They look like they just screw into the tank and could be removed for cleaning, repair or replacement. I tried to unscrew one of them but, it didn't budge. However, I was cautious not to crank too hard on it for fear of breaking it. They seem to be all plastic. None of them are operational.

Do any of you know anything about them?

Thanks - Will

[SKYCHENEY]

Don't worry, you won't break the tank. I put my big socket on mine with a 3/4 drive ratchet and a 3' pipe as a breaker bar on the end of that. They still came out hard, but that plate on top is solid and you just need some real torque to get those out.

[Genesis]

They come out.

Use some PB Blaster on the threads, get the proper socket (Sears sells it) and a nice big piece of pipe to use on your wrench handle.

A Craftsman wrench handle is strongly recommended for this job (you break it - and you might - they give you a new one )

Note that if the cork float is badly enough damaged or the inside corroded (unlikely on a fuel tank, but quite likely on a water one after 20 years) it may not be worth trying to fix. You can still buy these (Sams has them) or you can replace it with one of the modern senders and a remote panel.

I personally LOVE the mechanical gauges on my fuel tanks and will NEVER get rid of them. WAY more accurate than any electrical thing; I can fill until I'm right at "F" and there's less than five gallons of space left in the tank! That, on a 300 gallon tank is EXCELLENT resolution - try THAT with an electrical gauge - forgetaboutit!

My water tank sender failed a while ago. I've got a PVC pipe plug in the hole right now while I figure out whether I want to put in a Snake River panel, a new mechanical gauge, or what..... Tried making up a new float and the gauge itself is pretty sorry - I can probably clean it up and fix it, but whether its worth it is another matter entirely.

[Maynard Rupp]

I replaced the cork float on my water tank gage with a piece of closed cell foam and some safety wire. When you screw the thing back in, put anti-sieze on it. It will be much easier to remove next time. Maybe only a 2 foot bar.

[hatterass]

you can buy just the guage form sam's, that's what usualy goes. Make sure that the cork is clean and still flots. I repalces mine last year and they work great. can't beleave for the cost the prevous owner did fox them. you don't have to take the hwole thing apart. there are 2 screws the hold the guage on the large hex nut. if yu take it off and it's rusted or flaking replace that first. Of you have to replace the whole thing know what size tank you have there are 2 different sizes.
capt. Dave

[Genesis]

Just watch out for the center piece and such - there's a pin at the bottom that over time can corrode in the water tanks and if it fails you're screwed.

Mine's sad enough that it needs replacement.... if I don't do the snake river thing. Just not sure whether I want to spend the bucks on a new one from Sam's or whether I'm going to try to remote the whole thing.....

[Nonchalant1]

If the whole thing is really all plastic, you may have a non-Hatteras tank reader. If it's a plastic top on a large bronze nut and the bronze nut has a dished top that the plastic top goes into, then it's the original Hatteras sender and there are realy two different parts that can fail and can be replaced.

You'll notice there's an "R" on the electrical sender top that fits into the shallow pan on that big bronze nut. That stands for Rochester Gauge. I fixed my diesel fuel tanks gauges by getting new sender tops and never had to take the bronze nut off. The big bronze nut has a magnet underneath it that is turned by a cork float on a helix twist. The Rochester Gauge top reads the magnet position through the bronze dish. On my water tank, I had to clean the sender unit helix, make a new float and get a new sender top. On the holding tanks, I got the Snake River gauges, and they work great. No moving parts to get fouled up by stuff in the tank, however as Karl notes, they only read by 1/10ths.

If you have to remove your gauges, get the giant socket and heavy 18
in. socket handle from Sears and use a breaker bar pipe extension (make sure your diesel tank is not completely full before removing the gauge helix and bronze nut). Scratch away paint, if any, around the nut threads and spray with PB Blaster. Let it sit overnight, then crank it hard with the breaker bar. The diesel tanks have the bronze plate on the top but the water tank gauge is just screwed and glued into a hole right in the fiberglass. That one will come out OK too with a breaker bar. On mine, the whole threaded bronze adapter nut (even bigger than the socket for the gauge) unscrewed from the fiberglass tank top before the gauge unscrewed from the adapter. That's OK too and you can screw it back in and 5200 it in place. Just torque the gauge nut hard and whichever one unscrews, you can screw it back in.

The good news is that the big socket may also fit your prop nuts.

Doug Shuman

[hattitude]

I replaced my water tank guage with a new guage from Sam's, about three years ago. Like Karl, the guages in my fuel tanks work awesome, so I didn't want to change the water tank system.

Since putting in the new guage, I've had to remove it two or three times to clean the frame that the float (mine are plastic) rides up & down on. It apperars that when submerged in water, deposits form that bind and/or jam the float.

Love'em in my fuel tanks, but when I tire of cleaning the water tank guage, I'll switch to a new system that will include the holding tank too.

FYI

Bernie

[Nonchalant1]

If you get a Snake River gauge system, get the "Accu-8" unit. It reads in 10ths and one display panel can read up to 8 fuel, water and holding tanks.

Doug

[REBrueckner]

My 1972 48 YF has a large hex nut with a recessed center on top of the water tank and the appearance of threads on the outside. It seems to be aluminum; it is NOT bronze. It has a small hole in the center with a plastic cylindrical sight gauge, maybe three inches high and 3/4 inch diameter, within that screws in. No mechanism is vuisible. When I tied to remove the large hex nut with a stilson wrench it began to crush...so that was the end of my effort to get in a water tank gauge. What should I try next??

Note: I added an electric sender and remote gauge from Sam's for my center fuel tank which is buried in the engine room just aft of my engines. No more crawling down to assess fuel levels. I love it!!