Can you buy a fuel gauge float?

[J_C]

I was just performing this repair here..... http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=81513&highlight=fuel+gauge

after doing the necessary steps to ensure that none of the circuitry was fouled up... low and behold... I ain't got no float!

Just has the 10" wand, no float on the end.... anyone know if these can be replaced? Thank you!

 

[beby99]

It didn't fall off in the tank did it? I don't see that part still being available from Suzuki...I would try a salvage yard, Ebay or just make your own with some imagination.

 

[Jethro]

Hey! That's my post and I'm glad it helped.

The float is a solid block of some sort of foam. Looks hollow, but it's not. If it was in your tank, you'd know it. It would be clunking around and driving you crazy. It is retained on the float arm by a small washer and a brass nut or crimp of some sort. Either the washer and nut came loose or the float itself vibrated and wore through the washer (that's what happened to mine) However, it is unlikely it just dissapeared, if your fuel gauge worked at some point. Look for a junk sending unit off e-bay or something and poach the float.

 

[J_C]

OK great, thanks guys. Jethro, that was a fantastic writeup... printed it up in full color and put it in my binder of goodies

I bought this bike just last week. I've been tearing into the multitude of problems it has. Unfortunately, a float clunking around in the tank isn't one. Looks like I'll need to try and ebay it as you said. I assume that a float from any model GS would work?

 

[J_C]

Update. I went to a local used parts shop and had my pick at about 20 different sending units. I bought one that is nearly identical to what I have, albeit in seemingly much better condition.
I would just scrap the one I have but the wand is much longer than mine. With that said... I need to swap the wands.

The problem is that neither of the wands have a fixing nut as seen above. In lieu of that, the wand gets fat at the end... it kind of flares out. I tried slimming it down with pliers but there's not nearly enough leverage. Does anyone have any ideas? I can simply cut the ends off but then I wouldn't have any way of fixing it in place.

Thanks!


Edited to say that "he wand gets fat at the end... it kind of flares out" is better stated as saying that it has a "crimp" on the end, as Jethro put it.

 

[DaveDanger]

I found out a year or so ago, while fooling with the carb on my TroyBilt tiller that JB-Weld works fabulously in fuel environments. I wouldn't hesitate to mix up a small batch, smear it all over the end of the float arm, and see if I could even force a bit down into the float itself. Push the float in place and let it cure while holding it exactly where you want it with a few pieces of anything that's handy.

The other side of this particular coin is that I have a spare fuel qty sending unit for my 81 GS850GLX. I have no ideas if the units are identical, or even the floats, but if all else fails, I'll send you this'n for the cost of freight. The sending unit itself is badly rusted and I suspect, not repairable. It was inside the tank on my bike during its stay with the previous owner. The presence of water was obvious due to a badly rusted tank interior (dented badly also). He did provide me a perfect, used, replacement tank upon my receipt of the bike.

Let me know.

 

[J_C]

God, Dave, you've been like my guru this week. Can I send you a 6pack or something?

Actually the JBWeld should probably do the trick.... If I use my old sender unit (not in as good condition though) then All I have to do it cut the new wand to get the float off and grind the crimp in the GS1100 wand to get it on... then jbweld it. What's going to be interesting is whether I can come up with a way to use the newer more pristine unit. The coil and wires are in much better shape... jbweld... thanks Dave!

 

[DaveDanger]

<---- GuruDave stretches forth his divine right, errrrr left hand and thinks "HEAL" on J-C's bike.. "Now if I could jes do the same to mine!"

Seriously, I pulled the lil carb on that TroyBilt and found a pinhole corroded in the bottom of the float bowl. I roughed it up a bit with coarse sandpaper and painted the inside of the bowl with 5 minute JBWeld and it's still chugging away today.

 

[Jethro]

Wow, I never knew that JB weld was good in fuel either. This is good news!

 

[Road_Clam]

Wow, I never knew that JB weld was good in fuel either. This is good news!

Yup,
JB is PI$$ER stuff !!! I have a product that I use at my work which is an industrial based epoxy mix that is unbelievably tough. I can be milled, drilled, tapped and so on. It's called "Ren" The stuff has a shelf life, and upon expiration, we (employees) always scoop the stuff instead of ISO9001 correctly throwing the stuff in the trash.