Gas gauge non functional after fill up

[texaninseattle]

OK, I have owned this '82 850g for all of 16 hours now, and I just filled the tank for the first time. The fuel gauge seemd to be working properly before fill up, but immediatly after fill up and key on the gauge is pegged on "E".

I did search the forum before posting, but cant find anything realting to immediate failure of said gauge.

Is it possible to "over fill" the tank and mess up the float?

[Glen]

The float may have been knocked off the rod, that seems to be a problem with these GS bikes. There is a small washer which holds the float on the rod which can work loose, if it falls off, the float can come off. That's what happened to me. I found the washer and used safety wire to hold it on

[Steve]

Before you go through the hassle of chasing a broken float, make sure the wires are connected. There are two wires that usually exit near the left rear corner of the tank and connect to two wires in the main harness. If either one of them came loose, the gauge will not work. You will have lift the seat for sure, you might have to pull the left side cover or lift the back of the tank to see the wires and connections.

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[texaninseattle]

OK, I found the problem once I got home...The PO damaged one of the wires, and the repair (electrical tape) was coming loose and causing a poor connection.

Thanks for the help guys