Boat Fuel Gauge Wiring 101 - How To Wire Your Fuel Gauge

This is a short and sweet explanation of where to run your wires when you're installing a new fuel tank, fuel gauge, or entire fuel system on your boat. Remember that these fuel gauges can only be run on permanent mounted tanks, not your removable (usually red in color) plastic tanks!
NOTE: You may or may not have a green wire at your fuel tank and fill spout. The green wire grounds your fill spout to prevent spark from happening at the gas pump. The green wire stays at the back of the boat, and does not have anything to do with the gauge wiring!

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[mitchellwebb]

Extremely helpful video thank you mate 💯

[chriswilson]

Thank you. You made it simple for us dummies.

[omcbob]

Easiest wiring instructions I've seen. Your diagram is exactly how I've seen every boat fuel gauge wired up and that's how my sender/gauge are currently wired up. However, I'm in the process of replacing my tank sending unit with a new KUS sender and the wiring instructions that come with the new sender are just the opposite - it says the pink wire from the sending unit goes to ground and the black wire goes to the signal post on the gauge. That seems backward to me and certainly doesn't follow the industry standard of the pink wire being the fuel signal wire and black is always a ground wire. Thoughts?

[majordad]

I appreciate the simplicity of the shouldn't the circuit be fused?

[steveleston]

excellent video I have two tanks an one guage. would I just splice primary out of primary sender to primary toggle then into the guage same w/ secondary. or can I wire out of sender directly to guage an directly to toggle switch.I have AFT tanks an guage is the sender the white an the ground is the black? as far as grounding the tanks an caps I assume directly from each tank an cap to ground on guage is suffient? thanks

[jamesbaucom]

I saw where you could wire two together using a toggle switch. But can you wire the two together then to the power then to toggle then to gauge?

[Platinumtag]

Will one of those read the tank level from a stock Toyota matrix sending unit....if I get the 2 wire from the car fuel tank?

[tomference]

...looks simple enough, are all fuel tank sensors equiped with only two wires?

[mikesmith]

Can u do this on a red plastic 12gallon portable fuel tank?

[Bpreppye]

Hi Tom, i tried to wire the analog and digital fuel gauges on the same sending unit, but never got them to work toguether, only 1 of them would read right, do i need some kind of device to do this ??

[aNuthaRedneck]

I have several boats and most have fuel gauge issues. Why does the fuel gauge on my pontoon always say ut us full of gas but it definitely is not?

[jamesbaucom]

Video on how to wire to tanks to one gauge. If you can put a diagram one line would be great.

[danrangel]

hello Tom,
just wondering if you might have or could draw up a wiring diagram for a
On - On, Double Pole Double Throw Toggle connected to Two Fuel Tanks, One Fuel Gauge.
I bought a Jet Boat a couple of months back. The Double Pole Double Throw Toggle that came with the boat was a, all plastic toggle with the toggle level broke off.
I went to replace the old plastic toggle, and it crumbled apart, in my hand. Power is coming from Ignition.
Wiring is all daisy chained Gauges, Alternator, 40amp 12 volt Relay, Starter, Electric Fuel Pump, Electric Fuel Valve, 2Batts off a Perko Switch, Bilge Pump.
2 Fuses, 1red 10 amp for bilge and
1 green 30 amp for ignition.
The boat is a 1994 Caliber 1 19' 496 stroker BBC.
I would like to rewire it, to get rid of the birds nest, and update the wires and connections.
the way it is wired now, one short and the whole system is down. I know it is to cut down on all the extra wires.
just wondering if it is better to install a fuse block with multiple relays.
any diagrams, thoughts, opinions.
just trying to make it as reliable as possible. it has cocktail seats, so basically it's a cruiser.
thanks in advance.
Peace

[J.O..]

Hey Tom, have a request!
Trim gauge doesn't work (mercury), can you walk us through some simple trouble shooting ?

[kanarimentos]

hi question i have honda civic 94 the fuel auge broken i replace universal but ... reading oposite direction and reading not full tank if i have full tank . my sender read from 7 ohm to 125 any information thanks

[toupsclassroomtoupsclassro]

Question: Bought a gauge from Amazon and wired as you presented, excellent btw. However, when the ground form the tank is put the neg pole with the light, the gauge zeros out. Take the light off and the guage works. I wired the tank black directly to the battery and wired the neg on the gauge and still zeros out. Any ideas? thanks

[guylipsky]

I am on my 2nd fuel gage, and I can't get them to read the amount in the resistance type sending unit, I am reading 145 ohms at half a tank,

[captainsmate]

Does the power need to be connected to ignition or can it be any power source?

[natefonseka]

hey quick question, my toon currently has one (first one so bare with me). The guage seems to jump around when moving ..not too much of a swing, but doesn't hold spot like my digital gauge on seadoo. is that somewhat normal? it might swing from 1 tick off Full, to Full for example

[mattr]

Can I jump this from the positive on the tachometer?