Fuel gauge not working

[Complete Turf Care]

I have a 2011 Kubota L5740C and the fuel gauge recently quit working properly.

It never shows full anymore, and it stays somewhere in the middle most of the time. Today, it stayed at 2 bars most of the day, but when the actual level got low, the 'fuel' message showed on the screen and the gauge went down to one bar.

Does anyone know if there is a float in the tank that could be sticking? Or is it electronic? I found some threads here about fuel gauges on the BX25 not working properly and someone said it was a bad ground wire.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Have an L3130 which is in the previous Grand L series. Pulled the sender once and was able to crimp the rivet and clean the wiper on the unit once and it worked for a while and replaced it the second time. Unlike the old sending units that used wire for the resistor the new ones have a ceramic base with carbon tracks. My float arm and everything that was steel on the sender was corroded from the fuel and the Biodiesel that is added to it. You can get by with just filling the tank every day or you can replace the sender but who knows what the lifespan will be. I got around 8 years on the first one and I am in a wet climate.

David Kb7uns

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Have an L3130 which is in the previous Grand L series. Pulled the sender once and was able to crimp the rivet and clean the wiper on the unit once and it worked for a while and replaced it the second time. Unlike the old sending units that used wire for the resistor the new ones have a ceramic base with carbon tracks. My float arm and everything that was steel on the sender was corroded from the fuel and the Biodiesel that is added to it. You can get by with just filling the tank every day or you can replace the sender but who knows what the lifespan will be. I got around 8 years on the first one and I am in a wet climate.

David Kb7uns

So? There is a sender and/or float in the tank that can be cleaned or changed? And, lately, I've been refilling the tank twice a day.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

From looking at the parts list it looks the same as the 30 series. The sending unit is in the top of the tank, you have to remove the hood first and them there are screws holding it in the tank with an electrical connector.

David Kb7uns

 

[The Fred]

You could ohm the unit by disconnecting it at the tank and connecting your DVOM. You'll find by disconnecting the hood stay rod mechanism the hood can be tilted up to the windshield then held up with a ratchet strap allowing easy access to the top of the tank.

Values are : 1.8-4.2 ohms at uppermost position and 106.5-113.5 ohms at lowest position. Sounds like your sender is stuck around 60 ohms.


Good luck but it's a simple diagnostic.

I have the manual in pdf form but its 400MB

Regards, Fred

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Thanks guys. I will look into it some more as soon as I get time.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

First time I just cleaned it up and recrimped one of the connections, second time around replaced it. Wonderful fuel we have these days.

David Kb7uns

 

[Complete Turf Care]

I pulled it out of the tank and it looked clean and seemed to be working properly. I ran one tank of fuel today, and it seemed to work better, but at the end of the day it went down to zero bars on the display quicker than I thought it should.

Guess I should just order a new one. They are about $70 online.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

If it is going down to zero bars then you are probably loosing the ground connection between the wiper and the resistor trace, think I had to crimp a rivet or a contact the first time and it worked a while. Replaced the second time.

David Kb7uns