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Hello everyone! Yet another newbie here. I just recently got my first whaler, a 1981 Outrage 18 with a Johnson 140. I've had the boat 9 days and have been out on the water 6 of those. Boat runs great. I've had it at 41 mph WOT with 3 adults and light load. Also cruises with 4 adults and a 4 year old at 30 mph at 4500 rpm. My first concern is that the gas gauge seems to be not working. I put 24 gals in and it doesn't even register 1/4 tank. I'm assuming it's the float. Just a little unnerving not knowing how much gas is in the tank. Any suggestions appreciated. Also I could take some advise on getting the tired looking teak restored. I look forward to posting some pics and sharing some whaler stories with the forum!

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Congrats on your "new" Outrage 18 and welcome to Whaler Central.

When the fuel gauge on our Whaler stopped working, the previous owner replaced it instead with a fuel flow meter. I assume he did this to achieve increased functionality and due to the ease of installation. A fuel flow meter will display fuel remaining in the tank, so it offers the benefits of the analogue fuel gauge plus instantaneous fuel consumption data. This is the instrument we have:

http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexV...visionID=3

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Bill -

The fuel tank has an plate on the top containing the fuel float and the sender.

The sender has several wires that run to the console and gauge.

I would check the wiring first. If feasible, remove the wires, clean the connections and re-attach.

If the wiring is not the problem. You can remove the float assembly and inspect.

You can replace the entire float and sender. E-Components is the only source and is used a lot by members.
www.e-components.net

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Phil T,
The early Outrages had mechanical gauges, not electric. My 1985 Outrage 18 has a mechanical gauge, in a clear lexan window in the floor just aft of the console.

Bill,
Do a site search and I believe you will find some repair guidance for the mechanical gauge. IIRC correctly the display unit is still available.

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Thanks for the clarification Mark.

The direct read mechanical gauges are still available from E-Components.

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Thanks for the link JRP, I really like the idea of this fuel flow meter. Did you install your yourself? Was it easy?

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Ours was installed by the previous owner. But at some point I read the installation instructions and it seemed very straight forward.

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My 1986 18' Outrage has the mechanical gauge. My float had become saturated with something so it would not float and would not move the gauge off empty or near empty. I replace it with one of these 2 years ago and it is working great.

http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/gau...float-only

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I replaced my mechanical gauge this year on my '86 Outrage and it works great. Purchased a Rochester gauge from Fidelity in FL. Also replaced the deck plate with clear cover purchased directly from Beckson. They stock OEM whaler deck plates that match the originals. Thinking of adding the flow meter as well.

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Thanks for all the replies! I have to figure out which way to go to fix the fuel gauge problem. The only problem is it's hard to do that when you're out on the water every day. lol. For now I have a 5 gallon tank of fuel pre-mixed on board just in case. I want to run it out of gas and go fill it up any way. You never know if someone has changed the tank out, so I at least want to figure out how much capacity my tank has. I'm sure I'll have many more questions over time and look forward to learning the ins and outs of this awesome rig

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Bill -

If you remove the clear inspection port, there should be a sticker on the tank. It may be covered with grime.

The original sticker says Florida Marine Tanks (FMT)