Gas Gauge Not Working

[RykerRick]

My gas gauge shows full all the time, even on empty. The bars never move, just stuck showing full. Miles to empty works fine and thats what I've been using to determine how low I am on fuel. Anyone have any ideas? I know I can take it to the dealership under warranty, but I would prefer not to do that if I can avoid it.

[RykerRick]

My gas gauge shows full all the time, even on empty. The bars never move, just stuck showing full. Miles to empty works fine and thats what I've been using to determine how low I am on fuel. Anyone have any ideas? I know I can take it to the dealership under warranty, but I would prefer not to do that if I can avoid it.

[SportsterDoc]

Assuming the float is not stuck full up:

If the Ryker sender is low resistance empty and higher resistance full, then the sender may not have adequate ground or the sender lead is disconnected.

If the Ryker sender is higher resistance on empty and lower resistance full, then likely the sender lead wire is grounded.

[Geo333]

Get it to the dealer and have them cover it under the warranty. That way it will be recorded and sent to the manufacturer.

[ARtraveler]

I would have the dealer fix that one.

[RykerRick]

Yeah thats unfortunately the plan, I've never had much luck with dealerships. When I took My Goldwing into the dealership to have the ECU replaced under warranty in 2015, they got red threadlock all over my seat and scratched the front fender. When I took my 2015 Triumph Trophy 1200 SE into the dealership in 2016 to have the tires replaced, they had a teenager do it and he scratched the factory powder coated rims.

A week after I purchased the Ryker Rally this past July, it was leaking brake fluid from the master cylinder fill cap. I checked it out and discovered it was missing the diaphragm under the fill cap. Apparently it was left off on the assembly line. Well I took it into the dealership and told them it had a brake fluid leak, and that it was missing the diaphragm underneath the fill cap, and all they had to do was to give it to me and I will install it. The a**holes wouldnt do it.

They said it had to be thoroughly inspected by their tech because the brake fluid leak was a known issue that some have experienced. So sure enough, they take it back into the service dept while I waited, I couldn't see what was going on. After an hour and a half, they brought it out saying it was fixed. I inspected the bike in front of the service writer and they had gotten brake fluid all over the black plastic tank cover (for those who dont know, brake fluid permanently stains the black plastic white).

They also had scratched the lower right side panel where the removed the panel without folding the brake pedal out of the way. They didnt even need to remove the panel at all. All the had to do was slide the right side peg and brake pedal rearward all the way and then you have easy access to the master cylinder & fill tank. So now you know why I dont want to use a dealership for service if I can avoid it. Most of them dont have a clue what they're doing.

[Peter Aawen]

..... So now you know why I dont want to use a dealership for service if I can avoid it. Most of them dont have a clue what they're doing.

The sad part about this is that some of them DO actually know what they're doing.... but they just don't give a **** & so do a crap job anyway, or damage/scratch things up & then just ignore it!!

But the really sad part is about your gas gauge.... speaking from MY experience with BRP's gas gauges & low fuel warning lights, I'd hafta say that I think you should appreciate the fact that you even HAVE that 'miles to empty' read-out & that it works!!

The 2013 & earlier Spyders had notoriously vague gas gauges to start with, and over time they've developed into things that can be so erratic in their operation that they are pretty much useless all the time!! At least you know yours is 'accurate' when you've just filled it!! Mine can & might read 'full' then.... but it might not too.... it could just as readily still show 'empty', or 1/2 full, or any other reading it damn well pleases that has absolutely NO bleedin' relationship to how much gas is actually in the tank!! Then after showing 1/2 to empty ever since the last top-up, it might even decide to suddenly show 'full' again when I next start my Spyder after ryding over 100 miles since that last gas top-up!! And don't get me started on the 'low fuel warning light'..... that bloody thing might come on within just a few miles of absofreakinlutely filling the tank.... or it might not show at all &/or it'll show or not show at any other time as & when it bloody well pleases!! And this is despite being told by the dealer repeatedly that 'it's all working fine for us'... despite me rolling in there more than once with either an almost empty tank & a gauge showing 'full' & with no warning light; or with almost over-flowing tank while the gauge shows 1/2 full or something & the low fuel light showing brightly on the dash; and that's despite me replacing the pump/sender unit & the dealer (supposedly) checking all the wiring, and they both STILL persist in being erratically & randomly wildly incorrect ALL the time!

So, at least you've got 'miles to empty' that works! I've gone back to using a trip meter & re-setting that every time I fill up, just like I always did on my other (older & less 'electrickery' equipped) bikes At least that way I know how far I've gone since the last gas top up, and I can make a reasonably accurate guesstimate as to how far I've got left to go before I NEED to fill-up again!


Why even fit these things if they don't work properly, at least some of the time?! . Oh, hang on, I forgot.... all these machines are made by BRP - so while there's some absolutely brilliant concepts & even some great engineering gone into these fantastic machines, but then they don't seem to care too much about actually making sure everything works the way it should.... .

[SportsterDoc]

Have you checked the wiring and wiring connectors to the fuel pump/fuel level sensor? My initial response was a bit more lengthy, but it replied to the duplicate of this thread which has since been deleted.

[RykerRick]

Have you checked the wiring and wiring connectors to the fuel pump/fuel level sensor? My initial response was a bit more lengthy, but it replied to the duplicate of this thread which has since been deleted.

Yes, I saw the post and didnt know what happened to it. Yes I did and after messing with it, it started working again. I dont know what I did though for it to start working. I suppose it could have been a connector that may have been loose enough to cause the problem, or even possibly a wiring issue. Now that its working, I'm not messing with it unless it rears up again.

[SportsterDoc]

Glad you saw it and glad that it's now working. Wiggling wires could have seated a pin or socket in a connector that was not previously seated, etc.

That post may not have been noticed when a moderator deleted the duplicate thread.

As for the duplicate post, I have noticed that weird things happen when trying to post from a smartphone!

[Plarimer]

OK guys don’t flame me for this. All my Harleys were famous for having the gas float stuck on the side of the tank after you got a full load. Many times after hitting a bump they go down on their own, but if not we would fold the bath towel into fourths and take a rubber mallet or a hand and give the side of the tank a whack. Not super hard but enough that we would save $300 without taking it to the dealer. Now the problem is is I don’t know what spider tanks are made of but I am assuming they could take a medium rap with a mallet over a towel. Good luck.