'95 GTX Fuel Baffle Question

[Artgamble711]

I have a 1995 GTX I bought new. During the summer it is kept on a floating dock and it has a cover on it.

Two years ago the gas gauge stopped working. It was the fuel baffle, the boat was 13 years old and I felt a replacement was not bad.

Now, less than two years later the fuel gauge has stopped working again. It was working one Sunday when I left the boat, and when I uncovered it the following Saturday it did not.

Can a fuel baffle go bad that is less than 2 years old?

Does it just go bad sitting like that?

Thanks for any info.

Art

 

[djredman99]

From what I know of them, they go bad for 3 reasons.

1. The magnet that is attached to the float falls off and drops to the bottom of the tank. This magnet is what is used to read the amount of gas with the circuitry in the baffle. To fix this, you can fish the magnet out of the fuel tank with another magnet, reattach to the float. You can add some adhesive that is not soluable in gasoline to help keep the magnet in place.
2. The float, which the magnet is attached to, absorbs too much gasoline and no longer floats. To fix, you would have to buy a new float.
3. There is a tiny fuse inside the baffle which blows, leaving the baffle inoperable. To fix, you can cut a hole in the plastic on side of the baffle with a hot soldering iron, remove fuse and replace. Then put removed plastic back on and solder closed, using a zip tie or similar to help seal the hole you created by melting with solder iron. There are guides on the net to help with this procedure. Some guides just have you ripping the fuse out and soldering the gap, but I don't like that idea since that fuse is there for a purpose and this thing does sit in gasoline.

An alternative to all of this is buy a new baffle, but brand new, they are pricey. Even used ones can go for close to $100.

Yes they can seem to "just go bad". Mine worked one day, and the next it didn't. Although, I think with mine, the magnet had fallen off because coincidentally, it happened after I had siphoned the gas out of my tank. I'm thinking that the hose I put in knocked the baffle around and the magnet fell.

I will be finding out for sure soon when I attempt to repair mine.

 

[djredman99]

Forgot to mention that it is pssible your gas gauge is bad too and not your fuel baffle.

Here is some additional info for you to test what your issue is: Credit goes to Shakedown.

"Test the baffle and gauge since they're easy to troubleshoot without taking anything apart. You would need to locate the baffle that's clamped to the tank and then unplug the wire harness coming out of it. It should be a two wire plug with a pink & pink/black wire. To test the gauge, use a paperclip and short (connect) the two wires going towards the gauge. Now with the lanyard removed push the start button and see what happens. If the gauge goes to full, you have a baffle problem. If nothing happens, your gauge is most likely at fault. To test the baffle, using an ohmeter check for resistance on the two wires going into the baffle. You should get a reading from 0 to 89 ohms. If you get an open circuit, you have a bad baffle (fuse). If it's below full but you get a 0 ohm reading, the magnets most likely have detached from the float. If the ski has fuel in it and it reads around 90 ohms (corresponds to empty), the float may have absorbed fuel and is setting in the bottom of the baffle. Those tests should help you figure out exactly where the problem lies"