Water level sensor

H

Hap-E-Cruzer

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19763
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Anybody out there familiar with the water level sensor and gauge used by Sea Ray back in 2001. This unit is different to any I've seen in the past.
It uses a probe into the top of the tank with five wires. Each wire to a different length of metal rod to take measurements as the water level drops. I feel it uses resistance of different values to determine water level. The gauge is digital and reads. E-1/4-1/2-3/4-F....It stays on full all the time. Anyone know how to troubleshoot this system? Power and grounds are good.
 
Your water level sensor only gives you discrete steps in readings as each wire of different lengths touches the water. There are not varying resistances involved. Since you always get a full reading I would expect that either just the shortest sensing wire or all the sensing wires are somehow shorted.

My first guess would be some kind of contamination at the top of the wires. I expect that the sensing wires are attached to some type of rubber or plastic connector. Can you thoroughly clean the area around the attachment points? Then maybe ensure they are completely dry (even a little dampness could give a false reading).

The other possiblity is a short in the cables leading to the sensor. Do you get a reading of FULL with the sensor disconnected? If so your problem may be prior to the tank.

Mike
 
Pull the sensor are all the floats on the rods moving freely? This assumes you have the type sensor I think you do.
Bill
 
There are no floats on the sensor, only small dia. metal rods extending into the water, each a different length. The gauge reads full even with the sensor disconnected. The sensor is clean and all probes test good, meaning each has a different ohms reading and don't appear to be shorted to each other. I am leaning towards a bad gauge but really need a testing procedure.
Talked to MM today and they are going to get a price on both pieces (if available) but their computers were down today.
 
Try tapping the gauge and see if drops down. Sounds like a bad gauge.

If you add water do you get different reading at the sensor?
 
The gauge is digital. A circuit board with five lights and probably the mechanism that senses the resistance to determine which light to activate. I have a gauge coming from MM in a week or two..We'll see what that does.
Thanks for the input
 
No resistances are involved. The system detects as the water just touches each of the individual wires by the very slight conductivity of the water. Each sensor wire can only give two readings - touching or not touching the water.

Mike
 
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