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2007 Lightning fuel gauge and I suspect many others models as well

#1

R

RevB

At least on mine, the indicator decal on the inside started to turn white and then back to black, then white, then black.....may be temperature related but recently has just gone white and stayed there. New fuel indicator units are on the order of $43 and just to see the fuel quantity wasn't worth it. Pulled the unit out and using a drill chuck (hand use only, don't want to drill thru the cap) and small drill, moved the pointer to the empty, quarter, half, three quarter and full positions and made a small concave divot at the end of the pointer at each location with the drill. Then used a black permanent marker to color the divot so it's easily seen. Bingo. $43 saved. To reinstall the trick is to slide the rubber gasket off the head and reinsert into the tank opening and then insert the gauge unit, slightly lubricated, into the rubber gasket and just push until it seats. You can't just install it with the gasket on the unit.


#2

L

lugbolt

that'll work

what keeps water out?

Most folk around here just leave them in the middle of the yard when they're done mowing so when it rains, water gets in the fuel through the holy fuel gauge.

bad boy used a cheap chincanese fuel gauge that wasn't compatible with oxygenated fuel and UV light, for a long time-they'd turn white over time. That's the thing about them. They'll buy a million of one item, and if they know there's a problem with them, they'll continue to build mowers with that item until the stock is depleted, THEN they'll make a change.

cant tell you how many of those fuel gages I replaced. hundreds?

Then they had an issue with some of the vapor valves. On some of the newer (at the time, 2018-ish) mowers, they had to install fuel vapor valves in the top of the tank. This had a hose on it that ran to a charcoal canister. They zip tied the hose tight to the harness and frame. That hose was incompatible with fuel, it'd shrink up and it'd actually pull the vapor valve out of the fuel tank while you was mowing. And being a ZT, operator wouldn't know it, get to the end of a run, zip it around and take off again-and during the turn, it would spew a bunch of fuel out of it, which ends up on the muffler (which is unprotected), and poof you have fire. I nearly burnt two of 'em up in the shop from this very thing. I got to wondering about this, what if an operator was smoking, or lighting up, while the mower was spraying gasoline all over?


#3

R

RevB

lugbolt said:
that'll work

what keeps water out?

Most folk around here just leave them in the middle of the yard when they're done mowing so when it rains, water gets in the fuel through the holy fuel gauge.

bad boy used a cheap chincanese fuel gauge that wasn't compatible with oxygenated fuel and UV light, for a long time-they'd turn white over time. That's the thing about them. They'll buy a million of one item, and if they know there's a problem with them, they'll continue to build mowers with that item until the stock is depleted, THEN they'll make a change.

cant tell you how many of those fuel gages I replaced. hundreds?

Then they had an issue with some of the vapor valves. On some of the newer (at the time, 2018-ish) mowers, they had to install fuel vapor valves in the top of the tank. This had a hose on it that ran to a charcoal canister. They zip tied the hose tight to the harness and frame. That hose was incompatible with fuel, it'd shrink up and it'd actually pull the vapor valve out of the fuel tank while you was mowing. And being a ZT, operator wouldn't know it, get to the end of a run, zip it around and take off again-and during the turn, it would spew a bunch of fuel out of it, which ends up on the muffler (which is unprotected), and poof you have fire. I nearly burnt two of 'em up in the shop from this very thing. I got to wondering about this, what if an operator was smoking, or lighting up, while the mower was spraying gasoline all over?
Click to expand...
Geez....forgot all about this post.

The cap never gets penetrated hence the divot comment. Water is no more a problem than if you'd done nothing and just parked it in the yard.

The gauge continues to alternate illegible white to legible black...but now I don't care. Just an odd behaviour.

If it were a neoprene hose shouldn't have been any compatibility issue. If it were Tygon, most don't know there is a fuel compatible version and those that are not. F-4040-A is the spec number. Used to fly an Ultralight and even with that spec it was always a good idea to change lines every couple of years.


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