2000 Mean 16 Fuel Sending Unit install

Call out all Champion MEAN 16 owners!

So I just acquired a used Champion Mean 16 anniversary edition. She has very little engine hours like 15 I think, apparently the guy who owned it did not use it much and just kept it in his yard pretty much all the time covered. She runs perfect, like too good. I love this boat it's awesome.

Anyways I checked the Original Fuel Sending unit that came with the boat and it appears that it was faulty. I shorted the ground to the pink wire and the gauge works perfectly fine. I even took a couple of resistors and made a small selector switch and ohm'd out the gauge from 240 to 33 ohms and gauge works fine no issues there.

Now here comes the question, in what direction does the arm swing to? Port? Starboard? or Aft? When I took out the original unit, it was installed facing Starboard (steering wheel). I bought a new universal sending unit from Moller I think it's spelled, I measured the arm and made the necessary cut and installed the unit back again like it was facing Starboard side (arm swings towards the steering wheel). Is this correct? Or does the Sending unit swing towards the Aft?

I filled the gas tank to about 12 gallons of fuel (I think the boat has 18 gallon tank, still not too sure). and it read about a little below 3/4 of a tank, which I think is about right. Well I been boating around, for a couple of days and I noticed one day that the gauge got stuck at half a tank mark. I think the arm could be too long and could be stuck (while I was fishing I ran out of gas and had to get towed back in) Long story short, I thought I had half a tank but I didn't.

I took the sending unit out again and wiggled the unit and found that it fell and read empty (of course, I did not have any gas). I added 2 gallons of gas today and installed the unit with the arm swinging Aft and noticed that it was reading 1/4 of a tank ( but I thought the tank is 18 gallons?). I installed the sending unit again and if my calculations are correct it should be just right above the E. So which direction does this thing install?

Sorry for the long post! Cheers!

Welcome!! Congratulations on your rig!!!!

Someone will be along. I would imagine it is the same on all models, not just the Mean 16.


I just checked brochure and your capacity is 18 gals, as you thought.

Thank you Lea.

I am pretty sure the Fuel Sending Unit is installed facing Starboard side, but I just need to make sure. I don't want to go out again and head out with the unit get stuck again because it was installed wrong! I will post some pictures of the Rig, it is all original almost new. All I had to do was basically clean the boat with some simply green and some buffing.

Sounds like you got a good one!!! Our guys will be along with their expertise!!!!

Also from what I can tell by peeking inside the tank I believe it maybe like a T shaped tank. Is this common in champion boats? Ir base boats in general? This is my first bass boat. I've always had flat boats.

Never have seen a T shaped one, but squarish U shape is common. Some of the newer (2003+) have L shaped tanks. Underseat and then up behind seat backs.

C'mon guys, surely someone can help here.....