Fuel Strip Zapper - Step by Step
This is to repair/restore your fuel gauge when the fuel strip quits and your dash shows no fuel and the yellow caution and fuel light continuously blinks.
1) Go to Lowes or hardware store and get a piezoelectric grill starter/igniter. Get a good one about $5 - $10. It needs to have 2 wires coming from the trigger igniter. The piezo affect is a high voltage emitter from a certain type stone. Anyway most lighters have butane and a small hose that goes to the tip. When you pull the trigger, the high voltage arcs where the butane gas comes out and produces a flame. All you want is the two wires that goes to the end that makes the spark. Remove the butane and hose if you can, otherwise disable it. Remove the pipe and tip. Again, what you want is the two wires that connect to the trigger.
2) Get some small female wire connectors that you will push over the male spades of the connector at the gas tank. Sodder the connectors to the ends of the wires of the zapper or if you need to extend the wires to make it easier to connect add some wire to the ends of the existing wires from the piezoelectric igniter. Make sure you tape or use shrinkable tubing to cover any joints. You don't want any bare wires, remember this is a jolt of high voltage being transmitted! Make sure you cover the connectors right down to the ends. No exposed wires or joints from the igniter to the end of the connectors.
3) Depending on how small your hands are you can go in from the top of the gas tank without removal. You take out the screws that attach the gas cap and remove the fitting that is left. This is the fitting where you put in the gas hose when you fill up your tank. Work the fitting around and pull it out. The fuel strip and spillage hose are still attached so be careful. Now get a flash light and look down in the tank and you will see where the plug from the fuel strip is plugged in. If you hand is small enough reach into the gas tank and pull the plug loose. You can attach you "zapper" here. I could not get my hand into the tank so I had to go to PLAN "B". Remember to get the fuel strip installed correctly back into the tank. See diagram below.
4) PLAN "B": Remove the side body panels from the gas tank. Remove the two spindles at the base of the tank that the seat slides onto. Get some help or a block of wood and work the the gas tank up and back enough to get your hand down onto the tank access for the fuel pump, fuel strip, and vent hoses. Remove the gas hose first by pushing on the metal release button and carefully work the hose out of the fitting. This fitting is very fragile so be careful. Remove the electrical plugs, one goes to the fuel pump, the other goes to the fuel strip, this is where we will attach the zapper. Remove the vent hose and pull up and back and remove the gas tank.
5) There are two electrical plugs at the access. One plug has 3 pins the other 4 pins. We are interested in the 4 pin plug. Take your prepared zapper and push on one lead (it doesn't matter which wire) onto pin #2 and the other lead onto pin #3 (pin number is not important except that pin 2 and 3 are the two innermost pins). Pull the zapper trigger about 10 times. Remove connectors and place on pin #1 and #4 (the two outermost pins) and pull the trigger on the zapper about 10 times. Your are DONE!
6) Now put everything back together, attach the rubber hose, then the electrical connectors. Attach the fuel line last, it's the shortest. You might put a little grease on the o-ring to help it go in easier. Replace your fuel tank. Turn your key on and let the computer "boot up" like it always does. Remember it takes a little time for it to all come on, about 90 seconds. If it works you will get your fuel gauge back. It worked for me but there are no guarantees. I don't know how long the repair will last. I have seen posts that it worked for a couple of days to a couple of years. I wonder if you do yearly maintenance you could add this procedure to it. Good luck.
> First picture shows how to get fuel strip back into tank correctly.
> Second picture shows fuel strip plug (#3) to remove if doing this through the fuel filler opening from top of tank
> Third picture is an example of the modified zapper that someone else made.
> Fourth picture shows which plug to attach the zapper to. (4 pins)