A B737-300 CAPTAIN REFUSES ACFT PRIOR TO DEPARTURE; DUE TO A MAINT CONTROL DEFERRAL AND THEN CLEARING; OF #1 FUEL QUANTITY GAUGE THAT STILL HAD AN 800 POUND FUEL DISCREPANCY WITH FUEL TANK STICK READING.

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I REFUSED THE ACFT AROUND 3 HRS PRIOR TO SCHEDULED DEP OF XA11 DUE TO DEFERRAL OF #1 FUEL QUANTITY GAUGE; BY SPEAKING WITH DISPATCH. ARRIVED AT JET AT AROUND XX20 TO FIND NO MAINT PRESENT; SO I CALLED LCL MAINT FOR STATUS. THE PERSON I SPOKE WITH DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING; AND SAID WOULD CALL ME BACK. THE RE-FUELER CAME UP TO ACFT AND PRESENTED THE FUEL SHEET. I SPECIFICALLY QUESTIONED HIM ABOUT HOW HE DETERMINED THE AMOUNT OF FUEL ON BOARD; AND HE SHOWED ME THE FUEL SHEET STICK READINGS WHICH MATCHED THE REQUESTED FUEL BOARDED TO READ 9150 LBS IN #1 TANK. THE #1 FQI GAUGE READ 9920 LBS. MAINT SHOWED UP AROUND XX35; WORKED IN FLT DECK FOR AROUND 15 MINS; THEN LEFT. AROUND 15 MINS LATER; I WAS TOLD THAT THE DEFERRAL HAD BEEN REMOVED; AND THE ACFT HAD A NEW MAINT RELEASE STATING THAT THE FQI DEFERRAL WAS CLRED. I THEN PHONED MAINT CTL AND ASKED HOW THE DEFERRAL COULD BE CLRED; WHEN THERE WAS SUCH A LARGE DIFFERENCE BTWN THE GAUGE READINGS AND THE STICK READINGS. AFTER HAVING ME ON HOLD FOR AT LEAST 10 MINS; HE STATED THAT HE WAS MAKING A NEW WRITE-UP; AND SHORTLY AFTER A NEW ACFT WAS ASSIGNED TO ME FOR THE FLT. MY CONCERN IS THAT A DEFERRAL WAS CLRED; AND A MAINT RELEASE ISSUED; THAT WAS INVALID DUE TO THE MAINT STATUS OF THE ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: REPORTER STATED MAINT HAD COME ON BOARD AND REPLACED THE QUANTITY GAUGES; BUT THE FUEL DISCREPANCY REMAINED. ALTHOUGH HE WAS GIVEN ANOTHER ACFT; THE FLIGHT CREW FOR THE ACFT HE WAS GIVEN; HAD BEEN REASSIGNED TO THE ACFT HE HAD JUST REFUSED. REPORTER STATED THAT CAPTAIN ALSO REFUSED THE SAME ACFT AFTER SEEING THE FUEL LOAD DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE FUEL SHEET AND THE COCKPIT #1 FUEL COCKPIT GAUGE. THE MAINT RELEASE PAPERWORK DID NOT SHOW A CONTINUING ISSUE WITH THE #1 FUEL QUANTITY DISPARITY.