hi guys,

i am currently re-wiring a '65 mini deluxe and i have discovered that the fuel gauge does not match the sender properly (well, this is what i assume to be happening).

when the fuel tank is empty, the gauge reads 1/4 full. when the tank is full, the gauge reads full. if this were happening on an old chrysler (which i am much more familiar with than mini's!), i would immediately know that the resistance range of the fuel sender unit being used was incorrect and cannot be used with the gauge.

is this the case, or is there some adjustment i might be able to make in order to get empty = 0 on the gauge? the fuel gauge itself is located underneath (and within) the large speedometer in the mini's instrument cluster.

cheers

charles

hi

I am usually wrong

but I had the problem where when full showed empty
i had the cables wrong way around

could it be a fuse?

On the back of the speedo there is a voltage regulator for the fuel gauge. It has an output voltage of 10 volts. it could be that this has been by-passed or is faulty.

thank you, i now know what the "thing" on the back of the speedo is - a voltage stabiliser! when i removed the old wiring today, the fuel gauge was connected to the I terminal of the regulator, and the fuel gauge did work, so i assume it was getting voltage through the stabiliser (ruling out it being bypassed), but perhaps the stabiliser is faulty..?

is it as simple as using a voltmeter to check that the voltage at I is 10v? and if it is, the stabiliser is functioning 100%?

cheers

Yeah, you should be able to check the volts with a meter.

Because it uses 1950 technology (vibrating bimetal strip) a digital meter can give you funny readings. An old analog V meter is better.

I had one in my car that measured fine at rest. But the faster you drove, the lower the fuel gauge would read. When you stopped, you could watch it come back up! Road vibes in the car obviously upset it.
I finally binned it and fitted one of Wombat's 10V electronic ones. No more fuel gauge worries.

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

next time your tnk is on empty get a torch and look into your tank through
the filler hole ,at the back of the the sender unit there is two prongs which stop the the float wire empty and full positions .Just check that it is at the bottom prong when it is empty as the sender unit might have been removed and refitted some time or another.

_________________
the never ending story

great stuff. any more info on the "wombat" replacement stabiliser unit? where can i buy one? perhaps i can knock something up after a trip to jaycar, but i will be sure to check with a voltmeter tomorrow on the original factory unit.

thanks for the info about the bump stops on the sender unit - my friend (who owns the car) never really lets it run empty, but i'll be sure to pass the info along. is it possible that the sender unit could have been bumped/damaged during use, to perhaps affect these bump stops? there's not much room in the boot... you never know. possible? not possible?

cheers

PM `Wombat' on here, they are not expensive. You would pay more for an original style one.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

I bought a couple of electronic ones from wombat. With a little bit of judicious prodding and insulation tape I managed to fit them into old cases. Worked a treat.

_________________
Mk1 Cooper S
Mini K Rally car

I agree, the new electronic stabilisers from Wombat work a treat.

_________________
1969 Cooper "S"
1967 Mini Deluxe
1973 Clubman Van (the fleet spare)
1978 ex 1275 LS ("Wizard" Eaton Supercharged)
2015 HSV GenF GTS(occasional drive & tow car)
2019 MINI F55 Cooper S

great, i'll PM him and grab one.

for interest's sake i put my (digital) voltmeter at the I terminal and found that voltage fluctuated wildly between 18v and 3v. not sure if this is accurate or not, but i guess it doesnt matter - the stabiliser seems to be faulty.

thanks again, i hope this new wombat unit will solve my incorrect gauge readout issue.

cheers