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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:15 pm 
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Hi all.

My fuel gauge reads empty all of the time. I have never played with these before. So I have a few questions.

Standard LH tank. From mid sixties.

What wires should go to the sender? And where should they come from?
What wires should go to the gauge? Where should they go?
Should there be something inbetween. Eg stabizer?

Is there a way to test each component with a multimeter or by some other means.

Cheers
Ryan

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:42 pm 
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Quick partial answer.... sucked out of an thread of mine...

Quote:
Whereas Smiths (early) are 20 Ohms Full and 260 Ohms Empty ( and testing on a spare mini fuel tank confirms this..


If you remove the sender from the (empty) tank you can just hook up the Multimeter and move the float to test the resistance at various points.

Wiring - check a basic wiring diagram ...
but probably :
At Tank
Green/Black from Gauge
Black to earth.

Light Green from stabilizer to Gauge


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:55 pm 
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There are Two types of senders one that is fitted using screws and one that is held in with a metal ring It would be worth checking which one You Have

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:57 pm 
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Thanks for that.

So without removing the tank, I could still check the resistance. knowing that the tank is full I should expect 20ohms. If I get somewhere around 260 I could presume that either the float is stuffed or the sender itself.



Is there a way to check the guage?

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:06 pm 
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do ya have a spare speedo with a fuel gauge Ryan?

I can bring one round this weekend if ya want to see if it's just that


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:20 pm 
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I just checked the guage. I get 35ohms with an almost full tank. So I guess my sender/float is ok.

I will chase the wiring on the weekend and see how I go.

Thanks Steve, Ill let you know how I go.

Ryan

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:33 pm 
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I Should also add, it is the type of sender that is held in with a metal ring.

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:35 pm 
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To check the gauge and the wiring you take the wire off the sender and earth it to the body, the gauge should then go to full.


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:38 pm 
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Ryan,
This is what I do, Take the wire off the sender and earth the wire if The Gauge works It is The sender If it does Not it is the Gauge

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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 10:04 pm 
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As far as the correct wiring Ryan the non earth wire from the sender (normally green/black) should go to the one side of the gauge.

The other wire to the gauge should come from the voltage stabiliser ie the small box mounted at back of speedo.

Double check the earth wire at the sender is actually earthed and double check all the connections are good inc. at the back of the speedo.

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 Post subject: Fuel Gauge
PostPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 7:40 am 
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One of the most common faults I find with Fuel gauges is the float itself. They get a small pin hole, they fill up with petrol and sink. They will always read empty when float is in the bottom of the tank. Make sure you put a stick down the tank to see where the fuel level is before removing the sender unit. WARNING. Make sure Fuel level is below the sender unit hole. Do not play with wires that spark when the sender unit is out. Kaboom....

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 Post subject: Re: Fuel Gauge
PostPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 5:34 pm 
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Convertible Mini wrote:
One of the most common faults I find with Fuel gauges is the float itself. They get a small pin hole, they fill up with petrol and sink. They will always read empty when float is in the bottom of the tank. Make sure you put a stick down the tank to see where the fuel level is before removing the sender unit. WARNING. Make sure Fuel level is below the sender unit hole. Do not play with wires that spark when the sender unit is out. Kaboom....


Considering my sender is reading 35ohms, I'm guessing it's ok. I will test it as the fuel goes down and see how it reads.

My bet is on the wiring.

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PostPosted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 7:53 pm 
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Thanks again guys. I have done a bit more testing.

Earthed the guage at the guage and the needle went right up. So I moved to the tank and tried earthing the wires. NOTHING.

So I guess my problem is in the wiring somewhere. I ran out of time, so I will investigate further on the weekend.

Cheers again

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