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Fuel Gauge

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Jim_Gruber

Jim_Gruber

Yoda
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If it's not one thing it's another. I filled Bugsy up with gas this evening only to discover the sender unit I carefully removed and reinstalled when I dropped the tank to inspect this weekend not only reads < 1/2 full after a fillup. What can possibly go wrong in removing and reinstalling the sender.
 
That sender draws a fairly high current, so any poor connection can have a surprisingly large effect. The problem can only be in the sender, wiring, connections, or gauge. There isn't anything else.
 
Mine after a fill-up shows EMPTY. Then after using a gallon or two of gas, the needle goes back up towards the full point and seems to work correctly from that point down. Has done it ever since I got the car.
 
Jim, if possible, can you run an extra ground wire between the tank and the chassis? Is the temperature gauge (assuming it's electrical) behaving normally or has it started reading low also?

NardisCNC, in your case, it sounds like the sending unit wiper is coming off the resistance windings inside the sending unit when the float is all the way up. I haven't worked on Midget sending units but most others I have tinkered with have upper and lower limit tabs to keep the float arm within a certain range. In all likelihood, you could re-bend the upper limit tab on your car's sending unit so the wiper never moves off the windings. However, if you have to drop the tank to do this... it doesn't seem worth the effort.
 
Doug,

The same thought came to me over night. I'll try that first. Could be that I got too much Hylomar on the screw the ground lug is connected to on the sender ring preventing proper ground. I'm try the easy way first, connect a wire with alligator clip to the brass drain plug and ground to the chassis and see if reading changes. If not a PITA to pull the tank and deal with 7.5 gallons of gas to drain. Oh I've got it an excuse to go and drive and drain the tank that natural way. Honey see you in a couple of hours. Got to go and use up some gas. I love it when I've got a real reason to go out and drive Bugsy.
 
I have always wondered why we do not cut a hole in the trunk so we can get to the sender unit with the tank in the car. Seems like the right thing to do the first time you need to remove the tank.
 
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