Replacing Fuel Tank Sending Unit
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tuggs
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2005 9:29 am
Replacing Fuel Tank Sending Unit
I am replacing the fuel sending unit in my '72 Standard bug. It has a single wire blade connector and ccomes w/ a copper washer. In Bentley's it says the gasket should have a grounding clip on it. Neither the old nor the new has any clip but the new one has an instruction sheet that states using the copper washer but doesn't say where to place it or if a separate ground wire is used. Now I am totally confused and need advise/help. The gauge registers intermitantly or not at all which I assume is because of incomplete circuit. How do I remedy this? Run a ground wire to a common ground? Is the washer suppose to ground sending unit to the tank? I let a sister inlaw use the car when I am at work (gone 8 wks at a time) especially in summer when temps are bad and to far to bus stop. I just don't want to make it dangerous. Thanks
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Jim Ed
- Posts: 766
- Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 5:14 am
Re: Replacing Fuel Tank Sending Unit
..any updates on this?
Are you using a fuel gauge vibrator on back of the speedo?
http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp ... 13-957-099
Are you using a fuel gauge vibrator on back of the speedo?
http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp ... 13-957-099
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Jim Ed
- Posts: 766
- Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 5:14 am
Re: Replacing Fuel Tank Sending Unit
In the VW's for Newbies section there is a thread
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=141522
What is the correct way to install a fuel sender on a standard aircooled Beetle?
The only way I could get mine to work on my '73 Beetle was:
* use two rubber seals and
* add a ground wire from one of the six hold down screws to the chassis
* I had to gently bend the float down a little for a higher gauge reading.
TIA!
These two links should help someone else diagnose their gauge fuel gauge and fuel gauge sender problems:
http://www.midsouthvw.com/TechTips/tech ... lGauge.htm
http://nls.net/mp/volks/htm/fuel_ga.htm
Then Marc replied,
Later cars came with a sender that had a tab on it for a chassis ground wire, prior to that the sender only got a ground through one screw with a star washer under the head, and then only if the tank itself remained grounded - adding a wire like you did is a good idea, the guage will be more reliable that way.
It's not unusual to need to tweak the float arm and/or the travel stops in order to "fine-tune" the gauge reading...you won't know until you run out of gas if the modification you made makes the gauge read too high at all times. Fill up when the needle gets to the top of the "R" triangle; at that point a Standard Beetle tank should take exactly 9 gallons to top off.
I make sure to carry a spare gallon of gas along for a while after any maintenance on the gauge system, until I know the reading can be trusted.
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=141522
What is the correct way to install a fuel sender on a standard aircooled Beetle?
The only way I could get mine to work on my '73 Beetle was:
* use two rubber seals and
* add a ground wire from one of the six hold down screws to the chassis
* I had to gently bend the float down a little for a higher gauge reading.
TIA!
These two links should help someone else diagnose their gauge fuel gauge and fuel gauge sender problems:
http://www.midsouthvw.com/TechTips/tech ... lGauge.htm
http://nls.net/mp/volks/htm/fuel_ga.htm
Then Marc replied,
Later cars came with a sender that had a tab on it for a chassis ground wire, prior to that the sender only got a ground through one screw with a star washer under the head, and then only if the tank itself remained grounded - adding a wire like you did is a good idea, the guage will be more reliable that way.
It's not unusual to need to tweak the float arm and/or the travel stops in order to "fine-tune" the gauge reading...you won't know until you run out of gas if the modification you made makes the gauge read too high at all times. Fill up when the needle gets to the top of the "R" triangle; at that point a Standard Beetle tank should take exactly 9 gallons to top off.
I make sure to carry a spare gallon of gas along for a while after any maintenance on the gauge system, until I know the reading can be trusted.