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Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus
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59 dormi
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 14, 2025 9:26 pm    Post subject: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus Reply with quote

I have fuel sender unit gas tank to my 59 bus and a vdo fuel gauge
I don’t have the wiring from factory so what is the correct way of hooking it up?
So far I have a wire going from the sender - and power off the ignition to the gauge + and it’s not working so obviously this is wrong
Gauge is tested and bus is now 12 volt sender is 6volt but on my previous 66 this wasn’t an issue
Do I run power directly to the sender unit seems sketchy so thought I’d ask before blowing anything up
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EverettB Premium Member
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 14, 2025 9:42 pm    Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus Reply with quote

Is it a stock fuel gauge or aftermarket VDO?
6v sender should work (Are 6v vs 12v senders even different? I don't know)

Stock Bus fuel gauge:
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

+ to switched power - Sounds like you did this correctly
G goes to the sender.

If you ground the G terminal with the key on and power going to the + terminal it should max out the gauge.
The sender doesn't hook up to power, only to the gauge.
The sender does have a ground wire though - Did you do that?

You can see the sender ground write in this photo:
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

It screws into the body in a little hole over the gas tank

Another simplified wiring diagram someone posted in the past
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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59 dormi
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 15, 2025 4:48 am    Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus Reply with quote

Thanks
Yes same gas gauge I did have a new smiths but it fried and that’s where I stopped messing with it
So I did wire it up right except I do not have the ground from the tank to the body so that must be my problem I will try that and report back
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Clara Premium Member
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 15, 2025 7:57 am    Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus Reply with quote

59 dormi wrote:
Thanks
Yes same gas gauge I did have a new smiths but it fried and that’s where I stopped messing with it
So I did wire it up right except I do not have the ground from the tank to the body so that must be my problem I will try that and report back


It needs that ground.
another common issue is a poor ground at the gauge
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 15, 2025 11:39 am    Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus Reply with quote

Fuel gauge sender ground wire location should be in this photo. Just a sheet metal screws through a ring terminal into the chassis above the fuel tank.


Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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Eric&Barb
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 15, 2025 2:13 pm    Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus Reply with quote

Might as well run a cable with several individual wires in it. That way you can add more gauges like oil pressure and temp. 21 feet has worked for the length for us to have gauges under the package tray.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=16%2F5+wire+c...;_osacat=0
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70bus Premium Member
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 15, 2025 4:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus Reply with quote

For tank ground, scrape chassis to bare metal and put dieelectric grease over screw to help slow corrosion. Make sure it's a tight connection - the screw on mine was barely hanging in there. Gauge, I added a wire to clamp studs and connected to a ground point.
And +1 on the E&B suggestion for a wiring loom instead of just 1 wire. Ya never know what might be handy to wire up back there.
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59 dormi
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 16, 2025 11:11 am    Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus Reply with quote

When I first wired it I had the same thought, so I made a separate fused loom running off the ignition , currently it runs the 12volt accessories socket for phones,GPS etc but will this effect the gas gauge readings?

It’s going to be interesting getting that - wire on without removing the engine lol
Any how won’t happen till this weekend but really excited to get this working after 9000 miles without a gas gauge
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