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59 dormi Samba Member
Joined: September 06, 2006 Posts: 621 Location: Ontario Canada
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2025 9:26 pm Post subject: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus |
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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 _________________ 1959 Dormobile
Mini R53 bob the tomato
Range Rover L322 |
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EverettB  Administrator

Joined: April 11, 2000 Posts: 71484 Location: Phoenix 602
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2025 9:42 pm Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus |
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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:
+ 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:
It screws into the body in a little hole over the gas tank
Another simplified wiring diagram someone posted in the past
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59 dormi Samba Member
Joined: September 06, 2006 Posts: 621 Location: Ontario Canada
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2025 4:48 am Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus |
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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 _________________ 1959 Dormobile
Mini R53 bob the tomato
Range Rover L322 |
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Clara  Samba Member

Joined: June 14, 2003 Posts: 12600
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2025 7:57 am Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus |
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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 _________________ The Obsolete Air-Cooled Documentation Project http://oacdp.org/ |
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BonTonRoulet Samba Member
Joined: September 29, 2020 Posts: 462 Location: Mississippi
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2025 11:39 am Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus |
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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.
_________________ Never argue with an Idiot. They'll only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience. |
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Eric&Barb Samba Member

Joined: September 19, 2004 Posts: 25879 Location: Olympia Wash Rinse & Repeat
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2025 2:13 pm Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus |
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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 _________________ In Stereo, Where Available! |
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70bus  Samba Member

Joined: July 15, 2004 Posts: 1325 Location: P.O.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2025 4:14 pm Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus |
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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. _________________ Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams
Raul the 65 singlecab
Karl the 70 nine-seater |
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59 dormi Samba Member
Joined: September 06, 2006 Posts: 621 Location: Ontario Canada
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Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2025 11:11 am Post subject: Re: Info needed…Adding a gas gauge to 59 bus |
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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 _________________ 1959 Dormobile
Mini R53 bob the tomato
Range Rover L322 |
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