74 Beetle fuel gauge issue

[nick2002]

im looking at buying a 74 beetle and the owner said the fuel gauge will read 1/2 way when the tank is actually full and that its because the float gets caught at the top of the tank. He says hell have to adjust the float about every 3-5 times he fills up in order for the gauge to read accurately. If the fuel gauge is new, the only problem that could be causing this would be that the sender is bad right? thank you

[Glenn]

You have to bend the float arm to get it to read correctly.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

[pop.pop1955]

I don't believe you should bend the float arm on a VW 71 or later, the gauge probably needs to be adjusted, also you can test the sender with a VOM

[Cusser]

1. I would obtain the best sending unit I could find, like genuine VDO.

2. Yes, you may need to bend the float rod for final adjustment. You may have to choose whether knowing you still have a gallon of gas remaining or seeing the needle exactly on full is more important.

I wish I had purchased a VDO sender for my 1970 back during it resurrection in 2016-2017, but I did get the less-expensive one to work OK. Yes, I bent the arm.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[68IHscout]

How is this bending process work , when i changed mine out (74sb) mine goes to empty at full then comes up when 3/4 full, runs out of gas at mid red reserve.

[Tim Donahoe]

I don’t believe the seller. I suspect the sender rheostat is burnt out at the halfway mark (very common). And no one would readjust their sender every few times they fill up. Really? Who would do this?

You need a new sender, and a new vibrator. A failed vibrator is probably the reason that the rheostat burnt out.

Tim
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Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[OTTO 1303]

If the fuel gauge/sender is the issue, it’s a non-issue, there are other things that may require your attention, making fuel level not that important initially.
This bug isn’t the only bug with a full tank that reads half 😁

Several things could affect the gauge reading, but it isn’t always faulty parts, or just one causing the problem.
And if it is a part, good news, they are available.

There are many tutorials and discussions here and on YT to educate yourself on how the fuel gauge system works, with many successful repairs.
Once you start to repair, you can present your findings here, and someone can address each detail as you go.

If the car is in good shape, don’t let it be the reason for walking away.
You may find other reasons, with all of them fixable.

Good Luck
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74 Super Sun Bug - OTTO
74 Super - DANZIG
74 Super - HERZOG

[Q-Dog]

A full tank is less of a problem than an empty tank. I mostly care if the gauge is accurate near the bottom.
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Brian

'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle

[Starbucket]