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Alternative fuel guage?
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deronmoped
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PostPosted: Sun May 08, 2022 2:11 pm    Post subject: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

Well, my sender failed in my fuel tank. Right now, I do not want to cut a hole or pull the engine. Does anyone have a tricky way of measuring the fuel level? I usually keep track of mileage, but I'm looking for a better way. I though of using a dip stick, that might work pretty good. I figured I would wait till I need a clutch or some other work that would require pulling the engine.
Thanks, Deron.
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bsairhead
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PostPosted: Sun May 08, 2022 2:22 pm    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

I have used a wooden dowel on old tractors.
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dodger tom
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PostPosted: Sun May 08, 2022 2:24 pm    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

Not sure a dowel would make the turns in a bay.

I just count miles. Only messed up three times in six years. Helps to have AAA road-side.
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bsairhead
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PostPosted: Sun May 08, 2022 2:37 pm    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

dodger tom wrote:
Not sure a dowel would make the turns in a bay.

I just count miles. Only messed up three times in six years. Helps to have AAA road-side.
Forgot it wasn't a straight shot. Weighted string? How about you fill it up run it out carrying a gas can and check the mileage.

Last edited by bsairhead on Sun May 08, 2022 2:38 pm; edited 1 time in total
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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Sun May 08, 2022 2:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

Depends on the year, how about you put the year and model of your bus in your signature line?, my crystal ball's on the fritz.
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PostPosted: Sun May 08, 2022 3:18 pm    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

try not to go below half tank. Put a sticky pad on the dash and write the mileage down TO BUY GAS. If you get 18 mpg buy gas every 125 - 175 miles. That would be 1/2 - 1/3 full tank roughly. But it depends on the year because tank sizes and mileage vary slightly. Fill it up each time you buy gas. If you can't afford to then if you put in say 10 gallons buy gas 150 miles later to be safe. (10 x 15 mpg)

1971 is 15 gallons x 18 mpg = 270 miles. Much more you will be walking.

Carry a steel 5 gallon NATO gerry can full of gas with you too. That is what I used to do when the gauge was acting up.
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Last edited by SGKent on Sun May 08, 2022 4:19 pm; edited 1 time in total
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aeromech
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PostPosted: Sun May 08, 2022 3:41 pm    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

As Steve was saying you use the “known quantity “ method. So, either drain your tank and fill it with the required full quantity or just top it off and watch your mileage. 14 gallons/15 miles per gallon= time to get more gas.

What year is your bus and why not fix it?

Edit: I see no reason why you’d have a problem cutting an access hole? From looking at your gallery, you have a very non-original bus. A 4 1/2 inch hole saw located in the correct place will get that sender right out of there. Then you use some donor metal and make a cover. Easy.
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later
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PostPosted: Sun May 08, 2022 5:25 pm    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Sun May 08, 2022 6:28 pm    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

later wrote:
[img]pics[/img]

Now that's thinking, I approve! Cool
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deronmoped
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2022 4:58 am    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

I do keep track of mileage. I also put a piece of hose in the Bus and can use that to put in the tank and then blow air through it to see if there is gas left.

I just though of a method. Would require a "T" in the gas line coming from the tank to the pump. Put a "T" in that line and run a clear hose up above the level of the filler. That way you could see the level of the gas.
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deronmoped
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2022 5:31 am    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

It's a 1970. And I plan on fixing the sender as soon as the engine needs to be pulled for some other reason.

I do not want to cut a hole, because of the amount of time involved.
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SGKent Premium Member
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2022 6:36 am    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

deronmoped wrote:
It's a 1970. And I plan on fixing the sender as soon as the engine needs to be pulled for some other reason.

I do not want to cut a hole, because of the amount of time involved.


You are in San Diego. Coordinate with Gary and Telford, and you can probably pull the engine, firewall, sender, fix it and be done in a couple hours.
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2022 6:54 am    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

I believe these vintage mileage counters could be used for that purpose. I heard that someone in England is reproducing these.

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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2022 8:23 am    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

You can get a stick down in to a 70's tank, make sure it's a clean one, and don't lose it in there.

But the mileage record works too, if you are coming up on 200 it's time for gas.
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PostPosted: Sun May 22, 2022 12:45 pm    Post subject: Re: Alternative fuel guage? Reply with quote

On boats you can use a low pressure range pressure sensor below the tank in a fuel line or at the lowest point of the tank to measure the pressure due to the height of fuel above it.
If you know the profile of the tank, you can get a fairly accurate measurement of the amount of fuel in the tank.

I used a commercial NMEA2000 sensor on a boat a couple of years back - you programmed it with the tank profile then it reported liters/gallons of fuel.

The same manufacturer also made a sonar version that pinged the distance to the top of the fuel in the tank, but the vibration from a single cylinder diesel generator made it misread unless you unscrewed the sensor from the top of the tank and held it.
https://www.maretron.com/products/tlm150.php
It uses NMEA2000 which is CAN bus .. so you would need to hunt around the internet for software libraries for an Arduino.

These days with all the Arduino hardware around, you should be able to measure the pressure using e.g. an analog 0..5 psi to 0.5 to 4.5volt pressure transducer, map it to a "stock" fuel sender curve, and then pulse width modulate the current into a 10 ohm resistor in series with the stock gauge. ..
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