Full Mod and rebuild of Instrument Cluster with GPS Speedo

[SteveMc]

[0cean]

[kourt]

Is the issue you're referring related to the lack of needle stability in the gauge? I seem to recall earlier in the thread that a wandering fuel level gauge needle was a problem.

There are dampers or anti-slosh modules out there. Ford has one that can be found on eBay pretty easily. There is also this:

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Fuel-Level-Gauge-Sending-Unit-Interface-Module,66534.html

...which has the anti-slosh module built-in.

I haven't driven it enough to answer with certainty. Before I calibrated the gauge it was a problem--the needle was wandering quite a bit. After calibration, the gauge seems more stable--but I need to drive a full tank and see how things go. I'll report back soon.

kourt

[kourt]

...and just for reference, here is some good anti-slosh module documentation:

http://www.mycoupe.ca/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=37

You can get these modules on eBay for about $25.

If my gauge is plagued by sloshing, I'll be looking into this solution.

kourt

[0cean]

The needle bounce is so bad in my van, you can’t even see the level without being at a full stop. I will check out the anti slosh add on. Thanks.
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet

Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=

Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3)

[kourt]

I drove a little over 40 miles today and used the first 1/8th of the fuel tank. It was a windy day, with a strong crosswind, so we were being tossed around quite a bit.

What I've seen of the fuel gauge needle moving thus far is no more than a needle-width deviation from the actual gauge reading. It's not any worse than the original Vanagon fuel gauge slosh movement.

Is your needle moving more than this?

kourt

[kourt]

Update on Speedhut fuel gauge slosh problems:

I drove my van a few hundred miles on the new Speedhut gauges and, sure enough, the fuel gauge was plagued by slosh.

When full, the problem was not apparent, but by the time I got to half full, the gauge would sometimes vary as much as a quarter tank increment in either direction of the true fuel level.

Speedhut gauges have bright LED lights that will illuminate when the fuel gauge reads empty. They can be calibrated, but despite my best efforts to calibrate the fuel gauge light to the lowest set point, the slosh problem would often illuminate the low fuel LED during turns or hard braking, even when I had half a tank of gas. Something had to be done.

There are a few ready-made fuel gauge converter kits out there (like this one or this one) but when you look deeper into their documentation you learn they are not compatible, because they require a fuel gauge that only has a 90 degree sweep (Speedhut is 180 degrees), or they require a sender that does not exceed 240 ohms (the Vanagon sender reads 290 ohms empty, 35 ohms full).

I found a neat article online about anti-slosh modules in Ford vehicles and decided to give that a try. I've also saved the article in PDF format in case the original website goes away.

Essentially what you are doing is taking an anti-slosh daughter card from a 1990s Ford/Lincoln/Mercury gauge cluster, removing its OEM connector, and wiring it in between your sender and your Speedhut fuel gauge.

Here's the Ford anti-slosh card (I got it on eBay), with my wires soldered in, encased in a plastic clamshell, and labeled. I then spliced the wires into the Speedhut gauge wiring.

The result is much less fuel gauge needle jump due to slosh, and hardly any false positive low fuel LED light illumination. There is still some needle movement when turning, but the extremes are now properly buffered.

To me this was a better solution than trying to install a different sender in the Vanagon gas tank. I hope Speedhut owners find this useful!

kourt

[0cean]

Thanks kourt. I just about gave up on the fuel gauge issue, but this looks like a viable solution.

Sorry I dident reply before. Dident see the response.
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet

Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=

Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3)

[0cean]

Thanks kourt. I just about gave up on the fuel gauge issue, but this looks like a viable solution.

Sorry I dident reply before. Dident see the response.
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet

Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=

Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3)

[kourt]

Update on the anti-slosh module: disappointing.

It did buffer the sloshing, but changed the ohms impedance range on the fuel sender signal. The result was a totally inaccurate fuel gauge.

I tried several iterations of calibration and configuration--using some of the presets, or recalibrating at various tank levels. Nothing worked.

I removed the anti-slosh module this weekend.

I've turned off the low fuel LED on the gauge, and that has made life easier. I may try to install the SpeedHut sender in my fuel tank this fall. We shall see. In the meantime, my best advice is to try to calibrate the low fuel condition with as little fuel as possible in the tank. I found that when I got it down to 1 gallon of fuel remaining, and recalibrated it, I had the best performance.

kourt

[0cean]

Thats a bummer. Someday i will make an adapter for the VW to stranded 6 or 12 bolt patterns that most fuel sending units use. Been a little to busy with other projects lately.
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet

Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=

Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3)

[0cean]

Kourt,

I just found this and I think its the solution. Check it out and see what you think.

http://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=produ...prd473.htm
_________________
I'm not a mechanic, I just play one on the internet

Cluster Rebuild:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569920&highlight=

Left for Dead the Resurrection Story Build:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613669
(Number of Different Donor VW Vans Body Parts Used: 12)
(Number of completely different vehicles parts used: 3)

[kourt]

No, this won't work for the 180 degree sweep fuel gauges found in SpeedHut clusters.

Read the manual for the Fuel Link:

https://www.classicinstruments.com/userfiles/files...020116.pdf

Quote:

"The Fuel Link has been designed to work with nearly any short sweep fuel gauge (90 degree or less pointer sweep) and fuel sender combination. It will not work on fuel gauges which have pointer sweeps greater than 90 degrees."

I am beginning to think the only answer is the SpeedHut sender:

https://www.speedhut.com/ecommerce/product/681/Fuel-Level-Capacitance-Universal-Sender-(3-5

What we need is someone with a fuel tank laying around, uninstalled, so that we can measure the depth of the tank from the sender installation hole flange to the bottom of the tank. That will give us a measurement for the custom-length SpeedHut sender.

kourt

[tencentlife]

Have you guys experimented with adding a capacitor between the sense and ground wires? You would want it at the sender end to be most effective.
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Shop for unique Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is kryptonite to doctrine.

[0cean]

[tencentlife]

It could take quite a bit of trial and error to find the best cap value, but it's bound to work when you find the right one.
_________________
Shop for unique Vanagon accessories at the Vanistan shop:
https://intrepidoverland.com/vanistan/

Please don't PM here, I will not reply.

Experience is kryptonite to doctrine.

[csgado]

Am considering the conversion.
What size capacitor would you guys suggest?

[Surferboy120]

Any updates on the slosh issue? I just purchased some 4" speedhut gauges as well and I am certain to be dealing with this so I was curious.

Thank you all in advance.

[kourt]

My solution is to buy the SpeedHut sender and replace the OEM VW sender.

But so far I haven't done that. I rely more on my Distance To Empty (DTE) gauge in my Ultragauge more than anything else. It's accurate and it accounts for fuel consumed due to idling, etc.

My Speedhut fuel gauge works, but it runs down to empty only at the very last minute, with about 50 miles remaining in the tank. That's cutting it close. The DTE is just a better solution for me.

kourt

[valvecovergasket]

curious if theres just a way to build a filter yourself onto a breadboard, if anyone has investigated that?
i wonder if the sender range on that ford circuit didnt match well enough to the van's sender
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