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t34 Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006 Posts: 36
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 7:57 pm Post subject: Gas gauge |
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Filled up my 1967 T 34 and the gas gauge only went to a quarter. The sending unit is fairly new (from Airhead). Removed the sending unit andthe float seems to slide from end to end. Re-installed and now the gas gauge doesn't move at all. Any ideas?? Thanks Karl |
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Nate M. Samba Member
Joined: August 11, 2003 Posts: 1306 Location: Anacortes, WA U.S.A.
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 8:26 pm Post subject: Re: gas gauge |
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t34 wrote: |
Filled up my 1967 T 34 and the gas gauge only went to a quarter. The sending unit is fairly new (from Airhead). Removed the sending unit andthe float seems to slide from end to end. Re-installed and now the gas gauge doesn't move at all. Any ideas?? Thanks Karl |
Check the ground from the sender to the body of the car. No ground; no work. _________________ Regards,
Nate M.
Squarsche build
Heavy Metal Affliction feature
For heaven's sake, put a type4 and a Porsche 5-speed in there. . . It's the right thing to do!! |
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FastyOrange Samba Member
Joined: November 15, 2012 Posts: 109 Location: Greenville, SC
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 4:19 am Post subject: |
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+1 on what Nate M. said. Also check the connector on top of the sender to make sure it is not loose. I just dealt with a similar issue from my Airhead Parts replacement unit. I swapped in a repaired original unit but got the occasional "dead sender" response from my gas gauge. I noticed that on that particular unit the connector was loose and would loose contact in certain positions.
If you can't seem to get the Airhead Parts unit to work and you still have your original sender, try the repair detailed here: http://home.clara.net/hallvw/fuelsend.htm. The repair took me about 30 minutes to complete. Just be very careful not to break the two thin wires as you work on the unit (if you go this route). _________________ 72 FI Fastback
70 FI Fastback (Parts Car) |
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KTPhil Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2006 Posts: 33875 Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 8:22 am Post subject: |
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Try grounding the wire connector at the sender. This should make the gauge read full. If it doesn't the problem is not at the sender, but probably in wiring or grounding at the gauge cluster. |
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Bobnotch Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2003 Posts: 22356 Location: Kimball, Mi
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 5:19 pm Post subject: |
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FastyOrange wrote: |
+1 on what Nate M. said.
If you can't seem to get the Airhead Parts unit to work and you still have your original sender, try the repair detailed here: http://home.clara.net/hallvw/fuelsend.htm. The repair took me about 30 minutes to complete. Just be very careful not to break the two thin wires as you work on the unit (if you go this route). |
And IF you break the 2 thin wires, contact Jim Adney ( [email protected] ), as Jim rebuilds the OE type 3 sending units. He's got the correct wire and everything. _________________ Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120
Tram wrote: |
"Friends are God's way of apologizing for relatives." |
Tram wrote: |
People keep confusing "restored" and "restroyed". |
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t34 Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006 Posts: 36
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 5:41 pm Post subject: |
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I grounded out the wire leading to the sending unit and the gage read full. Tried grounding the sending unit to the battery and still read empty. I have the 2 original sending units, don'tremember why I replaced them. What should I use to clean the wires? Thanks Karl |
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FastyOrange Samba Member
Joined: November 15, 2012 Posts: 109 Location: Greenville, SC
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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If the float is sliding without hanging up, I would leave those wires alone. If it does hang up or seem less than smooth let your gasoline clean the wires. Put the sender into the tank and allow it to fill with gas. Then pull it out (allowing the gas to drain back out) and rock it side to side. The float contacts will slide more easily and clean the wires as they move. A few times back and forth should have you good shape. That's what worked for me. _________________ 72 FI Fastback
70 FI Fastback (Parts Car) |
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mastermisery Samba Member
Joined: August 04, 2013 Posts: 73 Location: Rochester, NY
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 9:12 am Post subject: |
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Mine has just about never worked even with the replacement. Installed it end of last year and only had the needle flip out then sit at 1/4 for 30 sec for half tank, then flip out for 30sec and stop for empty. Just recently it started to act like it is working normally, but the reading is still off. E is 1/4, 1/4 is half, and half is full. Haven't looked any further into it _________________ '72 Square Daily Driver (Under Construction) |
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KTPhil Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2006 Posts: 33875 Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 9:18 am Post subject: |
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Some gauges have a ground wire (small brown), some may lack one and are depending on the mounting prongs, which are prone to corrosion, causing erratic or incorrect readings. |
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FastyOrange Samba Member
Joined: November 15, 2012 Posts: 109 Location: Greenville, SC
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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 2:28 pm Post subject: |
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mastermisery wrote: |
Mine has just about never worked even with the replacement. Installed it end of last year and only had the needle flip out then sit at 1/4 for 30 sec for half tank, then flip out for 30sec and stop for empty. Just recently it started to act like it is working normally, but the reading is still off. E is 1/4, 1/4 is half, and half is full. Haven't looked any further into it |
My replacement sender worked pretty well for about year (maybe a little more) though the needle on my gauge bounced a bit if I hit a bump in the road. Eventually the needle started bouncing around sporadically. I tried grounding the sender and grounding the gauge but it didn't help. Since I drilled the sender and soldered on the new ground the needle has been rock solid and doesn't bounce around at all.
Just to be 100% sure you have the problem nailed, you might try running a new wire from the gauge to a repaired sender. Then you'll know that the sender is grounding properly and that you don't have any wiring issues between the two components. _________________ 72 FI Fastback
70 FI Fastback (Parts Car) |
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