Fuel gauge diagnosis

[fallingoffalot]

Having had my van rewired the other day, the guy said that he thought the fuel tank sender was ok and that the gauge was faulty. It just occurred to me that I have a dash from a 1976, and would this be the reason the gauge doesn't work. It used to work intermittently and sometimes swing all over the place, but since about a month into ownership no reading at all.

Are there any tests I can do on the gauge itself before I swap it for a new one? And should I get an early or late to match the dash?

Many thanks

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[sparkywig]

You need an early gauge to match your early tank sender unit.

 

[Bluesnailman]

Swinging about is also a sign of a dodgy sender..... However if this is 'also' part of the problem then there is an easy fix. The difficult part is removing the tank, your knees and back won't thank you for it. The fault with the sender appears to be the join between two parts of the main body of the sender. Some copper wire wrapped tight around the joint is enough to restore continuous connectivity back into the unit. 51 years old and working again just fine. Guage would def be an easier first try though....

 

[davidoft]

can you put up a picture of your dash/ fuel gauge

 

[fallingoffalot]

Here it is....

I'm planning on having a poke about at the weekend, not sure what I'm looking for really, do the later ones (like this one) have a vibrator? Also not sure what sender I have as the gauge did appear to work at some point.

Great hack to get that JK rev counter to stay in that position.... Take the aluminium blanking plate angle grind the back off then enlarge the hole so it slips over the body, this then fastens to the mounting with the screws.

When I take the dash out I'll take some more pics.

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[sparkywig]

Early (1968-73) and late (1974-79) fuel senders are different, so you need to match your gauge to the sender fitted to the tank first. Then sort out any wiring issues.

 

[fallingoffalot]

Thanks, is there any way of telling which sender without actually seeing it?

Would an old sender move the new gauge at all?

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[sparkywig]

Not without removing it from the tank. But I would assume that it's an early sender if the tank doesn't look like it's been removed.
An early sender will move a later gauge, and vice versa, but won't show the fuel level in the tank.

 

[fallingoffalot]

OK thanks, the PO put a new engine in and I'm not sure whether the fuel tank was replaced at the same time, have never seen it. As you can see from the photos the dash has been replaced, I wonder if that was the reason (I will ask him, but he seems to have stopped replying to my texts!!)