Fuel gauge senders...

[Tofufi]

Hi all,

Anyone got any experience of the fuel senders that VW Heritage sell?

Am I better off trying to source a secondhand one, or are they all a bit dodgy by now?

Mine is rather innacurate, and the gauge varies/flickers by almost 1/4 of a tank at times. It is one of those annoying niggles that I'd like to sort :lol: - £50 seems a lot to spend on a fuel sender, perhaps I'd be better off just keeping it topped up :roll:

 

[Loxy]

Hi all,

Anyone got any experience of the fuel senders that VW Heritage sell?

Am I better off trying to source a secondhand one, or are they all a bit dodgy by now?

Mine is rather innacurate, and the gauge varies/flickers by almost 1/4 of a tank at times. It is one of those annoying niggles that I'd like to sort :lol: - £50 seems a lot to spend on a fuel sender, perhaps I'd be better off just keeping it topped up :roll:

have you tried cleaning the current one?
When I took my tank out there was all sorts of gunge/varnish on the wires - very carefully cleaned the wires & it seems much more consistent now - although I did run out of fuel the first time I used it :lol: due to it not dropping at 1/4 tank like it used to.

 

[Tofufi]

I've not removed the current one. As the van is my daily driver it can't be in bits for long.

I might have to give that a try then

 

[Araon]

Have you ruled out any problems with the meter, cabling etc...

what about cutting an inspection panel for access to the tank sender that wat you dont need to drop the engine...

I should have a spare meter somewhere if your needing it...

 

[Tofufi]

I've tried replacing the gauge meter thingie (on the dash) with another one, still acted the same (thanks for the very kind offer though!)

I don't want to hack my van about to get to the fuel sender I'd rather spend the time removing the engine than cutting into the boot floor. And the clutch still judders a bit after long journeys, I could have a look at that at the same time. However many times I replace the rear main seal, it still drops a bit of oil every time I park it (nothing much, just a few smallish drips but it annoys me :lol: )

 

[bobley]

Are the fuel senders in question the VDO tube type ones as in late splits?

VDO still make them and you can buy then from other places like

http://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/INSTRUMENTS-/-GAUGES-VDO-Dip-Tube-Senders/c1_2_138/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

but the VWH price sounds quite good.

 

[Loxy]

Are the fuel senders in question the VDO tube type ones as in late splits?

VDO still make them and you can buy then from other places like

http://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/INSTRUMENTS-/-GAUGES-VDO-Dip-Tube-Senders/c1_2_138/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

but the VWH price sounds quite good.

They look similar on the outside, inside there are two very thin resistive wires stretched from top to bottom & a little disk type float that moves up & down making contact with the wires - fuel level raises/lowers the float changing the resistance.
Mine was left for a long time with about a 1/4 tank of fuel (one trip to the MOT centre a year) this appears to have resulted in a petrolly varnish type buildup on the wires that affected the contact between the wires & float, filling with new fuel a few times improved it but until I cleaned the wires with brake cleaner it always dropped off still just below 1/4 tank.

 

[BJ1]

WHS^^^^

I've repaired a fair few of these.

Very often the connection has loosened where it is riveted at the top of the gauge and become grubby giving intermittent contact. I just clean the brass around the rivet and drop a nice hot blob of solder on it to fix this permanently. If the rivet is tight and making a good connection the problem is inside.

Once you get the alloy tube off the thing all is obvious. It's a simple sliding resistor operated by the float. Usually there's just 'varnish' on the twin wires so carb cleaner sorts it. Sometimes one of the wires has broken at the top or bottom. The right guitar top E string can be used to replace it - I think I last used a D'Addario 10 gauge.

I could make money doing this - the new gauges are about £35. But not enough time I'm afraid!

 

[Tofufi]

Cheers fellas. I'll have to have an investigation when I have time to pull the engine out. Removing the tank is something I've not done before though.

Probably do it this week... along with the gearbox oil, gearshift coupling, general engine service, repairing the steering wheel... the list goes on and on :lol:

 

[Harlequin]

Probably do it this week... along with the gearbox oil, gearshift coupling, general engine service, repairing the steering wheel... the list goes on and on :lol:

must be 'half-term' for students :roll:

 

[Tofufi]

Probably do it this week... along with the gearbox oil, gearshift coupling, general engine service, repairing the steering wheel... the list goes on and on :lol:

must be 'half-term' for students :roll:

It is... I get the whole week 'off' :lol: