Fuel gauge FINALLY fixed!!

[Charger-Bodie]

Well, just like many of you I have been trying and trying to get my fuel gauge to read right.

Today I finally succeeded to do just that!! Hear is what I went through up to this point:

Installed new fuel pick up-sending unit assembly when I first build the car. just like most of them mine read 3/4 when full. took it out and tried to adjust it only to fail. Next I got another new one and send the gauges to be calibrated.....still the same!  Well then I hear that Frank Batelson come out with new ones that are suppose to cure this problem and read right , I'm like YES this will be it.Nope! Same reading as before. Sp I call Frank (great guy to deal with by the way) and tell him of my troubles and he says "no problem Ill test one and send it to you" That way were sure I'm getting a good one. Well a few days go by,and Frank calls me back and says"Ive tested 4 more of these and none of them are reading right". So hes going back to the guys that manufactured them for him to get them right. In the mean time I'm gettin quite annoyed by this fuel gauge crap, and it dawns on me " All of the originals Ive ever had read right on" So I dig up a old 5/16 unit from a friend of mine (Thanks Buckles!!) Changed just the gauge sender part off the old crow and mated it to the new 3/8 unit, put it all back together, filled it with fuel and VIOLA it reads full!! 

[mikepmcs]

Bet that feels good to get that monkey off your back.

[Charger-Bodie]

Bet that feels good to get that monkey off your back.

I cant even believe how good it feels to have solved that dang issue!

[mikepmcs]

Feelin pretty good myself, got the brake booster, pedals , steering column all back together in the charger today.

[Charger-Bodie]

Feelin pretty good myself, got the brake booster, pedals , steering column all back together in the charger today.

Good deal Mike!!

[maxwellwedge]

Brian - I'm sorry I hyped up those senders to you. The E-Body ones read perfect and I guess the assumption was the B-Body ones were right......wrong! I am hopeful Frank will make it up to you. I hope they get it figured out soon - I need a few.

[Charger-Bodie]

Brian - I'm sorry I hyped up those senders to you. The E-Body ones read perfect and I guess the assumption was the B-Body ones were right......wrong! I am hopeful Frank will make it up to you. I hope they get it figured out soon - I need a few.

Im sure he will get them figured out. And as far as hyping them go? hey Im grateful for the help, it was all steps to the cure.

And, as far as the repair that I finnally did to fix it. I would reccomend this to anyone ..... It was easy and it worked out perfect.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

..... It was easy and it worked out perfect.

Man I thought it was going to be as easy as hooking the ground strap elsewhere....

Good to see you got it figured out. 

[Lee A]

So you put in a 3/8 fuel sender instead of the old standard 5/16 I have the same problem how did you fix it

[Lee A]

I didn't understand what you did may be I am just stupid

[tan top]

clever idea    good you got it sorted ..sooanoying not knowing how much gas you have in the tank

[Hemidog]

Man, this reminds me of my problem ,that new 3/8 sender I got just can't read right no matter how I bend it, if i bent it one way, it reads full, but never reads empty, and vice versa. I think the "range" is too short...

Off course I threw away my old 5/16 

[Charger-Bodie]

So you put in a 3/8 fuel sender instead of the old standard 5/16 I have the same problem how did you fix it

I took the electrical part off of an old 5/16 unit and welded it to the new 3/8 pick-up in place of the part that came on the new one.

[charge-it]

I'm having that same exact problem with my 3/8ths sending unit. I though it was going to be a simple float adjustment. Figures, I just gave my old tank and 5/16ths sending unit away last week....

[1969chargerrtse]

Great learning tips Brian. I did something wrong with mine when I put the old sending unit in my new tank.  It only reads to 3/8, but worked fine before.  I'll have to pull it out again and see why?

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Great learning tips Brian. I did something wrong with mine when I put the old sending unit in my new tank.  It only reads to 3/8, but worked fine before.  I'll have to pull it out again and see why?

Theres your problem...you got one of those "Canadian" sending units that measures in eighths

[Rolling_Thunder]

all the aftermarket units I know of work on a GM resistance value  (90 - 0 Ohms) as oppose to the Mopar 70-10 Ohms...        anyone think it is coincidence that 90-70 is 20 ohms...        20/90 = 22%...    which is about 1/4 the scale on your fuel gauge....         

Once again GM rules the aftermarket. 

[Fred]

So you put in a 3/8 fuel sender instead of the old standard 5/16 I have the same problem how did you fix it

I took the electrical part off of an old 5/16 unit and welded it to the new 3/8 pick-up in place of the part that came on the new one.

I'm curious to know, when removing the electrical part of the 5/16 unit, is there a trick involved so as not to do any damage to the tube?
Thanks, Fred 

[Big Sugar]

Bet that feels good to get that monkey off your back.

He's got a Monkey TOO ?



Ron

[Nacho-RT74]

what I have done fixing the reading is open the rheostat unit from the new replacement piece and readjust the point against the coil untill get around 10 ohms at full and 75 at empty... then bend here and there the floater arm to go according with the fuel level... done!

The only "problem" at this moment is really the difference allong the reading, noticing how the first half of tank ( between full and 1/2 )  gets lower faster than the last half being it should be in fact opossite due the shape of the tank, but already read around is the lack of turns on rheostat making more aritmethical than logaritmic. Not a big deal really

[Charger-Bodie]

So you put in a 3/8 fuel sender instead of the old standard 5/16 I have the same problem how did you fix it

I took the electrical part off of an old 5/16 unit and welded it to the new 3/8 pick-up in place of the part that came on the new one.

I'm curious to know, when removing the electrical part of the 5/16 unit, is there a trick involved so as not to do any damage to the tube?
Thanks, Fred 

I use a grinder . Just grunge a little at a time until its able to work off. Just keep bending the sacrificial part to see if your getting close to having it ground through the welds.

[Fred]

So you put in a 3/8 fuel sender instead of the old standard 5/16 I have the same problem how did you fix it

I took the electrical part off of an old 5/16 unit and welded it to the new 3/8 pick-up in place of the part that came on the new one.

I'm curious to know, when removing the electrical part of the 5/16 unit, is there a trick involved so as not to do any damage to the tube?
Thanks, Fred 

I use a grinder . Just grunge a little at a time until its able to work off. Just keep bending the sacrificial part to see if your getting close to having it ground through the welds.

Thanks for that, I'll give it a go with my dremel tool with a cutting disc.   

[Fred]

Bet that feels good to get that monkey off your back.

He's got a Monkey TOO ?



Ron

Not for long. 

[Fred]

what I have done fixing the reading is open the rheostat unit from the new replacement piece and readjust the point against the coil untill get around 10 ohms at full and 75 at empty... then bend here and there the floater arm to go according with the fuel level... done!

The only "problem" at this moment is really the difference allong the reading, noticing how the first half of tank ( between full and 1/2 )  gets lower faster than the last half being it should be in fact opossite due the shape of the tank, but already read around is the lack of turns on rheostat making more aritmethical than logaritmic. Not a big deal really

Thanks for your input Nacho.