To mess with the gas gauge or not?

[billschroeder5842]

I'm trying to drum up some courage to tackle my miss reading gas gauge this weekend. Since I have a habit of breaking the un broken, I thought I'd ask a few "how to questions before diving in or backing off; a couple of well timed beers could help me to decide to hold off for another weekend.

My dash gauge is good and the rear sending unit is relatively new--I don't think I have a mechanical issues.

When full, the gauge reads 3/4 then drops pretty quickly. When the gauge reads at empty, it takes about 12-13 gallons to fill.

The gauge will read full when I fill the tank and the car is on an incline with the nose down and the tail up a bit.

So..... if I take the sending unit out of the tank and where to adjust the float, which way am I bending the rod (more straight or more angle) and by how much ( 1/2 inch, 1 inch etc)? Or, am I missing something simple?

Or should I just get an Abita Purple Haze beer and be glad I have a gas reading at all with a non leaky tank?

Thanks!

[billschroeder5842]

Decision made...I filled her up and got a 12 pack.
I'm congratulating myself on not breaking anything additional.

[b5blue]

My take on it is: the only part that matters is the last 1/4 of the tank!     Enjoy!

[Dino]

When full, the gauge reads 3/4 then drops pretty quickly.

That's about how it goes with a big block every time.   

I have the same issue with mine and I'm not touching it until I'm rebuilding the car.  Right now I want to enjoy it and since I've driven a Charger for a long time in the past, I know to pull over at just about any gas station I see!   

[Brightyellow69rtse]

my gas guage has never worked  honestly i really dont care about it. i just fill it every other time i take it out or so. i never had an issue. someday ill prolly mess with it though.

[PA Dodger]

My experience with aftermarket sending units is that they are pretty inaccurate. It might not be a big deal for some but I don't like to think I have somewhere between 1/2 tank and "oh sh!t" as I'm passing an exit on the freeway. Knowing what the full/empty ohms of the sending unit should be, I would think you could use resistors to adjust the sending unit to read correctly. Unfortunately I promptly forgot everything I ever learned about electronics. Maybe Nacho or someone else with electronic component knowledge could shed some light on this? 

[Paul G]

You want the rod with the float on it a little straighter. Run the tank almost empty, lower it enough to get the sender out and straighten out the arm a little bit. Keep in mind if you think you are stressing something, you are, and it will break. Take your time, be carefull, and the job will go well.

I would say if you pull the sender out of the tank, and hold it so the sock is level, float hanging, the float will be quite a bit above the sock. Bend the rod till the float is just above the sock. 

[billschroeder5842]

Thanks everyone!
Taking the sending unit out sounds way more complicated than cracking the top off an Abita. Plus, the clear bottle lets me know when I'm almost empty and need a refill.
Does dodge make glass gas tanks?

[nrt69]

Dear Sir,

You should be drinkin quality TX beer like Shiner...not that junk from next door!


I too have have a problem with my gas gauge. But brightyellow69rtse's avatar makes me forget all about it.
Can we get a good desktop wallpaper quality image of that?

nrt69