Dodgy petrol gauge
Discussion
Ok, so it is not the most accurate peice of equipment anyway but...
When I have a full tank it works fine until it drops to three quarters full. At this point it starts to bounce up and down from empty to three quarters.
There is no fixed motion to this, just an erratic bouncing. It does this for a little while and then drops to no reading at all, until I fill up again. Any bright ideas would be appreciated.
Up until 2 weeks ago it worked fine, but then I went to London!!
Cheers
Bugs
When I have a full tank it works fine until it drops to three quarters full. At this point it starts to bounce up and down from empty to three quarters.
There is no fixed motion to this, just an erratic bouncing. It does this for a little while and then drops to no reading at all, until I fill up again. Any bright ideas would be appreciated. Up until 2 weeks ago it worked fine, but then I went to London!!
Cheers
Bugs
It's a common problem. Invariably it's the sender unit which gets worn/corroded in the tank. Replacement is the answer although last time I looked into it there were no more units around and a Griff sender was going to have to be modified. Mine doesn't work at all now, which is a pain.
The common problem with the sender that I have found is the failure of the soldered joints where the inboard end of the spade connectors meets the printed circuit board (you will need to remove the sender from the car to see this)
These soldered joints fracture and this is the reason for the intermittent signalling you sometimes get. On first inspection the joint may appear OK, but it is often faulty which can be proven by simply testing for continuity.
You cannot re-solder the joint using basic domestic soldering irons, don't even try, you will wreck the sender. You will need to get someone with good soldering skills and the correct gear - electronics repair expert maybe?
ps. I managed to track down one of the very last held in stock at Peninsula, having bu**ered my own up trying to solder the joints!
These soldered joints fracture and this is the reason for the intermittent signalling you sometimes get. On first inspection the joint may appear OK, but it is often faulty which can be proven by simply testing for continuity.
You cannot re-solder the joint using basic domestic soldering irons, don't even try, you will wreck the sender. You will need to get someone with good soldering skills and the correct gear - electronics repair expert maybe?
ps. I managed to track down one of the very last held in stock at Peninsula, having bu**ered my own up trying to solder the joints!
There's a previous thread around mate, which may help...(do a search for "sender unit"...)
Basically, the sender unit is on the side of the petrol tank, visible when the nearside rear wheel is removed. It is the round thing with the wire coming off it...you'll see what I mean when you look at it. It is held on by a locking ring and tabs, or by a series of small nuts and bolts.....tvr used two methods to hold it in place. There is also a rubber sealing ring as mentioned earlier. Tisn't a tricky job to sort it out, assuming you can find a sender that will fit....mini the way forward I guess???
My old sender was working ok, but rust had made the seal poor enough to leak petrol, so I whipped it all apart, gently cleaned all the surfaces up with a tiny wire brush and some acid rust remover, and when all was spotless, whacked it together with a smear of blue hylomar, which the makers assured me is petrol resistant. ( That was one year ago and touchwood...no leaks)
Do also check that the earth connection is good and secure....you wouldn't want to do all this work and find out it was a dodgy earth after all, eh
Hope this helps, chin up.
Basically, the sender unit is on the side of the petrol tank, visible when the nearside rear wheel is removed. It is the round thing with the wire coming off it...you'll see what I mean when you look at it. It is held on by a locking ring and tabs, or by a series of small nuts and bolts.....tvr used two methods to hold it in place. There is also a rubber sealing ring as mentioned earlier. Tisn't a tricky job to sort it out, assuming you can find a sender that will fit....mini the way forward I guess???
My old sender was working ok, but rust had made the seal poor enough to leak petrol, so I whipped it all apart, gently cleaned all the surfaces up with a tiny wire brush and some acid rust remover, and when all was spotless, whacked it together with a smear of blue hylomar, which the makers assured me is petrol resistant. ( That was one year ago and touchwood...no leaks)
Do also check that the earth connection is good and secure....you wouldn't want to do all this work and find out it was a dodgy earth after all, eh
Hope this helps, chin up.
bugmeister said: Thanks for that. It's what I need a fairly idiot proof guide.
You mean you don't have the Bible ??
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
shpub said:
bugmeister said: Thanks for that. It's what I need a fairly idiot proof guide.
You mean you don't have the Bible ??
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
I do have the old one somewhere, but just moved from a 4 bed to a 2 bedhouse and rather a lot of boxes are still in the garage!! Have asked for the new one for Xmas though!!
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