Fuel Gauge

[Graham-P]

I'm getting fed up trying to gauge how much fuel I have left, I can't calibrate the fuel gauge in my digital dash so it reads empty after about 80 miles. Is there a stand alone gauge out there that can be calibrated?

[TuxMan]

Hi Graham,got the same problem with my factory gauge reads full to empty in 90miles must be the tank shape but i also think the senders are too short to reach the bottom of the tank ???

[CanAm Dave]

Hi Graham

I have an SPA fuel gauge that can be calibrated and it works really well! It worked great yesterday. The standard vdo senders work fine with it. The gauge is digital and very easy to program. They are dual gauges mine reads fuel at the top and volts at the bottom. The gauge face can be black or white and a choice of bezels. You also get a choice of backlights. Give me a call if you want to know any more info.

Regards Dave

[Graham-P]

CanAm Dave said:

Hi Graham

I have an SPA fuel gauge that can be calibrated and it works really well! It worked great yesterday. The standard vdo senders work fine with it. The gauge is digital and very easy to program. They are dual gauges mine reads fuel at the top and volts at the bottom. The gauge face can be black or white and a choice of bezels. You also get a choice of backlights. Give me a call if you want to know any more info.

Regards Dave

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the info, but have to admit that's a bit too much for me, but I did find this one which should fit the bill and is programable.
If it's OK I'll call you tonight?

[CanAm Dave]

Graham-P said:

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the info, but have to admit that's a bit too much for me, but I did find this one which should fit the bill and is programable.
If it's OK I'll call you tonight?

That's fine I'll be in all evening.

Regards Dave

[eliot]

Or you can make your own with about £10 worth of parts from Maplins..



http://www.mez.co.uk/ms13.html#fuelgauge

Just imagine if i anodised it - "Billet fuel level gauge" - £200 !!! This time next year Rodney..

Edited by eliot on Monday 6th August 13:53

[Graham-P]

eliot said:

Just imagine if i anodised it - "Billet fuel level gauge" - £200 !!! This time next year Rodney..

'ere Del you're aving a laff ain't yer, I've got GCEs in Art and Mathematics not bleedin fisics!!!!


And if you knew what I was like with electrics/electronics, then that isn't far from the truth. (Now, where are those dolls?!?!)

thanks anyway Eliot.

Edited by Graham-P on Monday 6th August 14:27

[Steve_D]

What digital dash have you got?
Find it very hard to understand why a digi dash would not be programable.

As an aside the senders do go right down and my first program reading into the stack dash was 2 litre.

Steve

[Graham-P]

I've got the Digi Dash, and it assumes a linear tank, I haven't pushed too hard to see if they can alter the programming as they have modified other's for me in the past. Might have a word to see how ameanable they are.

[Pb3]

Steve_D said:

As an aside the senders do go right down and my first program reading into the stack dash was 2 litre.Steve

I calibrated both mine litre by litre and found that one did not register for the first 4 litres and the other till 6 litres. Still gives a handy reserve!

[TuxMan]

if the std senders are ok why is the std fuel gauge pants ???? or is it just me !!!

[DHGTR]

the standard senders are a linear sender, so they would be great on a square tank, eg if the fuel level drops by 1 inch you may have used 1 gallon. but beacause of the shape of our tanks 1 gallon is possibly the top 3 inches of the tank but on the wider part 1 gallon may only drop the fuel level by 1 inch. it would be easier with a drawing but i can only just manage typing onhere. the sender has a resistance which directly relates to the position of the float. clear as mud?

dave

[TuxMan]

ok Dave makes sense but my gauge goes way below empty before the tank runs out this makes it hard to to judge when to swap over, it would be better if empty was empty not still with a 3rd to go !!!!

[DHGTR]

haha simon you need a mappable gauge ........... groundhog day

[TuxMan]

ok so i need a mappable gauge that looks just like the factory one !!!! any ideas ????

[Graham-P]

I've looked around for one to match my clock (from the factory) but the nearest I got was the above from SPA (£130) White dial, black bezel and blue back light, I forgot to ask what colour the figs. are (doh!!)
Red I guess, but maybe they can do them in black. . . . . . . .

Edited by Graham-P on Wednesday 8th August 12:13

[DHGTR]

graham, doesnt etb 'reface' the gauges. im sure someone had a clock refaced to match the ultima gauges.

[Graham-P]

No they only touch clocks that they supplied, I think that you might be thinking of Speedy Cables (I have always found them unhelpful though)

[TuxMan]

Graham,the gauge you found would be ok with black numbers !!!! but how will it work with the 2 senders ???

[Graham-P]

Got no idea, but I would guess that you program it for one tank and when you switch it over the the other tank the resistance of the dip tube would be the same for a given level. If that makes sense?? But then I don't know a lot about eletrics as I said above.
See should've linked your tanks

Edited by Graham-P on Wednesday 8th August 16:05