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09-08-2016, 06:06 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Augusta,
MO
Cobra Make, Engine: Sold ERA FIA 2139, 331 Weber IDF
Posts: 279
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Not Ranked
Fuel Level Gauge Pointer Swing
Any one know what can be added to the the fuel gauge circuit that will steady the gauge pointer as the fuel sloshes around in the tank?
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09-08-2016, 06:19 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Little Rock area,
AR
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,521
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Not Ranked
Does it swing back and forth pretty rapidly? Mine will move some - but no rapid or wild swings - seems reasonably well dampened. I wonder if the gage is supposed to have some dampening of needle swing built in.
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09-08-2016, 08:27 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: New Britain,
CT
Cobra Make, Engine: Size 10 Feet
Posts: 3,015
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Not Ranked
The lack of damping is built into the gauge and mechanical sender. There's no easy way to fix it. Theoretically, an electronic choke does that kind of damping, but I couldn't find one with the correct range.
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09-08-2016, 11:32 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: New Britain,
CT
Cobra Make, Engine: Size 10 Feet
Posts: 3,015
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Not Ranked
That is worth a try. At least it's cheap. I think they're using a diode in the circuit that slowly bleeds reverse current.
Last edited by strictlypersonl; 09-08-2016 at 11:35 AM..
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09-09-2016, 02:24 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Augusta,
MO
Cobra Make, Engine: Sold ERA FIA 2139, 331 Weber IDF
Posts: 279
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Not Ranked
Yea, my gauge has at least a 1/4 tank swing, acts as if there is zero dampening, it is a SW gauge.
spdbrake, thanks for the link, I will give that a try.
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09-09-2016, 11:21 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Chester,
VA
Cobra Make, Engine: West Coast Dreams
Posts: 192
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Not Ranked
It sounds like you need baffles in the tank...
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09-09-2016, 12:03 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: New Britain,
CT
Cobra Make, Engine: Size 10 Feet
Posts: 3,015
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Not Ranked
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xack
It sounds like you need baffles in the tank...
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The tank already has baffles (with one-way doors) that separate the volume into three areas. The limitation is that the center section (with the fuel sender) must be about 1/3 of the volume, and there's no room for front/rear separation.
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09-09-2016, 01:10 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Cobra Make, Engine:
Posts: 973
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Not Ranked
Mine starts to swing once it goes below 1/2 tank. Pretty much all my ERAs have behaved this way. If I wait for a steady 1/4 tank reading I'm typically close to being near empty.
__________________
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09-10-2016, 03:50 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Lewes,
DE
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA #448, 1964-427
Posts: 111
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Not Ranked
Hey everyone, mine does the same as 66gtk's. Starts to swing when about half full (or half empty depends on how you look at it) when she stays steady, I fill up. BUT, when I fill the tank it never reads full on the gauge. I've learned to live with it.........I hate to mess with the electrics under the dash........
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09-10-2016, 05:38 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Little Rock area,
AR
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA Street Roadster #782 with 459 cu in FE KC engine, toploader, 3.31
Posts: 4,521
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Not Ranked
I haven't made note of any increased swing in mine under 1/2 tank but I have a fairly late car so maybe there was some subtle change in the tank or the fuel level sender. Or maybe I just never noticed. If your gage doesn't read full when the tank is full, that is almost always the sender in the tank. It probably isn't positioned correctly and the float isn't moving the rheostat to the lowest resistance (could be highest - can't remember w/o checking) to signal the gage to read full. They can be adjusted but it usually involves draining the tank down and opening it up to pull the float out.
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09-10-2016, 06:17 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: New Britain,
CT
Cobra Make, Engine: Size 10 Feet
Posts: 3,015
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Not Ranked
Unfortunately, the unhappy marriage of a universal sender and a gauge designed for a tank with a different shape means that there had to be some compromises on accuracy. There's not much I can do with the mid-range without losing the extremes.
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09-10-2016, 10:51 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Southbury,
ct
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA, 428, 4 speed Toploader, Jag rear, Red with White stripes
Posts: 922
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Not Ranked
Quote:
Originally Posted by strictlypersonl
Unfortunately, the unhappy marriage of a universal sender and a gauge designed for a tank with a different shape means that there had to be some compromises on accuracy. There's not much I can do with the mid-range without losing the extremes.
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Perfectly said. My gauge is dead perfect at full and empty. When the tank is 1/4-3/4 it moves around a lot. At 1/2 it moves the most for sure. At these points if I really need to know what i have I just drive slower and flat and it steadies right out to an accurate reading. I can live with that. If memory serves me correctly, my first cobra (Unique) did pretty much the same thing.
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ERA#698 428, 4 speed Toploader, 3:31 Jag rear
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09-12-2016, 01:25 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Coatesville,
PA
Cobra Make, Engine: ERA-427 side oiler
Posts: 23
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Not Ranked
Glad to see this post. Last week I ran out of gas 4 miles from home. My SW gauge read just over 1/4 tank. I put about two gallons of gas in and the needle went to just under full and has stayed there. I have subsequently filled the tank, and driven about thirty miles with no movement of the needle. Any thoughts? Thanks.
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09-12-2016, 03:54 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: New Britain,
CT
Cobra Make, Engine: Size 10 Feet
Posts: 3,015
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Not Ranked
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cobradad
Glad to see this post. Last week I ran out of gas 4 miles from home. My SW gauge read just over 1/4 tank. I put about two gallons of gas in and the needle went to just under full and has stayed there. I have subsequently filled the tank, and driven about thirty miles with no movement of the needle. Any thoughts? Thanks.
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That's way out of line.
First, I would try the tests outlined in my Wiring Primer.
It could be the sender, gauge, or in the wiring itself.
Last edited by strictlypersonl; 09-13-2016 at 03:43 AM..
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09-12-2016, 04:11 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: White City,
SK
Cobra Make, Engine: West Coast, 460 CID
Posts: 2,908
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Not Ranked
Quote:
Originally Posted by spdbrake
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Anybody know what capacitor is used in that gizmo? It would be pretty easy to build one of these if the capacitor values were known.
__________________
Brian
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09-12-2016, 04:17 PM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 1,442
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Not Ranked
Quote:
Originally Posted by strictlypersonl
That's way out of line.
First, I would try the tests outlined in my Wiring Primer.
It could be the sender, gauge, or in the wiring itself.
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There's a typo in the ERA link you had.
This one should work
http://www.erareplicas.com/427man/wiring/wprimer.pdf
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09-13-2016, 03:45 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: New Britain,
CT
Cobra Make, Engine: Size 10 Feet
Posts: 3,015
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Not Ranked
spdbrake,
Thanks! I also fixed the original link.
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09-13-2016, 06:27 AM
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Senior Club Cobra Member
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Join Date: May 2001
Location: Florence,
AL
Cobra Make, Engine: RCR GT 40 & 1966 Fairlane 390 5 speed
Posts: 4,511
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Not Ranked
could you change the sending unit?
What ohm range is the sending unit?
I just changed a swing arm unit for a marine unit. The marine unit has a float around a shaft not a float mounted on a long wire arm. I think this is a better sending unit than the ones I've used in the past. Much better. Easy to test before you install. No removing the unit and bending the arm to get it to match the gauge.
You measure the depth of the tank and order the sending unit to match.
here is a link to one on ebay
Moeller Reed Switch Fuel Sending Unit Pick Size | eBay
__________________
''Life's tough.....it's even tougher if you're stupid.'' ~ John Wayne
"Happiness Is A Belt-Fed Weapon"
life's goal should be; "to be smarter than inanimate objects"
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09-19-2016, 06:44 AM
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CC Member
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Augusta,
MO
Cobra Make, Engine: Sold ERA FIA 2139, 331 Weber IDF
Posts: 279
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Not Ranked
Just received and installed the fuel gauge stabilizer from Zims.
Essentially it is a 5.5v, .1 f capacitor installed in line between the gauge and the sending unit, the negative side of the capacitor is grounded.
It does work, somewhat, it reduced the swing by half, instead of the 1/4 swing I did have, now it is down to an 1/8 swing.
I did not want to go through the hassle of pulling the dash, so I installed the capacitor near the harness connection in the wheel well. This is a FIA, 427 cars may be different.
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