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Old 09-08-2016, 06:06 AM
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Default 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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Old 09-08-2016, 06:19 AM
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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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Old 09-08-2016, 08:27 AM
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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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Old 09-08-2016, 10:42 AM
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I came across this on the Austin Healey forums for Smiths gauge dampening.

Gas gauge dampener photo - stevegerow photos at pbase.com

sold thru

Fuel Gauge Stabilizer, 356
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Old 09-08-2016, 11:32 AM
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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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Old 09-09-2016, 02:24 AM
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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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Old 09-09-2016, 11:21 AM
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It sounds like you need baffles in the tank...
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Old 09-09-2016, 12:03 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Xack View Post
It sounds like you need baffles in the tank...
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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Old 09-09-2016, 01:10 PM
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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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Old 09-10-2016, 03:50 AM
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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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Old 09-10-2016, 05:38 AM
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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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Old 09-10-2016, 06:17 AM
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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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Old 09-10-2016, 10:51 AM
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Originally Posted by strictlypersonl View Post
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.
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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Old 09-12-2016, 01:25 PM
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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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Old 09-12-2016, 03:54 PM
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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.
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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Old 09-12-2016, 04:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spdbrake View Post
I came across this on the Austin Healey forums for Smiths gauge dampening.

Gas gauge dampener photo - stevegerow photos at pbase.com

sold thru

Fuel Gauge Stabilizer, 356
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.
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Old 09-12-2016, 04:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by strictlypersonl View Post
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.
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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Old 09-13-2016, 03:45 AM
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spdbrake,

Thanks! I also fixed the original link.
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Old 09-13-2016, 06:27 AM
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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
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Old 09-19-2016, 06:44 AM
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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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