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How long should I let the ute idle to get to see if the fuel guage will read correctly?
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Originally Posted by: holden05  How long should I let the ute idle to get to see if the fuel guage will read correctly? If the battery is charged you shouldn't need to start the engine. Simply turn the ignition to the ON position.
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Ok, I reckon I’ve got a faulty new sender
Ive checked the sender unit to earth, its ok
Ive checked the connection on the centre pin, its solid
40ltrs in the tank only reads just above the empty mark
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Originally Posted by: holden05 Ok, I reckon I’ve got a faulty new sender
Ive checked the sender unit to earth, its ok
Ive checked the connection on the centre pin, its solid
40ltrs in the tank only reads just above the empty mark Take the sender out of the tank and test it with a multi meter, if you have one or can borrow one. With the + (red) probe on the electrical male pin and the - (black) probe on the sender frame you should get a reading of approx 10 Ohms at full and approx 70 Ohms at empty. I prefer to use an analogue instrument for this as you can also see how smoothly the instrument needle moves as you slowly operate the sender unit arm between full and empty. Edited by user Sunday, 8 August 2021 8:25:08 PM(UTC)
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Will remove the new sender and test it this weekend
Ive tried to test the old send with both analogue and digital meters
Hard to get an accurate reading as it’s all over the place
I’m thinking that it’s reading approx 70-80 empty and seems like 30-40 full
Even if it’s the wrong sender I’ve been told there is no other option
And even rsp have blamed the guage incompatibility
The dash is out of a hz prem and is a gts yellow needle
This being the case, the sender would be the same anyway?
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Originally Posted by: holden05 Will remove the new sender and test it this weekend
Ive tried to test the old send with both analogue and digital meters
Hard to get an accurate reading as it’s all over the place
I’m thinking that it’s reading approx 70-80 empty and seems like 30-40 full
Even if it’s the wrong sender I’ve been told there is no other option
And even rsp have blamed the guage incompatibility
The dash is out of a hz prem and is a gts yellow needle
This being the case, the sender would be the same anyway? The only two fuel tank sender units that were ever available for Holden HQ - WB commercial vehicles were fuel sender unit Pt No.2815305 to suit HQ 1st type magnetic instruments and fuel sender unit Pt No.9929199 to suit HQ type 2 thermal instruments and all HJ to WB commercial vehicles. The fuel gauge in the sports instrument cluster should work perfectly with the ute, van and cab&chassis thermal type sender. There is no sender unit/gauge compatibility issue. The people at RSP don't know what they are talking about. You have either a faulty sender unit, a faulty gauge or a wiring/ground issue.
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Update on sender issue
Disconnected wire from sender and installed a 33 ohm resistor between sender wire and ground
Guage showed just over 1/4 tank
Tested new sender in tank with approx 35ltrs of fuel in it. Resistance reads 70 ohm
Reconnected wire to sender, guage reads just over empty?
Any suggestions
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Originally Posted by: holden05 Update on sender issue
Disconnected wire from sender and installed a 33 ohm resistor between sender wire and ground
Guage showed just over 1/4 tank
Tested new sender in tank with approx 35ltrs of fuel in it. Resistance reads 70 ohm
Reconnected wire to sender, guage reads just over empty?
Any suggestions I expect the fuel gauge will indicate empty with a resistance of 70 Ohms at the sender unit, however, with 35 litres of fuel in the tank the gauge should be indicating around a half a tank and the sender unit should be showing around 25 Ohms on a multi meter. All looking like the new repro fuel tank sender unit is faulty to me. Edited by user Saturday, 14 August 2021 1:45:42 PM(UTC)
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Over the years I've fitted many fuel senders to different cars (both genuine & non-genuine) & I've found many to be not very accurate. Because of the various tank shapes & non-linear senders it's not an "exact science". I've fixed many by just bending the float arm slightly. I would remove the sender, check its resistance (at various points, including empty & full) & then compare it physically with the tank at its mounting position. If the sender reads anywhere near 10 ohms full & 70 ohms empty it might just need a small "tweak" of the float arm Dr Terry Edited by user Saturday, 14 August 2021 7:16:14 PM(UTC)
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If at first you don't succeed, just call it Version 1.0 |
 1 user thanked Dr Terry for this useful post.
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Yeah I’m thinking the sender arm is either stuck or the unit is faulty as 70ohms that it’s showing is an empty value and theres around 35 litres in the tank. I thought I would have a higher ohm reading than that. Sort of indicating the float isn’t floating? Edited by user Saturday, 14 August 2021 5:06:27 PM(UTC)
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Going by the last few posts I'd be pulling the sender out and checking the float for a hole. I presume It's not a cork float but a metal one.
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Yep, will do. I spoke to rare spares yesterday about the possibility of having to bend the float arm to tune the sender and they said it would void the warranty on it
If i have to bend it do bend it at the float end or at the pick up end?
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Ok
Have sender out and resistance reads correct at 73/10 ohms. Any ideas?
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OK, the sender unit is testing correctly.
Best remove the fuel, oil, temp and volt gauge assy from the vehicle and have it checked, and repaired if required, by a qualified instrument repairer.
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As I said earlier just bend the float arm slightly, it won't need much. It won't void the warranty It's impossible to tell if it has been bent & you can always bend it back, It's only steel wire.
To test the gauge is easy, get 3 resistors from Jaycar. 10 ohm, 25 ohm & ~70 ohms,
Substitute these for the sender one after the other & the gauge should read full, half & empty respectively.
Dr Terry |
If at first you don't succeed, just call it Version 1.0 |
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Originally Posted by: Dr Terry As I said earlier just bend the float arm slightly, it won't need much.
Dr Terry A 70 litre fuel tank containing 35 litres of fuel and the sender reading almost empty would require more than just a slight bend of the float arm to make the gauge read a bit over half full. Edited by user Sunday, 15 August 2021 8:31:00 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: KBM The gauge works on resistance so if it was working before you changed the sender the problem is more than likely resistance at the sender/pickup. remove the new pickup and clean the area it connects with the retaining ring and the retaining ring with steel wool. If the new pickup has been coated with anything that should clean it up. Also check the electrical fitting for corrosion. I agree with this, it has fixed my fuel gauge problems before. This is worth trying now the sender is out. Clean up the surfaces and put the sender back in. The fitting on the tank tends to collect dirt and crud inside the ring/housing in my experience. This can lead to poor contact. A light rub with steel wool or a heavier scrub with a plastic scourer could fix it. Or just rotate the retaining ring in and out a couple of times, this might grind away any crap which is preventing contact. Also make sure the retaining ring is fully rotated. I could be wrong, it has been a while, but I think it tightens more as it rotates further.
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