popeye Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 fuel dip sender.. looking to fit one of these soon, have a ally tank but still has the veiw tube, anyone fitted these..what make!
rallyesport04 Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 vdo sensor it was either rallydesign or demon tweeks where i got mine from an get someone with tig to weld in the boss to your tank
Admin Vista Posted January 22, 2012 Admin Report Posted January 22, 2012 I have a Siemens VDO one in mine but any make should do it. Just make sure it's the right height for your tank and you get the corresponding gauge. It probably won't work properly with your original dash gauge as it'll be set up for the original sender, you can suck it and see though gauge (be advised that you need to get the right type of gauge for the sender you're using, dip type or arm type) http://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p6134/VDO-FUEL-LEVEL-GAUGE-(DIP-TYPE)/product_info.html Dip type senders on this page, select the right one for your tank height http://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/INSTRUMENTS-/-GAUGES-VDO-Dip-Tube-Senders/c1_2_138/index.html?page=1
rallyesport04 Posted January 22, 2012 Report Posted January 22, 2012 ive fitted my vdo sensor with the original dash gauge i used a variable resistor to trim the gauge to read correct at zero i havent put fuel in the tank to see if it reads right but as long as it knows near empty i will be a happy chappy
Admin Vista Posted January 23, 2012 Admin Report Posted January 23, 2012 ive fitted my vdo sensor with the original dash gauge i used a variable resistor to trim the gauge to read correct at zero i havent put fuel in the tank to see if it reads right but as long as it knows near empty i will be a happy chappy I can't quite make a decent explanation of why I think it, but I'm not sure that will work. Are you proposing connecting your variable resistor in series or parallel?
popeye Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Posted January 23, 2012 ok.. thanks for the input though these just " drill hole, bolt in, wire up "... off you go
cos30 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Posted January 23, 2012 The easy fuel sender to fit is the dip sender vdo looks the best
rallyesport04 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Posted January 23, 2012 I can't quite make a decent explanation of why I think it, but I'm not sure that will work. Are you proposing connecting your variable resistor in series or parallel? series i havent tested it properly yet i suppose i will see when i fill the tank up cant see why it would give some kind of reading as the sensor is only a variable resisor too it only earth's out the gauge full being direct to earth an empty resisted earth not really fussed if its accurate as long as when it gets near empty it goes near the red
Admin Vista Posted January 24, 2012 Admin Report Posted January 24, 2012 I can't quite make a decent explanation of why I think it, but I'm not sure that will work. Are you proposing connecting your variable resistor in series or parallel? series i havent tested it properly yet i suppose i will see when i fill the tank up cant see why it would give some kind of reading as the sensor is only a variable resisor too it only earth's out the gauge full being direct to earth an empty resisted earth not really fussed if its accurate as long as when it gets near empty it goes near the red Ok, here's why I think it won't work in series. In the top diagram below, the variable resistor you've added may not let you trim the gauge as all it's doing is adding to the resistance already provided by the sender unit. If the resistance of that sender unit isn't enough for the gauge to read empty then you may be able to trim it down by adding to the resistance using your variable resistor. But if you need to trim it up, there's nothing you can do to bypass the resistance of the sender so it'll not work. If you connect it in parallel, the reverse occurs. i.e. if the resistance of the sender is too much and the needle sits off the bottom, you can bypass it by trimming down the resistance to earth with your variable resistor. Then as the tank fills up and the sender float rises, its resistance will reduce below the level of the variable resistor and will therefore become the default to earth. The question is, at what point/tank level will the resistance of the sender drop below what you have set on the variable resistor? If it isn't till the tank is half full then as you use fuel from a full tank, when you reach the half way mark it'll drop to empty (and vice versa as you fill up). of course, I could be completely wrong as I've never done this myself, but as I'm in the same boat (VDO sender and OEM gauge) I'm be interested in how you get on.
rallyesport04 Posted January 24, 2012 Report Posted January 24, 2012 i can see your point about fitting it in parallel in theory it should work better than series i think you will be telling me if it works well or not as your car is alot further ahead than mine
popeye Posted January 24, 2012 Author Report Posted January 24, 2012 The easy fuel sender to fit is the dip sender vdo looks the best Merlinmotorsport got back to me today there quote was £133....
rallyesport04 Posted January 24, 2012 Report Posted January 24, 2012 there not cheap but vdo stuff is good quality the sender is quite tidy when fitted i havent got a pic as its too well hidden
popeye Posted January 24, 2012 Author Report Posted January 24, 2012 there not cheap but vdo stuff is good quality the sender is quite tidy when fitted i havent got a pic as its too well hidden they say... You will need to cut a 39mm - 40mm hole to take the sender tube. There is a fixing ring that will provide the thread in the tank for the sender flange to bolt to.
rallyesport04 Posted January 24, 2012 Report Posted January 24, 2012 yep you need to drill/cut a hole in your tank an tig a aluminum boss (ali plate with fixtures for dip tube) tig the boss in place then fit your dip tube i found a guy who builds ali race parts locally he done this for me the only reason i went down this route i must have run out of fuel twice in one year i only went out in the car about 6-7 times
Admin Vista Posted January 24, 2012 Admin Report Posted January 24, 2012 Here's a photo of mine installed in the top of the tank. Unfortunately the tank builder installed it without removing the transport collar.................then I fitted (and put fuel in it) without checking. Now I need to drain and drop the tank again!
popeye Posted January 24, 2012 Author Report Posted January 24, 2012 ooooooh....... there's me thinking you can drill the hole, gasket, drop it in, screw down and off i go
Posse Posted January 24, 2012 Report Posted January 24, 2012 Gary whats wrong with opening the boot and looking at the level on the pipe sounds lots cheaper .
popeye Posted January 25, 2012 Author Report Posted January 25, 2012 Gary whats wrong with opening the boot and looking at the level on the pipe sounds lots cheaper . pain in the arse keep get out and having to check
Admin Vista Posted March 2, 2012 Admin Report Posted March 2, 2012 Ok, a little update to this. An aftermarket dip tube sender won't work with the stock fuel gauge, the resistance difference is just too great. Even with half a tank the gauge barely registers. So, I've bought an after market fuel gauge that matches my sender. Bit of a blow really as I didn't want to cut another thing into the dash. Oh well, needs must.
PaulMags Posted March 2, 2012 Report Posted March 2, 2012 Gary whats wrong with opening the boot and looking at the level on the pipe sounds lots cheaper .He's too lazy
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