Low Fuel Light

I think this topic has been mentioned recently, but I find the search function almost totally useless. It always seems to return totally unrelated stuff. Since the number of hits is limited to 150, the unrelated stuff is probably crowding out anything that might be related.

Now that I am done with the rant:

My VDO fuel gauge has a low fuel light. Has anyone made this functional? What sending unit would be needed?

Thanks.

Low Fuel? That is when my gauge is bouncing back and forth between E and 1/4, while driving at a constant speed on a level road. If I had a light on this thing, it would probably drive me batty constantly flashing on and off.

i had a stock tank and at 1/4 tank i would start looking for gas. it would always take around 7.2 gal.
i just installed a 16 gal tank but havent had it on the road yet, waiting on my new motor. it is a 2000 VS.

911 has this feature. The fuel tank sending unit is the "tube type" , not the arm type used on bug tanks.

Since first posting this I looked at senders on CIP1. I was surprised to see that Karmann Ghias used the tube type. I don't know why they would use a different sender than a Beetle.

My donor car was a 1969 Beetle sedan.

It had the vertical tube type sender.

Mike what type of gauge do you have. ie. 914 type?

I have the 914 combo gauge as furnished by CMC.

That is what I thought but wasn't sure. I have the same one.
I've wondered about this a few times but never really pursued it.
I owned a 914 years back and know how this lamp lights.
I imagine that a gauge sender for a 914 would work, if it would fit the tank, but I was never really successful finding one. This sender must have some type of secondary ground contactor that closes and lights the lamp when the float gets low enough.
~WB

The 914 sending unit outwardly looks like the tube-style that's in the Karmann Ghias. It will also fit a VW tank just fine.

You can most like find one for sale plus get all the help that you need with the wiring at this site:

http://www.914world.com/

Just click "Forums" and wander around a while.

Luck!

I dunno TC. By the looks of this pic., it looks like this sender would be too long for our tank. Whatcha think?
There is a third electrical connection on he top.
http://www.icbm.org/cmgallery/displayimage.php?album=58&pos=5
http://www.icbm.org/cmgallery/displayimage.php?album=58&pos=4

~WB

Whoa ! ! !

I must have had a Ghia sender in my 914 all that time. That's WAY to long, but I betcha that the tube could be shortened and joined back together with a hose section and clamps. The slide inside swapped out for a shorter Ghia unit (which will fit a Beetle tank just fine) and the sender head just left "as is."

I'll open up one of my Ghia senders and look inside for you, they MUST be pretty simple, 'cause they work SO well after all these years.

I'll let you know, OK? I have re-worked 914 gauges all prepped for my SC Coupe and probably want to make use of the "low fuel" option myself.

Sorry for that one.

If you open it, be very careful! There is a whisker thin wire that the float rides up and down on. You can trash one real easily!

Let's say I could put this in the "Don't ask me how I know" thread. :(

It would be a very delicate operation to shorten a 914 unit IMHO.
~WB

A few yrs ago I tried to fit the 911 tube into my 10gal bug tank, it wouldnt even go halfway down before hitting the offset "ledge" of the tank.

The length wasnt the prob. , its the shape of the tank.

I would LOVE for this to work since my senders bust !!

looking at CIp1 website, they show:

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VWC%2D211%2D919%2D051
which is a tubular for late ghia and bus, NOT beetle

They show only "arm" types for the beetles.

Now the larger 16gal etc beetle tanks might be different...!!

anybody got a cross-section view of the beetle tank ?

The new larger tanks that they sell are kinda universal. They fit both models but I had to trim the front corners a bit for a better fit in my Ghia. These new tanks will accept the Ghia sender and hold just a smidge more. I bet that the reason the sellers don't wanna mix and match senders (tube/Ghia or float-arm/Beetle) has to do more with the gauge than fitting it into the stock tank. Beetle fuel gauges reguire a vibrator Ghias don't.

Possibly?

Usually I just put in ten gallons and I'm good for the month. I work at home, have a FedEx account, and no friends.

Where is the Beetle float arm vibrator?

Now I am wondering if the float arm sender will work with my 914 combo fuel gauge.

The vibrator is on the back of the combination speedo/fuel gauge. The wire from the sender plugs into it and then goes to the gauge itself. The vibrator is essentially in-line between the sender and the gauge, but it fastens/plugs into to the gauge, not the sender.

This will help:

http://www.midsouthvw.com/TechTips/tech_tip_FuelGauge.htm

You may have to use the Ghia sender with those 914 gauges. Neither the Ghia nor the 914 senders use a vibrator.

Sorry, should have been more clear.

TC - good to see you post again. How was the winter snow this year for you? Did you get snowed-in or were you able to work on your outdoor car projects? Hope all is well!

Peace - Out!

Hello to you, Jim ! !

We had a pretty mild Winter over-all. Cold, but not as much snow as what hit us last year. I spent most of my extra time working on the interior bits and pieces for the 356, got most everything finished up and they look really neat. I just picked up a sheet metal brake and a bead roller this past weekend so the aluminum door and inner panels ought to come out pretty neat as well. The roll cage is roughed in, got an aluminum Kirkey driver's seat, and new five point belts. I'm planning on a balance of vintage/LeMans/experimental airplane for the "look." I'll shoot some pics of the details and post them later on, got an assignment right in front of me right now that's demanding all of my time for a while.

I use the tube type sender for my 914 gauge. After getting tired of my needle wagging like a windshield wiper with the float arm type, I opted for the tube sender. It stays put for the most part. Although the tube sender is meant to be mounted perpendicular to the ground, sitting in the center of my bug tank at a slight angle doesn't affect how it works. When the fuel level reaches the bottom of the sender and it reads dam near empty there is actually a couple of gallons left in reserve.
I played with the vibrator deal until I learned it only works with a beetle gas gauge so now it lays in the misc. parts box. The tube sender can be a bit pricy but if you shop around the net, one can be had reasonably.

~WB

Well, I had no idea that I needed a vibrator to make my 914 gauge work with my float arm sender. It sounds like even then it may not work.

In a way it makes me more interested in trying to get the light to work, it I need to replace the sender anyway.

TC - whenever I see 'rust' or hear the word 'patina' I think of your projects outside in your yard! LOL 8>)