New Owner Questions

I'm guessing a 2017 VS build would still be a Kirk and Mary build?  Other VS owners can chime in, but I can answer several of your questions.

The low fuel light is a function of the fuel sender and very rarely utilized.  99% chance your sending unit does not have this capability.

The plastic gears inside the odometer reset are notorious for stripping, so most likely this is the reason for the trip not working.  Unfortunately we were informed by PA Speedo that there is no longer a supply of plastic gears to repair of the aftermarket Brazil or China gauges.  Maybe with all the new copies showing up in the market one of their gears will match, but last I heard if it is broke it can't be fixed.

MPG varies heavily with displacement and tuning, so we'll likely need more info to help there.  I've seen motors with as little as 8-10 and as high as 25.  Also keep in mind that your 10 gallon tank is likely aftermarket, which holds a little under 9 realistically.  Measure at your next full fill-up.

Yes, I recommend ethanol free gas for all of these motors, however I watched a report where they said you should not mix ethanol and non ethanol fuels either.  They are mix-able, however they said if you use non ethanol for an extended period of time and then use ethanol fuels, the ethanol will dissolve the build up (sludge) created and try and pass it though the system.  I have no empirical data to back that up, just what I read.

Post a photo of your turn signal stalk, but 66/67 Beetle switches had a long button on the forward side that is your dimmer switch.

Most German cars since mid-60's have an "overtake" switch on turn signal arm that allows driver to flash head lights when in the high speed Autobahn lane.  You flash light several times and the slower vehicle better have moved over to slow lanes.  Doubt a bug used it much!  Some have switch on back and other you pull arm towards you.

Greg, I remember reading here some time ago, that you should not try to reset your trip meter while the car is in motion.  I don't know if it's a true fact because I never tried it , but considering the age of some of these parts I just treated it as gospel.

I got 25 mpg consistently with my 1904 cc all on back roads. With my stock 8 gallon and bouncing gas gauge I learned that the gauge was more of a "suggestion" .  If the needle is bouncing you have fuel. I used premium gas and an ethanol treatment in every tank full. Maybe I wasted my money on that , but I never had any problems either.

Your mileage will vary, of course .  Happy motoring and welcome to the madness.  

Thank you so much, Al. My fuel gauge bounces around. I haven’t seen the low fuel light yet. I’m hoping it works. I just got this car delivered Sunday night. I love it!

Enjoy,

Greg

@Greg54 posted:

Thank you so much, Al. My fuel gauge bounces around. I haven’t seen the low fuel light yet. I’m hoping it works. I just got this car delivered Sunday night. I love it!

Enjoy,

Greg

@Greg54 welcome to the madness. There are a few article on the gas gauge.

Enjoy the Smile Per Mile. 🤙😎

The 914 gauge's ODO gears would strip in a heart beat if reset while moving.  They were plastic or nylon.

Porsche 914 Dashboard Gauge Repair | 914 (1970-1976) | Pelican Parts DIY Maitenance Article

@Greg54

Yup, the gas gauges bounce around quite a lot.  Some of us get used to it and some don't.    It bounces a lot because there are no baffles inside of the tank to prevent the fuel from sloshing around and the float just follows the sloshing, so we're kind of stuck.

If you search on "gas gauge bounce" on here you'll probably find that I make up a small electrical circuit that attaches to your gas tank sending unit and it will help to slow down the bouncing.  It won't completely cure it, but it does make it a little better.  Let me know if you're interested.

Oh, and I'm getting 22-ish mpg mostly highway driving with my 2,110cc engine and I put in whatever 89-91 octane gas I can find.  Most everything in New England is E-10 and I'm too lazy to try and find ethanol-free gas near me.

There isn't a low fuel light. The fuel gauge is suspect anyway because of the shape of the tank. Drain the tank, put in exactly two gallons, note the mileage, take some fuel with you in a can, and drive it until you run out of gas. Note the mileage, subtract from the starting mileage, divide by 2, and that's your MPG. Every time you fill up note the mileage and fill up before you run out of fuel. The tank is usually 8 gallons give or take.

CIP1 has a large capacity tank - used to advertised as 16 gallons but believe it's actually 12.5.  Pro - no need to reweld/move neck, extra capacity and front-end weight. Con - may not be able to fit a spare, takes their cap and on some cars the cap hits the inner trunk liner.

I use a Karmann Ghia sender and don't notice needle bounce.

I know the Qs have been answered, but having a VS built by Kirk I figured I would chime in:

your questions:

1- Is the low gas light supposed to work and at what point?   To my knowledge VS cars with the Chinese repo gages were not wired with a low fuel light. I collected as much documentation +wiring diagrams as I could get my hands on from kirk between 2013–2016 and the standard senders he used did not offer this capability.

on the topic of fuel gauge needle bounce; to reduce/ eliminate you can install one of these behind your gauge - plug and play (https://www.stoddard.com/nla20100100.html).   There was also a member in this forum that made/ sold their version of the linked resistor gizmo- improved- for a better price years ago… maybe they have a spare laying around.  @Gordon Nichols

2- My trip odometer is stuck at zero. Any advice on how to get it working? As mentioned above, if someone tried re-setting the Chinese repo trip mileage wile driving the plastic gears are likely stripped.  I was fortunate to have my gages rebuilt by PA Speedo. when replacement parts were still available.

3- What kind of milage are you guys getting on a 10 gallon tank?  Will varie.  Best to follow Roberts suggested approach above to determine your particular mileage.

4 - Is it wise to use ethanol free gas or go with an E10 Premium or mid-grade?  I have always used 92 Super Unleaded without any issues in 9 yrs…. it’s nearly impossible to find ethanol free near my home.

5- The turn signal stalk has some kind of button on it the length of the stalk. What is that for?  The button is likely wired to turn on/off/ flash your brights.. mine was..  You should have a small blue light above your fuel gage that can be wired to let you know your brights are on. ( sometimes it’s not wired… other times it’s wired to one of the red lights…  I have seen it both ways)… also, the indicator bulb could be out.  If so,  you can replace with a small LED- it will make it easier to see. Cheap, brighter and will do the trick-  https://www.superbrightleds.co...ight-bulbs/ba9s-ba7s. You can likely replace all gauge cluster lights with LED except your blinker lights… that one will require a resistor to blink appropriately.  There may be another that requires a resistor but can’t remember off the top of my head…   Happy to look this up in my upgrade files as well as send you a bulb identifier chart and additional info if needed.  Best solution IMHO is to just pull the bulb to confirm what you have before ordering any LED.  The guages pop out easily with a little hand pressure/push from behind the dash. On VS gauges are typically held in place only with a rubber pressure ring installed between the gauge and the fiberglass hole.

hope this is of some use, and welcome to the madness!!!

.

Greg, most of your questions have been answered, but here's something to try on your trip odo.

Yes, the plastic gears are probably broken from someone trying to reset the mileage while the car was moving.

But, you just might get them working again by pushing the reset button in as far as it will go and letting it spring back out suddenly. Mine is only slightly broken and sometimes won't start running again unless I use this little trick.

It's a long shot, but nothing to lose.

.

It seems those speedo gears would be prime candidate for 3D printing, provided a proper polymer were used.  

@dlearl476 posted:

It seems those speedo gears would be prime candidate for 3D printing, provided a proper polymer were used.  

Are current printers available with adequate precision?  Most I've seen produce a surface that would need a good bit of finishing work, at least for the gear teeth.

Unless you can DIY repair, or there is a non-Porsche shop that is willing to dig into the gauges, the cost to replace vs. repair is also an issue. You can just about replace all 3 gauges and senders for new VDO gauges for the same cost as repair.

But if there is someone who can 3D print them and someone wants the gears, Im sure I can find a sample in my old gauge bin.
kPH 911 speedo gear seats are also next to impossible. :-)

I'll look today to see if I have any gas gauge needle dampeners still kicking around.  I'm pretty sure I have the components to make a few, regardless, and will report back later today.  It's been a nutty past two months at Five Cent Racing's Small Parts Division, but I could use a distraction about now.....    😉

-----EDIT-----

I just checked and I have one already made up and parts to make another seven so I'll make those up later today.

Stoddard's is getting $35 each for them, made exactly the same as mine (but mine is easier to install) and thanks to NAPA Dave donating the connector parts for the last batch I made, my pricing is (almost) the same pre-Covid price at $12 each, shipping included, for SOC members.  Here is the old link:

https://www.speedsterowners.co...gauge-dampener-again

Looks like I need to plan on making more, just for all of the new cars appearing lately!

I’ll take it! Let me know what I owe you and where to send the money. Thank you!

Check your PM's, Greg.

Gordon,

I'd be interested in a gas gauge dampener for my VS as well, if you have more available. Let me know.

Bill

Check your PMs, Bill!

Just to set expectations on these gizmos and as I explain in the installation instructions included with the dampener, it will not completely eliminate gas gauge needle bounce - That is caused by the total lack of any fluid baffles inside of the tank to give an "average" fluid height for the float.

What it will do is reduce the amount of needle movement by half or so.  The needle will still move, but it will be noticeably calmer than before.  In order to get no movement you either need tank baffles (no can do on an existing tank) or an electronic sampling and averaging circuit that would cost a lot more.

Thanks Gordon - PM sent!

Bill

Never run out of gas. If you get your odometer working or just keep track follow this rule. 100 miles in town. 150 miles on the highway.

I go 120 in town and 160 on the highway, but Noel is on the right track here.

2-3 hours and you're ready for a stop anyway.

Danny remember I am at 7000 feet. My gas mileage locally is pretty bad. At least Tony got her running well for the last few years. It improves quite a bit at sea level hence the 150 miles. There are no “highways” at the Lake.

The only things moving at the lake right now are snow plows!

I forgot the altitude you live at, Noel. Thankfully, most of us live a bit closer to sea level.

Your mileage figures totally make sense, you're probably always running rich.