Dan_Gyoba
12-14-2007, 12:00 PM
Okay, so your fuel gauge doesn't work. Mine would read empty if I had more than a half a tank, then would read okay for the bottom half for a long time. Then it started getting worse, until it was reading empty all the time. The little orange light isn't enough warning all the time, so I decided to fix it.
First, pull the fuel sender. This is accessable from the hatch, under the circular plate on the right hand side of the floor. You should have something like this:
http://www.supraclub.ca/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=447&stc=1&d=1197657929(Second Pic)
At the red circles, there are tabs that hold the box together. Carefully unbend these tabs and open the sender unit. Inside you should see this:
http://www.supraclub.ca/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=446&stc=1&d=1197658196(First Pic)
The wiper circled in red must contact with the coil behind it through the whole movement of the float arm. Usually all this will need is a simple bend to keep in contact. In the case of this unit here, there was also a problem with the wiper arm, in that it was no longer electrically connected to the wire. This is why I soldered in the red wire that connects directly to the wiper and the wire. In most cases, this should not be needed, but use a multimeter to check that this connection is working.
It's also a good idea to clean the contact area of the coil where the wiper touches it. It's probably been untouched for a couple of decades, and it can't hurt to clean it up and make sure that there's a good contact area.
Use your multimeter to test the terminals for continuity to the 2 contacts through the full sweep of the float arm before reinstalling.
First, pull the fuel sender. This is accessable from the hatch, under the circular plate on the right hand side of the floor. You should have something like this:
http://www.supraclub.ca/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=447&stc=1&d=1197657929(Second Pic)
At the red circles, there are tabs that hold the box together. Carefully unbend these tabs and open the sender unit. Inside you should see this:
http://www.supraclub.ca/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=446&stc=1&d=1197658196(First Pic)
The wiper circled in red must contact with the coil behind it through the whole movement of the float arm. Usually all this will need is a simple bend to keep in contact. In the case of this unit here, there was also a problem with the wiper arm, in that it was no longer electrically connected to the wire. This is why I soldered in the red wire that connects directly to the wiper and the wire. In most cases, this should not be needed, but use a multimeter to check that this connection is working.
It's also a good idea to clean the contact area of the coil where the wiper touches it. It's probably been untouched for a couple of decades, and it can't hurt to clean it up and make sure that there's a good contact area.
Use your multimeter to test the terminals for continuity to the 2 contacts through the full sweep of the float arm before reinstalling.