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Old 12-28-2016, 02:18 AM   #1
Chevy1966
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Fuel Gauge

My fuel gauge on my '76 jumps around like a cat on a hot tin roof once the gas starts sloshing around. I don't think this is normal. What kind of dampening was designed into the system? Does the sender unit have some type of dampening feature or maybe the gauge itself? Any ideas would be appreciated!
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Old 12-28-2016, 09:31 AM   #2
Dead Parrot
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Re: Fuel Gauge

When mine did that, I replaced the gauge and fixed the problem. Got one from the local pull a part for $5. I think the dampener is in the gauge.

If you replace the gauge, it will likely behave differently then the old one. My tank had about 4 gallons left when the first gauge hit empty. It has about 1 left when the new gauge reads E. Glad I have dual tanks.
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Old 12-28-2016, 10:28 AM   #3
ray_mcavoy
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Re: Fuel Gauge

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dead Parrot View Post
I think the dampener is in the gauge.
Yes, there is mechanical dampening built into the gauge in the form of a viscous "grease" inside the meter movement. That can leak/ooze out over time resulting in a gauge needle that swings freely and bounces around as the gas sloshes in the tank.
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Old 12-28-2016, 12:04 PM   #4
Tucson38
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Re: Fuel Gauge

Quote:
Originally Posted by ray_mcavoy View Post
Yes, there is mechanical dampening built into the gauge in the form of a viscous "grease" inside the meter movement. That can leak/ooze out over time resulting in a gauge needle that swings freely and bounces around as the gas sloshes in the tank.
That's interesting - find lots of great information on this site.
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Old 12-28-2016, 06:58 PM   #5
wilkin250r
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Re: Fuel Gauge

Ditto to all of the above.

It's theoretically possible to build an electrical dampening into the circuit, in the form of a low-pass filter. The problem is that the values involved make it dangerous for a simple filter, leaving only the possibility of a complex filter. But complex filters are more complex (duh), and thus more expensive.

I played with the design a little bit, up to a 6th-order filter, and the inductors just got more and more expensive until I abandoned the whole idea.

We had a pretty good discussion about it several months ago here: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ighlight=farad
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Last edited by wilkin250r; 12-28-2016 at 07:08 PM.
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Old 12-29-2016, 10:24 PM   #6
Chevy1966
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Re: Fuel Gauge

Thanks for the great feedback... silicone dampening fluid... makes perfect sense. Only question now is can a unit be repaired by getting inside and replacing the grease that has leaked out and then seal the cavity back up? Does anybody specialize in this kind of fixit job?
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Old 12-30-2016, 12:20 AM   #7
hatzie
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Re: Fuel Gauge

There are speedometer repair outfits that can do this. I can't find the C2 C3 Corvette article on the subject. If I could I'd post it.
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