Re: GTV fuel gauge

[James Montebello <jamesm@domain.elided>]

A very common ailment, it seems.  This has bitten both the 115 Berlina
I used to have and the Alfetta I currently have.  Best diagnosis I can
offer is that the resistive part of the sender in the tank has gone bad.
Typically, this seems to manifest itself as the gauge working fine for,
say, the first 1/4 tank or so, then flickering to empty as the level in
the tank drops a bit more to, say, 1/2 tank, then flip to empty and stay
there until you fill the tank again.  The light seems to be controlled
by a separate switch.  The arm and float are still operating properly.

Replacing the sender will fix the problem, or you can just live with it
and depend on the trip odo and the fuel light.

Interestingly, this also afflicted an '85 RX-7 I once had, proving that
even Japanese electrics can be flaky.  Like the Alfas, there was a low
level light that was controlled by a separate switch.

btw, if you do decide to replace the sender, don't throw the old one away.
I'll take it.  I'm vaguely researching how to fix these by just replacing
the potentiometer, rather than the whole thing, and any more grist for
the mill will be helpful in figuring out how to do this.

james montebello

On Tue, 24 Sep 2002, Tony Sims wrote:

> The fuel gauge in my '74 GTV has developed a tremor.  It flicks from an empty
> reading to whatever the actual fuel level is, and sometimes takes a break for
> several minutes or longer resting on empty.  The low fuel light still works
> correctly.  All connections seem sound.  Diagnosis?
>
> Regards,
> Tony
> Portland, OR
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