[T2] fuel gauge unreliability

[Neal Jarvis]

I've been lucky with my bus but one of my beetles left me stranded twice. 

Now when I fill up I use my cell phone to take a picture of the odometer. 

I only drive 150-175 miles then fill up. 

That solved that problem. 

Neal F Jarvis
Office Manager
RJ Berra Inc. T/A
Services Unlimited Co.
Tree and Stump Removal Experts
4120 Sandy Spring Road
Burtonsville, MD 20866
202-439-3509 Mobile

Sent from my iPhone. 
Please forgive the typos. 

> On Nov 5, 2013, at 10:27 PM, Aurelio Sanabria <sufrostico at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> My one is always 1/4 gallon  under the real  measure.
> 
> Also, when there is only one quarter remaining the needle sticks there and only after turn it off and then turn it on again that the needle falls to the R.
> 
> And yes, I learn this the hard way... Like three times the  hard way... to be presice.
> 
> 
> 
> accessys at smart.net escribió:
>> 
>> in carrying fuel in containers remember to put in some fuel stabilizer
>> so 
>> it will not be varnish when needed, every few months I pour my spare
>> into 
>> the tank and refill the container just to keep things fresh.
>> 
>> Bob
>> 
>>> On Tue, 5 Nov 2013, Robert Mann wrote:
>>> 
>>> Date: Tue, 5 Nov 2013 08:54:57 +1300
>>> From: Robert Mann <robtmann7 at gmail.com>
>>> To: VW type 2 late aircooled <type2 at type2.com>
>>> Subject: [T2] fuel gauge unreliability
>>> 
>>>    I was aware that my 40-y-old petrol gauge was not fully accurate.
>> In 
>>> 7y of consistent performance, it has always slightly failed to show
>> Full when 
>>> the tank has just been filled to the visible top, and alleged Empty
>> when I 
>>> can go a further c.25 mi on econocruise.  Systematic skewing of
>> readings like 
>>> that is not a practical problem; no complaints (tho' I would like a
>> Reserve 
>>> tap).
>>>    But last week I set out a half-h early to drive 30 mi to a rare 
>>> lecture by a world leader in applied ecology, whom I had met 30 y
>> ago.  I'd 
>>> been content to pay $10 to the host Ak Museum website, because I have
>> admired 
>>> this eminent scholar's thought for 4 decades (and sold c.800 of his
>> textbook 
>>> to my students over a dozen y).  My fuel gauge showed 1/4 and so I
>> breezed on 
>>> past a handy filling station, fixated on trying to beat the Rush Hour
>> Creep 
>>> over the harbour bridge and thru beautiful downtown Auckland.  The
>> experience 
>>> became dismal, frustrated as I arrived late, missing some of the
>> lecture and 
>>> unable to contact the visitors & the chmn to arrange to dine with
>> them.
>>> 
>>>    A few mi along the motorway the engine quit in the manner of a fuel 
>>> failure.  I could find no fault to explain this most unwelcome
>> stoppage, and 
>>> concluded the gauge had stuck at 1/4.
>>>    A good friend chanced along within 5 min, so it was straightfwd to 
>>> take the next exit and get soaked $19.99 for a 10-litre plastic
>> petrol 
>>> bottle.  Serve me right for not having spare fuel on board.
>>> 
>>>     I realise that many old bus-drivers know this full well (probably 
>>> having made a mistake like the above); my aim in passing along this
>> bitter 
>>> shameful experience is to warn younger players that the fuel gauges
>> in our 
>>> middle-aged vehicles are not to be entirely trusted.  They can, for
>> instance, 
>>> suddenly quietly stick.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Conclusions:
>>>    1.  Carry spare fuel in a suitable can ( some modern plastic 'cans' 
>>> are approved for petrol), clamped in a safe pozzie within the bus
>> (check that 
>>> cogent content <:-|}.  Top ideas for this positioning, for given-size
>> cans, 
>>> will doubless surge in.
>>>    2.  Do not assume a decades-old fuel gauge will continue to perform 
>>> consistently; it may stick, so do not put blind faith in its
>> readings.  The 
>>> same warning applies to any USA-model gages :-P designed to show
>> gasoline 
>>> content <:-|
>>>    3.Continue or revive the habit established on pre-gauge vehicles e.g
>> 
>>> typical motorcycles and of course Splitties: note the odometer
>> reading at 
>>> full, and keep track of distance travelled since. Use your 
>>> previously-measured mpg to estimate by mental arithmetic how much
>> fuel 
>>> remains.
>>>    4.  If you get too elderly to remember the 'full' odo reading, you 
>>> should write it e.g  on a small cardboard list taped to your dash or 
>>> otherwise handy to the driver.
>>>    5.  If you have become gravely hooked on kompughtink, write or rip a
>> 
>>> program to do all this for you :-X
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -- 
>>> Robt Mann
>>> Whangaparaoa, New Zealand
>>> '73 VW 1600dp Devon camper
>>> '53 Meteor V8
>>> various Jawa-CZ and Jawa-NZ strokers
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> type2 mailing list
>>> type2 at type2.com
>>> https://www.type2.com/lists/type2/listinfo
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> 
> -- 
> Aurelio
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