Tim, I think I would have set it to read EMPTY when the tank is EMPTY.
When the tank is near full, you know it because you recently filled it.
But when you have been driving for a while it is nice to know whether
you need to stop for gas NOW or just whenever convenient.
-Tony
ARhodes@compuserve.com
>Message text written by INTERNET:triumphs-owner@autox.team.net
>>Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 15:25:24 -0500
>From: Tim Gaines <mtgaines@cs1.presby.edu>
>Subject: fuel sending unit fix
>
>
>After owning my 1980 Spit for about 12 years, I finally have a fuel
>guage that shows the right fuel level. Maybe many of you know already
>that the unit can be adjusted, but I didn't see the fix among the
>maintenance tips on the VTR web site, and I just discovered how to do
>it a few days ago.
>
>Since I bought the car, the fuel guage has read just a little beyond
>half full after a fill-up. Recently I pulled the sending unit from the
>tank (after disconnecting the battery!) and discovered that the float
>had some fuel in it. After draining the float and sealing it (with
>the advice of some list members) I thought everything would be fixed,
>but the guage still showed only about two thirds of a tank when I knew
>it was full. By the way, I knew the guage COULD show the full range
>because shorting the two sender leads together produced full needle
>deflection.
>
>Though my Haynes manual claims that the unit is unserviceable, I
>decided to fool around with it because I had another sender off a parts
>car. I pried up the three metal tabs holding the cover on and exposed
>the wire-wound resistor. The cover didn't come up all the way because
>of the electrical connectors between it and the spade connectors on the
>outside of the cap that fits in the tank opening. But I could see that
>the metal pointer that slides along the resistor didn't actually go all
>that close to the low resistance lead when the moveable arm holding the
>float was pushed all the way up (as if in a full tank). I could also
>see that the metal pointer pivots on a fiber post that protrudes
>through the cover when the cover is closed. This extension of the fiber
>post has a slot so that a screwdriver can be used to turn it slightly.
>Doing so affects the position of the pointer on the resistor and changes
>the guage reading. The neat thing is that the adjustment can be made
>without prying open the cover to the resistor. However, in my case I
>would have had to open it up anyway. When I turned the post, the
>resistor suddenly had infinite resistance; there was a break in the
>connection somewhere. It turned out that I simply had to shine up the
>spring which surrounds the fiber post and makes an electrical connection
>between the cover (with a spade connector) and the resistor. When I
>did this and pushed the cover back in place, I could change the resistance
>slightly by turning the slotted post. I adjusted it for the lowest
>resistance when the moveable arm was raised to its highest. Then I
>put the sender back into the tank (battery still disconnected) and went
>to the gas statiion for a fill-up. I was very happy to see that the guage
>went up to "full" for the first time since I have owned the car. All in
>all, this was a pretty easy job.
>
>Tim Gaines
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