Re: [T3] Tony Adams: gas gauge

["Tony Adams" <tony@orb.micro.lucent.com>]

The car that that sending unit came out of runs great.  It is possible that
the tank and fuel injection system was cleaned up and repaired, but the
sending unit was not replaced before I bought the car.  The only problems I
am having with the car currently are an odd missing at idle, it happens
about every 10 seconds while sitting at a light, and a little stutter when
cruising just off idle.  I also get an occasional loss of power at higher
RPMs when the car is warm and the outside air temperature is high (over 80
degrees or so).  I also feel that the car shifts from first to second too
soon, so I am thinking that I may be having a vacuum leak somewhere.  I
don't think I have the proper tools to check this, so I am waiting until I
have more time to check it out.  Okay so maybe its not running perfectly.  I
have noticed that the filler neck into the gas tank leaks a bit in left hand
turns when the tank is over 1/2 full and I've been meaning to fix that.
Luckily it has been dry lately.  At any rate I have never experienced any
symptoms that would indicate that my car is trying to burn water.

Tony Adams
1970 Square AT FI
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Adney" <jadney@vwtype3.org>
To: <type3@vwtype3.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 12, 2000 4:24 PM
Subject: [T3] Tony Adams: gas gauge


> A few weeks ago Tony Adams bought a good used gas gauge sender from
> me and was good enough to send me his old one after the new one was
> installed. Today i got around to opening it up and I thought that
> what I found was of general enough interest to post it to the list.
>
> The center stem that the float rides up and down on was rusty and
> dirty such that the float was stuck in mid-travel. There was rust,
> dirt, and corrosion on everything. corrusion had interrupted the
> contact with ground so that the gauge did not have continuity.
>
> The sensor wire and float were intact, however, so I cleaned them up
> and removed the rivet. I need to replace the rivet and I'll solder
> all the connections that I can to make sure that everything has good
> contact. I think that with a couple of hours work I can make it good
> again. It's not a living, just a labor of love, or as Peter said, I
> get to have all the fun.
>
> Tony, if this came out of your gas tank you should be concerned about
> all the water that has been in there. The sensor is dated '69, so
> this car has the overflow hose that is always broken and lets water
> in (and gas out.) Whether you still have FI or not, you need to fix
> this before it is too late. I'm interested in whether this sensor
> actually came out of a running car or not. It was in the worst shape
> that I have ever seen.
>
> Thanks for sending it back to me.
>
> Everyone out there should take this to heart and, if your car is a 68-
> 73, get familiar with your overflow hose. It is IMPORTANT to fix
> this. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, park your car with
> the steering turned all the way to the right. Reach up behind the RF
> tire and find the fuel filler tube (~2.5" dia.) Feel behind that tube
> until you find a rubber hose branching off of it and running inboard;
> this is your overflow hose.
>
> Once you know where it is, you need to look at it. Get a flashlight
> and shine it on the rubber hose. If you see an obviously broken hose,
> or a hose that has lots of small cracks in it, then you probably need
> a new one.
>
> There are 2 versions of these: 68-72 with 1/4 turn (bayonette) gas
> cap uses 311 201 179A which I have in stock. 72-73 with screw gas cap
> uses 311 201 179C which is NLA. The changeover was mid year 72.
>
> If you want to verify that your hose needs to be replaced, go to the
> gas station and top up the tank. Then look up inside the fender. If
> you see gas running down the inside of the wheel well, then you need
> to fix it.
>
> The gas that leaks out is not really the problem. Obviously you can
> fix that by just not filling the tank all the way up. The problem is
> that the RF tire throws dirt and water right up against there when
> you drive. An hour's drive in the rain can easily put a gallon of
> water in your tank through an overflow hose that still looks pretty
> good.
>
> There is one more thing that you need to be aware of. These cars have
> a vent system for the gas tank. Its most common function is to let
> air in the tank to replace fuel as it is used. These vent systems are
> usually clogged up due to the steel lines that some of them used
> getting all rusted up inside. When the overflow hose is cracked,
> these cracks also serve as vents, so you never notice that there is a
> problem with the vent system, but when you fix the overflow hose, you
> now also need to at least check, and probably fix, the vent system.
>
> -
> *******************************
> Jim Adney, jadney@vwtype3.org
> Madison, Wisconsin, USA
> *******************************
>
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