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>jason.smith@sarcom.com wrote: > > > I called VDO and spoke with a technician and he said that > the guage of > > the wire did not matter, but that it is 18 gauge. I don't > know if I > > believe him that it does not matter. The resistance seems > to give the > > reading? > >Jim wrote: > He either didn't have any idea what he was talking about, or > he thought you > were asking about the wire LEADING TO the fuel sender. THAT > wire might be > 18AWG, but I'd guess more like 20. The gauge certainly is > important for the > sensor wire. It is about 12" long and must have a resistance > of about 100 Ohms. > It's about 30-32AWG, nowhere near as big as 18. Unfortunately it was your first suggestion. I even explained to him why the resistance was important, but he still insisted it did not matter :( Maybe I'll call again and get a different tech. So I got to thinking and trying to find a similar gauge wire. I had an old computer mouse laying around at work, so I cut the wire open to see what I could find. There were some nice thin wires inside all wound together. I took it home unwound a strand and compared it to the original wire and it seemed correct, but maybe a hair thicker, but still thin enough to break a few times. I soldered it to the contacts and wrapped it around the bottom. That was difficult, I am not very good with solder, especially since it has been quite some time since I have even used a soldering iron. Everything seems correct. I reinstalled the aluminum tube and installed it in the tank. At first it seemed to work, I had not put all the bolts into the tank just 3. But once I secured all 5 bolts it was apparent that the resistance was to great. The gauge now reads 1/1 all the time :( I had found some copper wire that was a little thinner. Would copper work OK for this application, getting soaked in gasoline? I guess I'll keep trying until I find the right resistance, I guess I should measure the resistance before installing. I wonder if I can change or adjust the gauge to the new resistance? Some of the new gauges have a little hole where you can adjust the gauge? Thanks for the help. Jason Smith 71 Square FI AT Columbus, OH USA http://jasontsmith.tripod.com/vw.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------- List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list | mailto:gregm@vwtype3.org