[texfj40]

Is there a way to adjust the guage to more accurately represent the level of fuel in the tank? Is there an adjustment at the fuel tank sending unit? 1971...thanks

[weez440]

i supposed you could take the sending unit out and bend the rod to where you want it.

[dgangle]

I've just learned to live with it. On a full tank I get 50 miles before the needle even moves from 'F', another 50 miles to 1/2 full. The last 1/2 goes in ~25 miles or less. In my 75 there is no way of bending the arm of the sending unit to remedy this.

[phrogg4evr]

You can get all fancy and measure the ohm level and try to fix it electronically with resisters and shit, but the below advice will work pretty good. Or do what motorcycle people do, go by mileage if its that far off that you worry about running out

Is it the original sending unit? If it was swapped out with an aftermarket unit by a PO, the ohms won't match up.

Originally Posted by weez440

i supposed you could take the sending unit out and bend the rod to where you want it.

[MoCoNative]

I messed with this some. The factory dash guage does have some small holes as I recal and some little plates inside the guage with a notch in them. It is possible to use a small screw driver to shift these small plates and it will affect the travel of the needle on the face. A 40 tank is roughly 18 gallons. I got mine to read just over full at when totally full and at E I have about 3 gallons in the tank. I could not however get the spread to work perfectly. While adjusting I could get full to hit the mark, but then E would be off, then I could get it to go the other way, but never a perfect even split. This was all done with the sender out of the tank, and manually raising and lowering it to simulate full travel.

The other issue is that the sender does not bottom out fully in the bottom of the tank, nor does it float completely to the top. You also generally have a little extra gas in the filler neck right after a fill up. Also realize that the shape of the tank, and the arc of the float inside is not an accurate measuring device, most cars are not. If you had a cylindric tank, and a guage that truly followed the depth of the fluid, then you would be accurate, but the funny shape of fuel tanks, especially the 40 makes the guage read very unrelaibly, as far as actual gallons compared to guage position, like 1/2.

I prefer the cushion on empty, I know if I hit E I will have roughly 30-45 miles to get home. I typically get 15 MPG highway in my 40, and I just figure on 10 MPG during slow 4WLOW wheeling, in moderate terrain.

[Texx]

Only the early cruisers hold 18 gals...75-78 not so much...best solution is a new guage, new sender, or both.