i have a 6V fuel gauge and tank out of a 63 bug. will there be any problems in transfering them into my 12V 1961, will the voltage differences matter? also i think i just need to cut a hole for the gauge. anyone got any clues?
Posted by: six-o-one - 28 December 2005 09:56:31
The early beetle fuel guages are mechanical, not electric so will be fine for your car. You can get the correct grill from an early 60s bug to fit the guage to the left of the speedo (if yours is RHD?).
[ATTACH]397[/Attach]
Posted by: joshhayes - 28 December 2005 11:02:23
my gauge has 6V stamped on the back and has four electical connectors on it, 2 are for the light bulb i think. and a wire goes down to the thingy that dips into the fuel tank. so one positive would be for the gauge and one for the bulb right? and im guessing the other two are earths. but how does that float thing in the tank generate power for the gauge?
Posted by: six-o-one - 28 December 2005 11:33:25
Sounds like you have an after-market guage and a later sender-if it's an electrical sender! When VW switched to electrical senders the guage moved to inside the speedo.
The 1963 sender (61-67) should look like this. It has an arm coming from the top which is moved back and forth as the level of the fuel changes. The cable which comes from the guage has a ball on the end which locates into the slot on the end of the arm, and there is a plain metal cover which is a push fit over the top.
The correct 6v guage only has one connection on the back which is for the bulb (just swap for a 12v bulb).
doyou have a picture of what you have there?
[ATTACH]392[/Attach]
Posted by: six-o-one - 28 December 2005 11:34:30
6v guage and sender with cover (LHD)... [ATTACH]393[/Attach]
Posted by: six-o-one - 28 December 2005 11:35:15
back of guage... [ATTACH]394[/Attach]
Posted by: joshhayes - 28 December 2005 11:41:50
my gauge ismade by VDO in germany, but it must be electric because it doesnt have that lead coming out of the bottom
Posted by: joshhayes - 28 December 2005 12:28:21
im pretty sure its an original gauge, its the little square one that sits to the left of the speedo with the chrome moulding around it
Posted by: six-o-one - 28 December 2005 15:08:50
That's a new one on me!
:roll:
Please post a pic if you can.
six-o-one
Posted by: joshhayes - 28 December 2005 23:50:35
i'll try and track down a digital camera so i can get some photo's, im in australia so could that make any difference to when they put electronic ones in?
Posted by: joshhayes - 28 December 2005 23:55:44
i'll post th part number if that helps, 114018331. and the date stamped on it is 4, 63
Posted by: joshhayes - 29 December 2005 00:19:43
here are some photo's that i found on the internet that look the same as what i have
gauge:[img]null[/img]
sender [ATTACH]395[/Attach]
Posted by: joshhayes - 29 December 2005 00:22:51
this is the fuel gauge photo, hope it works this time, sorry its only tiny, its from ebay :) [ATTACH]396[/Attach]
Posted by: six-o-one - 29 December 2005 00:33:05
I've done a bit of searching around on the internet, and found that Australia had an electric version of the early guage, as you say!
Not sure if it would work with 12volts though, anyone else know?
:?
Posted by: joshhayes - 29 December 2005 12:22:18
so has anyone here actually swaped a 6V gauge into a 12v car before, i guess most of you have mechanical gauges right? you guys are lucky
Posted by: zelensis - 29 December 2005 15:38:51
The type 2 from 1962 had also a 6V electric gauge they also used a sending unit like that.
I think it is not possible to put 12V on the gauge, if you are lucky it only shows a wrong reading otherwise you might burn the internal coponents of the gauge and destroy it.
I have here a type2, 6V gauge and it has also 4 connecting points.
1 for the +6V
1 for the grounding
1 for the light
and 1 that go to the sending unit.
If you realy want to use this gauge in a 12V car you should look for an transformer from 12 to 6V that works for the gauge.
Posted by: Andy Sparks - 31 December 2005 12:08:23
Karmann konnection here in the UK do a voltage drop relay for 6V componants in 12v cars. These are used for wipers, semophores etc.
If it's a fuel gauge that you want, you can sell these electric gauges on samba should be worth a fair amount (especially if it has sender), then buy a mechanical gauge ebay or VZi.
In the UK these were an accessory for pre 1963 cars, but are rare with sender
I wouldn't wire the sender up as you burn it out, especially where it is as well.
Posted by: joshhayes - 01 January 2006 23:43:58
lol, thats true, a fire in my petrol tank woulndnt be much fun.....
Posted by: Andy Sparks - 03 January 2006 17:28:35
You can always tell by the gauge face on the electric ones. full is 4/4 and the mechanical ones are 1/1.
Do i get accessory buffer of the week?
Posted by: joshhayes - 08 January 2006 08:44:08
yep, you win lol, but i would like to use it
Posted by: zelensis - 10 January 2006 14:29:43
I did some testing this weekend, and there is a possibility to use a 6V gauge on 12V car.
When you put a 90 Ohm resistance in serie with the gauge the tension over the gauge will vary form 5V to 7V depending on the level of the sending unit.
I hope this helps you to use the gauge in your car.
Posted by: joshhayes - 15 January 2006 08:31:44
thanks everyone, i'll give you an update when i get something sorted out :)
Posted by: originalowner66 - 02 February 2006 16:06:22
Good topic as I am looking for a fuel gauge for my '66 bug. Funny thing is, the needle on the gauge broke (somehow). The gauge still works, I just need to look VERY closely to find the break point and visually draw a line to the increments on the face. No big deal, but better to be able to glance and get a reading.
I am looking for a gauge that has "tank" as that is what came with the car. Any assist would be greatly appreciated.
Jim
Posted by: mrsherbie - 03 February 2006 00:24:42
My '63 Australian CKD, NZ assembled, now in UK :D has one of these fuel gauges, its definitely original to the car, as nothing has ever been changed, removed or messed with, car just badly repainted once late '70's without removing any parts first :?!
Works perfectly, needle flicks to correct fuel level in tank instantly on the turn of the key.
I am told they were only an accessory here, but I think they were standard OZ at that time.
Try posting the question on an Australian or NZ forum, where they are more common. One of these guys will definitely know, they are a nice bunch :wink:
[url=https://www.nzveedubnuts.com]https://www.nzveedubnuts.com[/url]
Posted by: originalowner66 - 03 February 2006 16:14:47
