Can anyone help? I've an electrical white faced Smiths fuel gauge and a float sender on the tank that has just one terminal.
The sender is around 0 - 260 ohms.
Problem is that when the tank's full the gauge shows empty and when its empty the gauge shows full.
sounds like the sender and dial arent compatible
Christ don't say that. These are probably the only 2 things I haven't had to change yet on the damn thing.
Bend the float wire so it works the other way?
Paul G
Two questions...
What are the conections labled as on the back of the gauge ?
Is the tank Earthed ?
sounds more like a wiring problem than a non compatable sender and gauge.
Paul
[Edited on 26/10/08 by Paul (Notts)]
Yeah the tanks earthed. The gauge has 3 contacts. Middle one for gauge earth, left one for 12v and right one for sender.
I did think of bending the float the other way too but like Paul suspect summat else.
I've just read that Smiths gauges follow the European standard of I think 10 ohms empty and 180 ohms full and the American standard is 240 ohms
empty and 33 ohms full. Reckon its this?
[Edited on 26/10/08 by mistergrumpy]
The sender I got from Europa for my Smiths guage had the variable bit mounted on a metal rod.
This could be removed from the rod and reversed.
Yeah thats the one that's standard for Smiths gauges I think but It's a 5 hole mounting.
The one I have has 6 holes already so I would have to buy a new gauge.
Yep I had that untill I read the instructions.
There is a steel rod that has the pot on the bottom and the arm connects to this.
The hole thing needs turning upside down by undooing the one screw.
Not sure what you mean there Wasa. Are we talking about the sender or the gauge here?
The superb 
drawing below shows how the sender could work the other way.
If arms can be reversed that's even better.
Paul G
p.s. Offers of employment as a draughtsman will be considered. 
Rescued attachment float.jpg
The sender,
There is a steel rod that goes down in to the tank.
On the botom is a Pot with a float atached. There is a wire that runs up the rod and conects to the terminal.
The resistor box with float is atached to the rod with two M6 screw.
Undo it and turn the pot and arm upside down.
Do screw up.
You will need to adjust the height to make it read full and empty.
Hope this helps?
cheers.
[Edited on 26/10/08 by big_wasa]
You can alter the sender so it reads the other way round in term of resistance
as the above posts indicate.
Paul
I had this problem with my Greengauges supplied parts. I had followed the instructions on their website but they show the tank unit incorrectly assembled . just remove the pot from the rod and turn it upside down (if that makes sense. )as others have suggested . Might be worth having a look at the Greengauges website to see what I mean? would put in link if I could
http://www.greengauges.com/help/faq24.asp
That's not the sender I have. It's this one:
Fuel Sender
(photo courtesy of Optimum Balance Products)
I could bend the arm back on itself but then it wouldn't reach the bottom of the tank and so would show empty when its not.
I could try and extend it but its a stainless arm so I couldn't weld it. Problems problems.
Bending and extending it may be the best bet. If you can't get the extension welded how about using a couple of the block type electrical connectors with the screws in? Strip of the plastic and Bobs your mothers brother
Smith's/greengauges sender should be
10-180 Ohms
Can the float arm be rotated in this fitting so it faces the other direction and so turns the resistor the opposit way?
just an idea...
PaulImage deleted by owner
Now there's an idea. I don't think it could be rotated as such but it could be bent through 180 degrees at that part. As it is it has a
stopper at the top and bottom to restrict the arms movement but I could get around that I think.
Good idea, ta.
quote:
Originally posted by big_wasa
The sender,
There is a steel rod that goes down in to the tank.
On the botom is a Pot with a float atached. There is a wire that runs up the rod and conects to the terminal.
The resistor box with float is atached to the rod with two M6 screw.
Undo it and turn the pot and arm upside down.
Do screw up.
You will need to adjust the height to make it read full and empty.
Hope this helps?
cheers.
[Edited on 26/10/08 by big_wasa]
hi there,
this post was realy useful thanks for your help. I had previously assumed that my comedy gauge was something much more complicated.
FWIW I found a way of solving the problem that didn't need any work on the rod at all. Once I had taken the sender out of the tank I noticed
that I could take it apart. Two cross head screws undone, and then it is easy to see the workings. On the one that I have got there is a small 1cm x
2cm bit of PCB type material with what looks like brass windings on it. The wiper moves across this variable resistance. On my sender it was
possible to tug out this PCB and turn it around. This effectively swaps the resistance range.
It sounds complicated but its trivial. Just be careful not to damage the windings, as I suspect that would turn it into junk.
Yes, yes, yes. I should have taken a photo, but didn't.
Matt
No worries Matt. I did exactly the same thing then just bent the limiting tabs a little in accordance with the upper and lower resistances.
