Fuel Gauge Calibration Kit

[Roadmonster]

Most of you already know that the B-Body fuel gauges are not very accurate.

On our first road trip, we almost ran out of gas, as our fuel gauge showed almost a quarter of a tank, and the engine started sputtering as we left a steep driveway from our hotel.

Thanks to Bradley Salemie, there is an easy and inexpensive permanent fix for this.

His kit sells for $15.00 shipped, and he offers group discounts (4 or more).

I installed his kit with the excellent instructions, and now my fuel gauge needle does not go waaaaaay past the full mark, and it's accurate 🙂

Here's his link:

http://www.bradley.capitalclimate.com/

New site Address:

http://www.fuelgaugecalibrator.com/

(He also makes and sells 02 simulators and stuff for F Bodys.)

I know that many of us have already done this, but the some of the new guys may not have heard of this.

There are kits out there going for four times as much 😱

Stewart

 

[TheFleshRocket]

My gauge seems reasonably accurate, the "drops slower when in the top half" part notwithstanding, and it doesn't seem to move THAT much slower in the top half. It moves around as I accelerate or brake and I still have about two gallons left when the low fuel light comes on. (This weekend it hadn't come on yet but it took 19.5 gallons to fill the tank.)

Still, $15 is dirt cheap and if it's an easy-to-install fix, it's still well worth it. Group discounts? Hell, $15 is cheap enough that it wouldn't be worth the trouble to organize a group buy.

Now if I could get something like this for my Mustang, that would be great. I bet when the gauge reads half full it's got somewhere between 1/3 and 1/4 of a tank left. It stays on full for 60+ miles and drops pretty slowly in the top half.

Regarding your car stalling out while on a steep hill, were you going up or down the hill? The fuel gauge goes up when accelerating and down when braking, so I figure the fuel level sender is in the back of the gas tank. If you were going up a hill, that would have caused the gauge to read higher (gas at the back of the tank) than it actually was. And apparently the fuel pump pickup is not in a part of the tank that's lower than the rest of it. I've had the car sputter on me while cornering while still having a couple of gallons left (not even on the gas light) because I've managed to slosh the fuel away from the pickup. So while aiming up the hill, the gas was moved far enough away from the fuel pump pickup that it caused the car to sputter. My Z1000 does the same thing--I can't pull wheelies when it's low on gas 'cause it will sputter on me.

 

[MrBuick (Magnum)]

great guy to deal with. I placed an order, and wondered why 2 months later I didn't have it. Contacted him, an he sent out anouter one. Thank Jebus for insurace! 😀

 

[UncleWoody]

Just installed mine. Very quick and easy! I ordered it online with PayPal and two days later it was at my house!!! Gotta love when a vendor is on top of inventory like that. Nice to have the gauge finally work like it should, I would recommend this kit to anyone.

 

[Roadmonster]

Bradley has a new site address:

http://www.fuelgaugecalibrator.com/

Stewart

 

[kiltedscotsman]

My gauge is spot on full when I fill my 95 RMW to when the nozzle clicks off. Does this mean I do, or do not need the mod??😕

 

[Krzdimond]

that means that you do not need the mod. The mod is for us guys that fill our cars and the gauge is pointing "east" or way past full.

 

[TheReaper86]

I have been driving my 92 RM for close to 6 years with the fuel needle being very off. When my tank is full the needle points to my passager door, I gess it would help me. Does anyone know why the needle does this, when I got the car in 2001 the needle was fine not so much anymore thou.

 

[MrBuick (Magnum)]

the fuel gauge works off resistance. when the sender gets corroided, the resistance changes. I THINK the more resistance it sees, the higher the fuel gauge is. so with the kit, you are just aborbing some of the resistance. Or maybe you are adding more... I forget...

 

[TheReaper86]

Thanks, I was wondering.

 

[MrBuick (Magnum)]

Price went up to 20 bux.

 

[Goldmaster]

The one I ordered showed up Monday. Haven't installed it yet, but there is not much to it really. $20 is well worth it to have an accurate gas guage. Bradley is on the ball too. After I ordered, he replied less than an hour later (and this was 7am). by 3pm I had tracking info. 🙂

 

[robert copeland]

will this mod stop the gas guage from floating or does it just stop it going way past full?mine will float around say for instanse i have a 1/4 tank at one time i looked at the gas guage it was sitting on 1/2 tank of gas then dropped back to 1/4.i just put a new fuel sending unit on it.

 

[MrBuick (Magnum)]

On my caprice, if I get to about 1/4 Tank, the gauge starts going nuts, and goes up and down... I'm not sure why it does this, but I dout this kit will fix it. if it;s doing this on a send sending unit, you need to check the condition of the wires.

This kit won't fix that. if you just put a new sending unit in, you shouldn't NEED the bradley kit. the reason for the kit, is a gummed up sending unit, that sends a signal that has to much resistance. or too little? forget.

 

[Nightrider]

Fitted mine while removing the OEM radio.

At that occasion I cleaned the intrument cluster bulb contacts (to stop one from flickering).

Then I found that the wire on which the kit has to be connected was accessible at the connector that arrives on the instrument panel (thr Right one). I connected the kit there and got a ground point on the dashbard fitting. I can adjust it easily then, 'cause it is accessible now from under the dash ...

 

[aroethli]

Well, it turns out I too need the calibrator.... have one on the way 🙂

Al

 

[Goldmaster]

Finally got around to installing mine yesterday. Super easy to do, and it works great. It took quite a bit of turning to finally get the needle to move, but once it started, I was able to dial it in perfectly. 😎 Awesome little device!

 

[aroethli]

Now here's a question I was wondering.... I've never run my car to an indicated empty(or close) yet, but with the needle still misaligned(gauge not fixed), would one run out of gas well before an indicated empty?

Or put differently, with this kit installed, along with showing true "full", will the gauge now more accurately also show true "empty" or will the needle now be shifted to the "left of E"?

Al

 

[Goldmaster]

I'd think with the calibrator you can set it pretty close. I set it to read a little low on mine though, so I can try and trick myself into filling up sooner and not letting it get too low. 😀 With my old sending unit, it would be out of gas when it dropped just under half way. I swapped the one from my parts car and it was better, but it still read way past F when the tank is full. So on any stock B-body, I'd be afraid to approach 1/4 tank mark...

 

[Krzdimond]

I think he's asking if after you calibrate it, does it JUST fix the "full" problem, or does it "shift" the needle to the left across the WHOLE range. (what used to be 1/2 is now 1/4....kinda stuff)