Jump to content

Fuel gauge on 1980 TR7


Recommended Posts

Hi -  my fuel gauge level moves all over the place with the fuel in the tank sloshing from side to side going round bends. There's no damping at all on the gauge.  Am I missing a tank sender unit voltage stabiliser or something similar to stop this happening? Or have I got a different problem? 

Cheers

Frank

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have the same on mine. Lack of baffles in the fuel tank I guess.

As interest there isn't a Voltage Stabiliser fitted to the fuel or temp gauge cct. It uses a bridge cct to balance small changes in the supply voltage.  

Dave   

Link to post
Share on other sites

Sorry no the box you have shown is the low fuel warning relay and delay unit, Part No. TKC4017. This unit is commonly mistaken for a voltage stabiliser.

If in doubt please check the cct for the TR7.

Dave 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Dave

I am sure you are right in this case but beware that the Triumph drawings are not always the same as the car.

On another forum there is someone trying to work out how to connect the two wires on his car to a new choke cable switch which only has a single terminal (like mine). The switch was changed from two to one terminals which means there was an associated wiring change which is not recorded anywhere I have found....

Cheers

Howard

Link to post
Share on other sites

Howard,

1980's cars have the switch in series with the supply and to work must have two leads. One to the supply and the other to the warning bulb.

Whereas pre 1980's cars have the switch as earth return. Now no colour is given for the earth return as it is obtained through the choke cable mounting bracket. Hence one lead from the warning bulb. As per the Dolomite.

If he has two leads then please don't connect any of them to a single terminal switch as when it closes it will short out the supply to earth.

The info is in the Triumph handbook cct, though the way they are drawn they can be very confusing.

Dave

Link to post
Share on other sites

Howard, 

Having taken a look at the single terminal switch it does have it's earth return through the choke mounting bracket. It's part number, 137607, is the same as the Dolomite. As such it is not a direct replacement for the two terminal switch.

There are a number of solutions. - 1/ Obtain a good secondhand two terminal type. 2/ Is to have an earth seeking relay which is operated by the switch and the relay contacts operating the warning bulb. 3/ Is to very carefully insulate the earthing terminal on the switch from the choke cable and then attach a lead to this to form the other connection. 4/ Rewiring, by hacking the printed cct on the back of the instrument panel. This would involve removing the earth from the warning bulb and replacing it with the supply voltage. The bulb lead at the switch would then be earth seeking through the singe terminal switch.

Hope that helps

Dave 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Dave

Problem already solved for a French TR7 owner else before I made the post. My original '81 UK drawings from Triumph show a switch with two terminals, but my 81 version only has one & works without any mods....

My conclusion the original drawing is incorrect, which is all I was attempting to say in my message. With the various locations our cars were made at there are unrecorded mods that we need to be aware about :)

Cheers

Howard

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 years later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Hi, 

my fuel gauge never gets above half full. Don’t know if the sender is ok. 
Do I have to drain the tank to remove the sender and can it be removed without taking the tank off?

interestingly my temp gauge never moves off cold even though the water temp is correct at 83 degrees. 

Could it be a common voltage problem?

 Thanks 


 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Barry, yes it's advisable to drain the tank before attempting to remove the sender but the fuel pipe comes off the same circular fitting so you'll know if you have fuel above the level of the sender before taking it out. The sender can be removed without dropping the tank as it's mounted on the front of the tank. It's held in by a metal ring with two tabs on it which will enable you to tap it round to release it.

I have a similar problem with temperature gauge having replaced a sender recently. It reads cooler than the previous one which went faulty. I understand new ones vary in quality but I've not yet found out who makes the good ones. For now I'm running with one I bought from Robsport which gives me a stable reading at around teh quarter mark.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Please familiarise yourself with our Terms and Conditions. By using this site, you agree to the following: Terms of Use.