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Hi Gang,

I've changed all (4) gauges in my center console, and I will be using this VDO fuel gauge:

https://www.vdo-gauges.com/ins...-ohm-sender-12v.html

The gauge is meant for use with a 240-33 Ohm sender, while the OEM Pantera sender is 200-0 Ohms, according to this older (closed) thread:

https://pantera.infopop.cc/top...420566454#1640065215

It seems that I could add a 35-40 Ohm resistor somewhere in the fuel level measuring circuit and end up with a very good pairing to VDO #301-195.

 Here's the question:

Exactly where would this resistor be inserted into the circuit?

- Between the gauge and the sender signal wire?

- Between the gauge ground terminal and chassis ground?

- Somewhere else?

 Any help would be appreciated...  ;-)

Last edited by George P
Original Post

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 Keep in mind that the very irregular shape of a Pantera fuel tank just does not allow a linear charting of fuel level even with the stock components.  That inaccuracy would remain no matter how or where you installed a “corrective” resistor. 

 I run a VDO fuel gauge with the stock sender. The low fuel connection on the sender has been connected to a small LED idiot light on the console. 

 There are commercially available devices that purportedly allow you to establish  multiple set points and gain a more accurate gauge reading, but in reality with our tanks you would have to start with an empty tank and add incremental amounts of gasoline to establish your set points.

  I understand what you are trying to do, but in the real world I do not think it is really that important.

Whatever sender and gauge combination you have previously been using was always inaccurate and you got used to it, right?

My 2¢

Larry  

Hi Larry, thanks for the reply.

I've been using the OEM Veglia fuel gauge up until this year.

I'm not too concerned with ultimate accuracy...I have become accustomed to the Veglia gauge.  However, I have introduced an additional inaccuracy by utilizing the VDO gauge.  If it can be made better by the addition of a simple resistor, why not?  It certainly can't hurt, right?

 Mike

Last edited by George P

The new gage reads empty at 240Ω, the level sender only goes to 200Ω, thus the gage will never read empty. I would add at least 40Ω to the circuit, for best accuracy when the tank is low.

Add the 40Ω at the back of the gauge, at the fuel sender wire connection. Bill Taylor's drawing shows this wire being white with black stripe.


Regarding closed (locked) topics.

The topics were once set to close automatically based on time. Later I decided that was not something we wanted so I turned-off that feature. Unfortunately a bunch of topics had been closed. There is no way to un-lock topics all at once. They have to be unlocked individually one at a time. There's just too many for me to do that.  But I am more than willing to unlock them as requested. 

So please, if any of you want to revive a locked topic, just write me a PM and I'll be glad to unlock it for you.

Last edited by George P

Thanks George,

I used some clip leads to add a 40 Ohm resistor to the circuit, and the gauge needle moved a bit toward 'empty' on the dial....as expected.  So that's good news.

At some point in the near future, I may drain all of last years fuel from the tank.  If so, I'll incrementally add new fuel back into the fuel tank and take note of the fuel gauge as I refill...just out of curiosity.

Mike

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