VW Bus Fuel Gauge Sender Repair

Busaru.com - Need to replace or repair the fuel sending unit on your VW Bus? Well follow along as I show you how I repaired mine on a 1977 Bay Window. My fuel gauge wasn't registering anything even with a good amount of fuel in the tank. I tested the gauge and it worked well when grounded out so it stood to reason that the sender or wiring was bad. I cut an access hole in the rear cargo area and pulled the sender out to reveal that the metal bridge in the sender had come apart. This ended up being a fairly simple repair and I think most people could handle it. Cost to repair: $0.

[@dug2220]

Cool. My sender was reading at full, but once it got part way down would drop to empty. While doing an engine swap (stock for stock) I replaced the sender, so no hole. But in the plumbing industry, we use a portable break (used for bending sheet metal in the field) that would have made your patch match the valley in the deck. Also masking tape can prevent silicone from getting out of hand. Denatured alcohol prevents silicone from sticking to surfaces and paint thinner works for cleaning up silicone if it gets onto other surfaces and you can smooth it out... Now to dig up my old sender and see if I can get it working again. Thanks for the video!

[@joshuawilliamson9162]

Thanks for the video! I've been tracking the mileage on post it notes for mine as well. Getting a bit tired of it.

[@lanceleo6460]

Great job! Love the video. My 78 westy has a functional gauge at the moment, but I do question the accuracy. Certain its not eating fuel as its indicating. Thank you for putting this together.

[@enoz.j3506]

Hi ,first of all well done in finding the problem and fixing it,most dont bother,which is a shame.just a couple points for reliability sake only,you did good with the copper wire,resistive wire wont solder ,your right,crimping is the only way,sort that and make sure your soldered joints are flowing to both parts,you then have a good reliable sender,well done.

[@OlavBergman]

you gave me guts to take my spitfire sender appart, good video. Thanks!

[@Busaru]

Sweet! Glad to hear it gave you the inspiration!

[@freisian82]

great video man, mines not reading in my 1974 camper and this video helped a lot. happy trails :)

[@mikemarch5480]

So the location as stated in the video was proper for the 74?

[@KA4UPW]

someone did the same before i owned my bus. i bought a steel access panel and installed it, looks great and can be opened in the future

[@TheRobs114]

GRACIAS AMIGO ME SIRVIO MUCHO SALUDOS, QUE SIGAN RODANDO ESOS VW BUS

[@rikshaw8429]

@busaru thank kyou sir! Problem solved! (my resistance wire was broken at the solder point.

[@carslover3509]

great job like it

[@MrRomynacido]

Nice video, thanks a lot!

[@Busaru]

Thanks Romy!

[@pecka2k]

Nice work. I have to watch milage on mine and carry a can of fuel. Cant be bothered to fix it. All part of the fun!

[@Busaru]

pecka2k Haha, I've had a couple of cars like that - It was all fun until I misjudged once, I ended up pushing about 20 yards. I totally lucked out.

[@frankunderwood8357]

Thanks for the great content! I have a 1981 T3 1.6D. The fuel guage moves up to a little under half full, but after a while it just drops to zero. The coolant temp needle does not move at all, but the overheating light blinks at startup. I don't know if these two probelms are related. Any idea on if this is a fuel guage, sender or wireing problem and how to diagnose it further?

[@Teddietonbear23]

Had this trouble since I had my bus 8. Years ago, still not working tryed everythink 🚎🚎🚎🚎

[@Busaru]

+Clarebear1973 Cooper replace that sucker and check your wires and the gauge itself.

[@locosporlosvolkys7640]

Wao! Excelente video, aprendí mucho y voy hacerle lo mismo a mi panel 66 para tener acceso al fuel sender .

[@marianna839]

what size hole cutter did you use?

[@classlessbozo317]

My gauge is showing half a tank when it is full. I have taken the earth wire back to the battery and also tested for correct voltage. Is it possible the sending unit can read but send an incorrect resistance reading to the gauge?

[@edward9862]

Thx.

[@FullThrottleBHP]

Was looking for some help, have a 79 bus that the gas gauge was not showing proper. Replaced the sending unit and now it is only showing full tank. When tested out of the tank while hooked up it seemed to work properly and relay empty to full as the sending unit was moved, felt confident in the operation and installed into the tank and sealed up the plate but now it is not moving. Is there a way to tell which wire is which for the sending unit and does it mater? Also is there a certain position it needs to be installed into the tank? Kind of lost where to go from here any advice is greatly appreciated.

[@philiplyon7327]

nice video thanks my dia reads odd it bounces up to full then goes to half then falls to empty in about 15 mins ?? still ill try it all out thanks again

[@Busaru]

Good luck sorting it out!

[@type2523]

I like that you made two holes but you used one ,measure one =cut twice ,measure 2 drill one s

[@darkovsky]

Hi Busaru, i have almost same problem on my VW T2 '79. When tank is full will show full but will show empty though there is half tank fuel inside left. I do also have access to the tank under the mattress in the back, what would you suggest to start looking at on the +/- cables on the hauge without taking apart it first? I will also spray some WD40 to the terminals though i do not think problem is there as the fuel indicator in the dashboard seems to respond/moving but not accurate. Or should i consider having a look on the dashboard for some other issue? Do you also think that the position of the plastic float is not correctly aligned inside my fuel tank? Thanks

[@NickMaiorsky]

Vermont license plate , Like :)

[@Takunrsx]

thx alot man, im really close of geeting a VW kombi for myself, and i was thinking an engine swap, it may not be a Subaru like yours but it gives me enough confidence to do it just one question tho, are you a full time mechanic or just a DIY enthusiast?

[@Busaru]

That's cool that you're going for one of these classics. They are getting more and more rare so it's a good idea to snag one while they're still around! I am a full time engine swapper :) It's not my favorite thing to do brake repairs on Subaru's, etc. But it pays the bills. My biggest joy is doing engine swaps and interesting builds (vegoil conversions, electric vehicles, subaru swaps, etc).

[@Takunrsx]

Busaru thats great man, i hope my attempt for restore the my van pays out, it has been sitting oustide for a year so, i hope its still fixable

[@BalloonsBlow]

+Busaru Nice video,very help full.Got a question for you. I hooked up the wires backwards on top of the sending unit by mistake and then turned the key on. The gauge went up a little then went back down so I reversed the wires the right way and the gauge did'nt move.I checked the ohms on the sending unit and got no reading at all I think the sending unit is bad, but my real question is did I do any damage to the fuel gauge or vibrator by hooking the wires up backwards? thanks

[@boyettedesign]

Wow... I do a search for issues with my Vana-RU... and it always comes up with your videos. So, the issue I have (this time) is my fuel gauge. I used the Subaru instrument cluster when I did the conversion. I wanted a tachometer and the original 82 VW cluster ribbon cable cracked if you touched it. So, now when I fill up my bus, it only shows half a tank. The fuel sending unit is the one originally in the bus. I thought maybe a universal sending unit would solve the issue... but... there is NO universal sending unit I can find that will fit the existing tank opening. Any ideas??? Keep them videos coming... as you are about the best source for issues I have with my Vana-RU.

[@Busaru]

Thanks BJ, I appreciate the kind words. For the fuel level you may want to determine what resistance the original Subaru sender is looking for when full and empty. See if you can find those scales on a Vanagon sender or manipulate it in some way to have approximately the same values. It’d be a fun project to try, maybe I’ll look into that someday. Cheers!

[@rafaelmartinez3866]

I have a 68 bus same problem but when i open the key the gas needle jumps could it be this problem? And my speedometer is out as well any ideas?

[@Busaru]

+Rafael Martinez hi Rafael, the speedo is mechanical off the front driver hub - take a look at that. The key fuel tank thing is probably an electrical issue - only one way to find out...

[@HollywoodMGB3]

what size hole did you cut?

[@Busaru]

+HollywoodMGB3 I used a big 6" hole saw. You might be able to get away with less but that worked well for me.

[@Set22Kill]

Where you guys located?

[@Busaru]

WAY off the beaten path in the mountains of Durango Colorado. Far from the interstate.

[@gigglecompass1]

Vermont plates: no title, huh? :)

[@Busaru]

+Matthew Lockwood Not quire sure what you mean.

[@gigglecompass1]

+Busaru sorry I wasn't clear: I registered my Bus in Vt, because it didn't have a title. It's a workaround. Love your videos, very informative!

[@Busaru]

Matthew Lockwood Oh right on, so you did the VT thing too - I love that!

[@glennborchardt3533]

Hack a hole in the bus to replace a sender. No thanks, I will pull the engine to make the repair the correct way. Otherwise a decent video.

[@Busaru]

+Glenn Borchardt definitely not for everyone! I'd advise against this method for those with pristine vehicles. I don't have show car VW's since my primary focus is to put Subaru engines into them.

[@type2523]

Glenn Borchardt holes =ugly=bare metal=rust=rustholes

[@thetoymaker9404]

@@Busaru the sender unit is about the same in motocycles?