VDO Fuel Gauge upgrade?

SG · Jul 22, 2017

Why do you believe it's the sender? It's usually the ground, Gunni.

Maine Sail · Jul 22, 2017

Gunni said:
My VDO fuel sender has gone bad for the second time in two years. I am fed up with the lever-arm sender design that VDO insists upon. Can't find a WEMA or Moeller sender that will work with the VDO 10-180 Ohm range. Looking for ideas.

And NO, I'm not interested in a spreadsheet for calculating fuel consumption. I want a reliable, accurate gauge and sender system.

WEMA can do custom senders for Euro gauges but you'll pay more for a custom order... VDO also makes numerous 33-240 Ohm fuel gauges. IMHO it is easiest to simply replace the gauge and sender and be done with it and future proof.. A VDO #301-105 33-240 Ohm fuel gauge runs about $28.00. You'll likely pay less for a new gauge and standard WEMA sender vs. a custom WEMA sender..

Maine Sail · Jul 22, 2017

SG said:
Why do you believe it's the sender? It's usually the ground, Gunni.

The type of sender Gunni has (read bottom of the barrel JUNK) fail with very high regularity and it is rarely the wiring...

This article covers the issues and testing:

Testing a Marine Fuel Sender

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Maine Sail · Jul 22, 2017

Gunni said:
Thanks Maine Sail, replacement of the entire system seemed to be the best solution, since it gives me access to the Moeller direct-read sender system using the common 23-240 ohm range. I have read your excellent write-up and that informed my decision. Pricing parts it makes most sense to change gauge and sender. There is a Ohm converter box sold by the car guys but it costs $125, while a new gauge is less than $50.

There are tons of fuel gauges out there in 33-240 Ohm. Usually you can find one for under $30.00... Faria, WEMA/KUS, Stewart Warner, VDO (Yanmar OEM), SeaStar, Moeller, Datcon (Universal/Westerbeke OEM), VeeThree etc. etc....