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Fuel gauge sender question

PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 4:24 pm
by Oldbike99
Does anyone know what the electrical resistance range should be for the fuel level sender in a 1949 KBS-5? Thank you in advance.
oldbike99

Re: Fuel gauge sender question

PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:37 pm
by autoholic
Check with Tri-Starr fuel sending unit repair (315) 712-0071 they can answer your questions or repair your existing unit ( www.tristarrradiator.com)

John

Re: Fuel gauge sender question

PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:41 pm
by cornbinder89
The King seeley gauges used in the K series do not have a flat resistance range. They are a pulsed sender with the pulse being part of the what the sender changes.
What this means is: you must replace with a similer type sender. King Seeley changed how they made the system in the 50's switching to one pulsed regulator AHEAD of the guage head and simple resistance type sender. This is true for all the gauges (temp,oil pressure, and fuel). You can not mix the senders made for the later (50's and up) with the earlyer system and have it work. You can, however sub in a later system (Ford, Chry and IHC used the same system up to the 70's at least) into the earlyer dash by adding the pusled regulator and instlling newer gauges (just change the faceplates) and senders.
There are places that will re condition your sender. Failing that, you need to find a OEM sender from the 40's.
The K series shop manual goes into detail on how the system works.

Re: Fuel gauge sender question

PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:39 am
by jlvkb8
I think 10 ohm, but tris star didn't get mine right after two attempts to repair is just reads half when full ,

Re: Fuel gauge sender question

PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:35 am
by cornbinder89
jlvkb8 wrote:I think 10 ohm, but tris star didn't get mine right after two attempts to repair is just reads half when full ,

Thats because they tried to use a flat resistance sender like the newer King Seeley 's used. The early ones are different.

Re: Fuel gauge sender question

PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:13 pm
by bedrockjon
I think 10 ohm, but tris star didn't get mine right after two attempts to repair is just reads half when full



on the back of your gauge itself , if you remove it from dash unit, there are limiter dials for high/low on the gauge reading,

you CAN adjust these and perhaps get a more accurate reading, don't move em too far, a little goes a long way

I know this isn't the "approved" cure, but sometimes with old trucks you gotta get out of the rut and do something else to make it work.

NOS senders do show up on ePay once in a while, I've gotten a few

Re: Fuel gauge sender question

PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 6:47 pm
by tom fleming
Ok, I have seen some on eBay as well. Will the earlier D series work on the K-Series guages? I have seen some sender's that look really close, but the part number listed on eBay does not match up to anything in the MT52 manual. Based upon what I have seen, I would expect that they were for ealier trucks. I also presume that ones with brass floats instead of cork were for the later L series. Am I making bad assumptions here?

Re: Fuel gauge sender question

PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 6:50 pm
by tom fleming

Re: Fuel gauge sender question

PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:24 pm
by bedrockjon
tom fleming wrote:For example, this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-IHC-DOD ... 8d&vxp=mtr



that one is for a newer truck the # is 5 digit C-58483, probably 60s,

the C # for your K1-3 is 4 digit C-8432 IHC # 95325H, K4-5 IHC # 95349H, C-8430.

K6-7 under set is 63483HA, no C # listed in my book.

the larger one would work, just gotta tweak arm a little so it doesn't sit on the bottom of tank before bottoming out,

Re: Fuel gauge sender question

PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:06 am
by jlvkb8
FYI when I sent my original Sender to tri-starr to be repaired for the second time I also sent my gauge,my sender came back looking new but only went up to half full. Its in my garage on a shelf now since I had purchased a used sender which worked correctly. I got tired Of trying to convince Tri Starr that my used newly purchased sender worked correctly than there expensive rebuilt sender which was my original . I am really disappointed since I sent it there based on our members comments from Old IHC,
BTW I had the entire Instrument Cluster redone by one of our members Larry L. and it Looks and works Great !!!