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Fuel Level Switch


Kiwi_Roy

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Inlet blow-off is a sure sign of throttle body imbalance/ out of tune.

Have yourself a fine time loving on your V11 and perform the "Decent Tune-up."

 

She will quite likely love you back for it! :wub:

 

(Then we can go from there with other bits . . . :luigi:   )

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Yeah, I would start with the bulb for the fuel light issue. You can also pull the fuel intake and fuel level sensor out. Make sure the fuel intake is clean, and you can test the fuel level widget while it is out. It is, as I understand it, a resistor that has high resistance as long as it is cooled by the fuel. That keeps the light from lighting up as the resistor won't flow enough current to light the light. But as the fuel level goes down the resistor is no longer submerged in the fuel and is thus not cooled down by it as much. That allows the resistor to warm up and its resistance goes down allowing it to flow more electricity and that lights the light.

The wifes V11 is consistently ridden to around 140 miles on a tank or more. She often hits 180 miles on a tank. Having a range of 100 miles would suck.

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Yeah, I would start with the bulb for the fuel light issue. You can also pull the fuel intake and fuel level sensor out. Make sure the fuel intake is clean, and you can test the fuel level widget while it is out. It is, as I understand it, a resistor that has high resistance as long as it is cooled by the fuel. That keeps the light from lighting up as the resistor won't flow enough current to light the light. But as the fuel level goes down the resistor is no longer submerged in the fuel and is thus not cooled down by it as much. That allows the resistor to warm up and its resistance goes down allowing it to flow more electricity and that lights the light.

The wifes V11 is consistently ridden to around 140 miles on a tank or more. She often hits 180 miles on a tank. Having a range of 100 miles would suck.

180? Dang. I need to keep off the throttle more...

 

 

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On my first ride of the Mighty Scura, I was at 165 miles, and thought.. Hmmm, I wonder if that low fuel light is working?"  :mellow: It wasn't. Fortunately, I found a gas station shortly. 

To test the light, just ground the plug at the switch. Those thermisters are apparently pretty fragile. Mark had a box of switches at MG Classics and told me to see if I could find a good one.  :thumbsup:  I ohmed them all out, and found one with some resistance. It's still in it, but I had to put a different connector on it.  

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Yeah, I would start with the bulb for the fuel light issue. You can also pull the fuel intake and fuel level sensor out. Make sure the fuel intake is clean, and you can test the fuel level widget while it is out. It is, as I understand it, a resistor that has high resistance as long as it is cooled by the fuel. That keeps the light from lighting up as the resistor won't flow enough current to light the light. But as the fuel level goes down the resistor is no longer submerged in the fuel and is thus not cooled down by it as much. That allows the resistor to warm up and its resistance goes down allowing it to flow more electricity and that lights the light.

The wifes V11 is consistently ridden to around 140 miles on a tank or more. She often hits 180 miles on a tank. Having a range of 100 miles would suck.

180? Dang. I need to keep off the throttle more...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The tank is what, 5 plus gallons? at 40 mpg (that is typically what she gets) she should be able to do 200 miles on a tank. But that might be pushing it (so to speak).

Hers is not stock, it has pipes, a PC3, and head / cylinder work with better breathing and more compression. It isn't a slouch, and she doesn't ride it like one. But where and how you ride does play a large part in mpg. We are the type who try not to slow down for corners (slowing down means you have to burn more fuel to speed back up). But we are getting old and don't ride as aggressively as we used to.

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I don’t think I ever put more than 4.8 gallons in mine even after running it out of gas...

I think the consensus is that there is less than 5 gal of usable fuel.

FWIW I usually only get 36 mpg on mine...

Same here: 35.5-36.5 miles/US gallon. I have measured 5.1 gallons from mine a couple times. Don't make me post proof! :grin:

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My average is 35 according to my app. 40 is my highest. The most I’ve even gone on a tank was 160. The most I’ve ever put in the tank was 5 gals.

 

I never take the freeway, it’s usually windy mountain roads so that has a lot to do with it.

 

 

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I've learned to be watching for a faint glow of the fuel level light at 135-140 miles. In my early tank (chin pad with external pump and filter), that would take a 4.1 or 4.2 US gallon fill and a safe 25 miles to get fuel.  The light will go out on an up hill, in a left-hander, or harder on the throttle. If you wait until the light stops its faint glow, go-off-come-on dance and comes on full bright: you are >out   (Yep, learned that the hard way . . .)

 

I recently had this so tightly scheduled and had to detour my route, got caught behind slow moving traffic and she sputtered out at 165 miles. I felt it coming on and cut the motor off, coasted into a safe pull-off and performed a very deep "tip-slosh" to the left.  Rode the last couple miles like nothing had happened. :blush:

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Well, this turned into a mileage @#$$#! measuring contest pretty quickly.

 

Going back to the fuel level thermistor thing... I need to wade through the 14 pages of who gets the best mileage to see what the specs are. (Yes, I was posting my mileage a few pages ago, guilty!)

 

Here's Roy's post on Wild Goose: https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=75423.0

 

There must be another option for the thermistors. I assume there's no part number on the Guzzi one?

 

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/threads/fuel-guage-question.157800/

 

I wonder if this is more like the Guzzi thermistor?

 

https://www.southbayriders.com/forums/threads/135817/

 

Another possible option: Ametherm NT05 15291

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Well, this turned into a mileage @#$$#! measuring contest pretty quickly.

 

Going back to the fuel level thermistor thing... I need to wade through the 14 pages of who gets the best mileage to see what the specs are. (Yes, I was posting my mileage a few pages ago, guilty!)

 

Here's Roy's post on Wild Goose: https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=75423.0

 

There must be another option for the thermistors. I assume there's no part number on the Guzzi one?

 

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/threads/fuel-guage-question.157800/

 

I wonder if this is more like the Guzzi thermistor?

 

https://www.southbayriders.com/forums/threads/135817/

 

Another possible option: Ametherm NT05 15291

Probably okay with our learning what to expect from what we already have? Looks like most of us are getting very similar results. Sure, there are a lot of vagueries (US gallons vs Imperial gallons vs liters of fuel,  miles vs km), as well as the two different V11 tank configurations . . .

 

Yet, most seeming component failures ("fuel level sensor does not light the light") often come down to bad connection(s), wiring, or a burnt bulb.

 

Great to have sources for compatible parts, unless the trouble, rather, is interpretation or connections.

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  • 1 month later...

I keep looking for uses for reed switches, those of you who have an old loop may recognize this 

IMG-1297.jpg

Underneath it has 3 2 Amp switches activated by tiny magnets embedded in the lever. The lamps I use are LED so they don't draw a lot of current

Because I'm still using the original sealed beam headlight I added a relay in the headlight bucket to select Low or High beam.

The levers are just held in place by the magnets and small bits of steel screws act as an indents. I have since replaced the wires with a small cable salvaged from a computer mouse. The levers are a little different now, I will try to remember to get a better picture.

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  • 1 year later...

Is there any new info on a replacement for the fuel level switch?

After taking my tank apart in order to get it painted it seems as the switch has given up.

I've tried testing the fuel light by powering it directly and that lights it up nicely so I'm suspecting the fuel level switch of causing the fuel light to no longer work.

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