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MG MGB Technical - Fuel gauge question...

I'm over from the TD/TF forum.... I have a 'kit' car in which I just installed an MGA fuel gauge sender (had to have the bolts as it is a fuel cell).... I have an MGB fuel gauge which I would like to use (it matches my other gauges)
When I hook it up, it goes straight to 'full' and stays there...if I hook up an MGA fuel gauge, it operates as it should.
I read the info on MGGuru site and didn't see what the actual difference was between the A and B gauges/senders.

With both gauges I used the 'T' tank wire, the 'B' power wire and a ground from the centre mounting post.... the sender has the ground and sender wire hooked up....


Is there anything I can do to use the B gauge?

gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

Correct - the MGA uses a Jaeger set-up and the MGB uses a Smiths set up. The two are opposite to each other. I think you will find that if you turn the MGA sender upside down, the B gauge will sit on E.

I seem to recollect somewhere that this was overcome by someone in one of the US MG clubs, but cannot remember what was done or by whom.

The image you attach is the MGA gauge - that should work alright, yes?

A thought: If you are very dextrous, you could break open the MGB gauge, remove the top shadow panel and put it into the MGA gauge..?
Hal Adams

Gordon - You need either a MGA gauge or a early MGB (1965 or earlier) Jaeger to match the MGA sender or get a later (66 on) MGB Smiths sending unit as Hal states above. Cheers - Dave
Daved DuBois

Does the MGA sender fit on top of the tank, or on the side, like a B?
Dave O'Neill2

Thank you for the comments... I assumed the senders and gauges must be specific to each other....

The MGA sender is mounted dead centre in a 10 gallon fuel cell (in the side)....it happens to be exactly the right 'throw' of the float...

The MGA gauge works fine (except it reads 3/4 when full)....again, read the 'calibration' section of that site and think I will be able to calibrate it....a job for another day....

The MGA gauge is erratic with movement.... when it is low in the tank, the needle bounces around....not a huge problem.

If the MGB gauge would work upside down, it should have just gone to 3/4 when I first added a gallon or two of fuel (the float was just an inch or two above bottom...just floating.... but it went all the way to full..... think turning the sender upside down might not work?

I suppose I could make a bracket of some kind to install an MGB sending unit....but it is quite a job to remove the tank to get at it at this point....

Again...thanks for the info....



gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

The Jager gauge and sender unit has not damping whatsoever. The fuel level reading changes as you go around corners. Cheers - Dave
Daved DuBois

Hi jacking this thread, anyone on here know anything about Jaguar XK fuel gauges, specifically XK150s. I have not had much luck with on a couple of specialist forums.
Stan Best

Gordon, do you know that the early MGB sender units also have the six hole mounting like the MGA ones do? The 10 gallon tank on the B is similar to (if not the same as) the tank on the A. The later MGB has a 12 gallon tank and the sender is held in by a locking ring. The two sender units you are talking about should be a straight swap, not needing a bracket of any kind.

Your gauge does look like an early B gauge.

The erratic gauge is actually useful. Depending on how much the needle swings, you can tell how much fuel is in the tank. If you still have fuel on a right hand bend, the tank is full. If there is no movement on a left hand bend, it's time to fill up! I suppose this only works when the gauge is at the side of the tank.

Mike
Mike Standring

This thread was discussed between 03/10/2012 and 09/10/2012

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