Is Your Fuel Gauge Incorrect? TANKS Inc. Can Help Fix That

I’ve got a scenario I want to run by you guys. I’m sure you’ve had a situation where you surprisingly found yourself sitting along the side of the road with an empty fuel tank. It happens. Sometimes, it’s not because you ran the tank dry, but rather, fell victim to an improperly reading fuel gauge. Thanks to TANKS Inc. and its electronic module called MeterMatch, that will be a thing of the past.

Many custom cars feature gauges that are from factory-installed and making sure the ohm reading of the fuel gauge and sending unit is compatible is sometimes overlooked. Fuel-level gauges are designed to work with a specific ohm-range fuel sender. Different automobile and gauge manufacturers use different ohm ranges to correctly operate their gauges. This can cause problems for a person who is updating their vehicle with new gauges or a new gas tank and fuel sender.

fuel gauge

MeterMatch is wired between your sender and your gauge. It reads the resistance of the sender, then based on the calibration values, works as an electronic resistor to drive your gauge to the desired reading. It treats the input and output entirely separately, so it doesn’t care if the input to the gauge is scaled differently than the sender, or if the sender signal is reversed.

MeterMatch allows you to mix and match different gauges and senders, or to make gauges more accurate. This is great if you have a car that is already drivable, as you will not need to remove or change anything to make the gauge work correctly.

The Metermatch can be used with many gauges that have resistive senders — such as fuel, oil pressure, and temperature gauges. In addition, it allows you to have low and/or high set-points that will trigger a bright, blinking, LED indicator to alert if the gauge exceeds normal values.

With this module, you can use your stock sender with virtually all common analog fuel gauges and vice versa. You do not need to drop your fuel tank to change or customize your sender or re-calibrate your fuel gauge. With this simple device, you can ensure your gauges are accurately reading your fuel level.

The MeterMatch interface is a problem-solver that installs between the fuel sender and gauge to correct ohm mismatch and erratic movement due to fuel slosh. To calibrate MeterMatch, set the sender to a known value. For example, fill your fuel tank. Set the MeterMatch to program mode, then with the Up and Down buttons, make your gauge read what you want for that sending unit location. Do the same process with the sender reading a value near the other end of its range, and you are done. MeterMatch interpolates from these values to make the gauge read proportionately at values above, below, and between the calibration values. If you know the resistance of your sender, you can also calibrate to common values, even without the sender being at that specific resistance.

fuel gauge

In the graphic above, the green wires were continuous in stock configuration. MeterMatch is installed in the circuit and interrupts the signal to process it and make corrections.

The basic process of having the gauge read properly from calibration points near each end of the range is fine for most applications, but you can be more sophisticated if you wish. For example, what if your fuel tank is large at the bottom and small at the top? In this case, it won’t read properly throughout the range. MeterMatch provides two additional calibration points between the endpoints. In this case, you could have an additional calibration point where the tank changes size. Another use for these points would be if your tank is cylindrical (like a truck fuel tank). In this example, the gauge is inaccurate at both sides of center. Here, you can add additional calibration points (for example at 30- and 70-percent) and the accuracy is drastically improved.

Key Features

  • User can calibrate a custom range (between 0 to 3,000 ohms)
  • The gauge can be calibrated at empty, full, and two other points, ensuring accurate readings even with odd shaped gas tanks
  • The interface is compatible with nearly any short-sweep fuel gauge and fuel sender combination
  • Easy screw terminal wire connections
  • Compact size, 2.4-inches x 1.85-inches x 0.93-inch
  • Simple rotary knob and push-button calibration
  • Programmable voltage correction
  • Programmable low (or high) alarm (works with available LED indicator)
  • Programmable averaging can be turned on or off to help minimize needle bouncing
  • Can operate on 7 volts DC to 24 volts DC
  • Made in the USA
  • MeterMatch can be located behind the dashboard near the gauge. Wire connections are made via a screw-terminal strip inside.

If you’re tired of your classic leaving you high and dry — and on empty, check out TANKS Inc. to get your gauge accurately working.

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About the author

Randy Bolig

Randy Bolig has been working on cars and has been involved in the hobby ever since he bought his first car when he was only 14 years old. His passion for performance got him noticed by many locals, and he began helping them modify their vehicles.
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