I seem to be posting alot in this section :P
Iv been having a problem with my petrol meter since i first got my 72 super.
Ill drive the bug till it is showing just above the red area (R sign) but when i fill it up the pump only allows me to fill about 26 litres when i know the tank is 36l.
After i fill the tank as much as the pump will allow, the meter only ever shows half.
Often the line, when the car has been stationary for a while, will move back and forth a fair bit
Im quite confused, could this be an issue with where the reader is positioned in the tank?

take the car to a VW shop

Sbug tanks are 42L

sounds like you probably need a new float

Probably a blocked breather tube not allowing the tank to fill completely,the top half of the tank uses another section of the fuel sender.

yeah just take the sender out give it a quick once over move it up and down and see if it changes correctly on your speedo... then put it back in. IMO that would be the first point of call. Just dont smoke near the sender

Would the sender be the part in the middle of the tank?

Yeh, just undo the 4 screws and it lifts out.

Thanks, ill give it a go and let u know

Sbug senders can be a pain to get out

they rotate anti-clockwise to unlock from the tank but then u gotta get the 2 arms to come out with out tying knots in each other or bending

Ok so i removed the sender. Both floats seem to be in fine condition.
Its quite hard to test if they are working properly so im lost as to what to do?

it will either be the float or the guage thats gone bad
the guage is easy to test

turn on the the ignition and pull the yellow wire on the sender off and touch it on something metal
if the gauge goes upto full then problem is the sender

if it only goes up to half or whatever the highest its reading then its the gauge

If you have the sender out try running a new earth wire to it.
There will be a wire screwed down with one of the bolts that holds it in,this wire needs to have a good ground.Make sure there is no paint around where it contacts the sender and that it has a good connection at the other end.
Bad earths are one of the main causes of electrical problems in cars and are often overlooked.

yea good point matt
when they go they usually die completely

Ok now im really confused.
I pulled off both wires and tried them
The one on the left, when i placed it on some metal it slowely ran to empty then literally jumped up to past full in little increments
The wire on the left (which im guessing is ground) kept the meter the same when i pulled it off???
Im so confused, i pulled the sender out earlier and the floats seem fine, no holes, no fuel getting into them

The reading on the meter seems to be very sporadic now that im focussing on it, it will read differently each time i turn the ignition!

the guage pegging full when you ground the sender wire (the black one) is a sign theres not much wrong with the guage

did it take real long to reach full?
shouldnt take more than 3-5secs

but sounds like the float windings may be worn

Is a new sender a good idea?
What are the float windings?