The senders are definitely different. Of course the Syncro one costs an arm
and two legs from VW.......the last one I got was over $100.

To test the sender: disconnect the wires at the sender, connect a jumper
between the two at the plug. If the gauge goes full, the sender is bad. If
no, next check that the brown wire in the plug is actually a good ground,
either with a meter or by grounding the other wire to the van's chassis.
Remove the gauge from the panel and test with 12 volts to determine if it is
bad. I've never found a bad gauge, most likely the sender or the connections
on the sender are bad, as the Syncros tend to collect lots of damp debris
there.

Karl

----- Original Message -----
From: Markus Benne <mbenne@CROSSKEYS.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 1999 3:17 PM
Subject: Fuel Gauge Sender Question

> Does anyone know if the sender for a fuel gauge is the same for a Syncro
> as it is for a non-syncro?
>
> My guage isn't working on my '87 Syncro and if its the sender, I'd like
> to find out how
> hard it is to find a replacement.
>
> Can anyone suggest a simple way to test which component is bad?
> ie gauge, sender, wires...
>
> Thanks,
> ...Markus
>
> '87 Syncro Abenteuer