I am the designer, builder and manufacturer of ELFI/SSIVR solutions for vintage Ford vehicles having a Low Fuel lamp.
The Electronic Low Fuel Indicator (ELFI) is a solution to restore proper (and improved!) functioning of your Low Fuel light. It consists of the ELFI, a Solid State Instrument Voltage Regulator (SSIVR) - which replaces the stock Constant Voltage Regulator (CVR) which mounts on the back of your instrument cluster and supplies a regulated voltage to your gauge, and a two-wire cable which brings SSIVR voltage and fuel gauge signal to the ELFI from the fuel gauge in the cluster.
All that is required to use the ELFI solution is a working fuel gauge (which implies the gauge part of the fuel sender must work as well). The sender can be a standard fuel sender, new or used as long as it works or a low fuel sender with a bad low fuel sensor (the gauge rheostat must work). Any “working” sender, LF equipped or not.
The ELFI comes in two variations, the 67/68 version (SSIVR has spade terminals) or the 69-73 version (SSIVR has 9V battery terminals). For those who are good with electrical/wiring, the ELFI solution could even be added to vehicles without the LF light (add your own light and wire in the ELFI).
What is improved about the ELFI solutions are that “hysteresis” has been incorporated into the circuit. Hysteresis in this case means that when the fuel level gets down to the level which illuminates the LF lamp, the circuit will not extinguish the lamp until the fuel level is a couple of gallons above the level at which the light was turned on.
Here are a couple of slides I made up describing the ELFI solutions.
The kits are $110 shipped to the lower 48 from NJ. PM me to order or for questions.
Just a note that this afternoon I finished developing a mod for the ELFI circuit which ELIMINATES flashing of the LF lamp at threshold COMPLETELY. The mod involves introduction of a ~10 second delay to the fuel gauge signal the ELFI sees. In this way, the sloshing around of fuel affecting the light flashing is eliminated because the slosh does not last that long. This is an electronic version of much the way the fuel gauge works, it lumbers up or down slowly and does not respond to quickly changing readings (which is the reason the LF circuit original and original ELFI flashes at threshold). I have installed the modified prototype in Isabel and will test. Assuming all is well (which I am fairly confident it will be), the enhancement will be included in all ELFI units I sell from now on.
I would also be more than happy to modify anyones existing ELFI for a nominal fee to cover postage and a few small parts, like $10.
Results with an enhanced unit installed in Isabel look VERY good, I cannot make the light flash by shaking the car on the lift at all. Approximately 10 seconds of sustained low reading is now required in order to turn the LF lamp on. Likewise, approximately 10 seconds of sustained reading above the low fuel threshold is required in order to turn the LF lamp off.
Jody (Yorgle) will be receiving his enhanced unit in the next day or so and will give us the daily driver perspective. Expecting great things.
