Fixed my original fuel sender...

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boeing7873
Argentina
Posts: 197
Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2008 10:50 am
Location: Atlanta
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Fixed my original fuel sender...

Post by boeing7873 »

I ran my truck on propane since from 2006 (previous owner did conversion) until last year. Now that I started using my gas tank again, I wanted to fix the fuel gauge. Testing as described in other posts proved that the instrument on the panel was working correctly, but sender was not. I started measuring resistance between the sender top aluminum body and the lilac cable connector. Results were always variable and inconsistent.
I decided to dismount the sender from the tank and disassemble. Start by the nut at the bottom, protection tube should come out easy after nut and bottom cap are removed.
The problem was corrosion and degradation of a plastic part that sits right under the cable connectors. (mine has the empty warning light option).
Right under the lilac cable blade connector, sits a sandwich of parts, all held together by a brass rivet, head visible on top.
The sandwich consists of the blade connector, the black plastic support, the sender aluminum body with the six holes, the ground end of the resistor cable brass arm, a plastic or Bakelite washer, the signal end of the resistor cable brass arm, and finally another washer holding the end of the rivet.
The issue was that not even making strong pressure in this sandwich, I could get reliable resistance. Corrosion between all these parts isolated them making signal null or unreliable.
I drilled a hole, maybe 3mm, through the rivet, took the rivet out, sanded all metal parts and assembled using a screw/nut, instead of rivet.
The resistor wire broke during manipulation, so be ready to solder...
Hope it helps, saved me $100!
Jerome
CRJ Driver
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