Gas Tank Removal & Fuel Gauge Sending Unit Service

[HanksB3B]

Having a Fuel Guage that works is not an option. For me it worked out to be one of those "Should've Could've Would've" parts of my restoration. It's easy to think that you can get back to that and the access hole in the cab floor will allow you to remove the sending unit if it doesn't work.  Once the cab is on you are toast because the access hole (Hello Detroit) does not facilitate servicing the unit. I think it's important to share this so here goes nothing.

 

Crikey, it turned out to be as much fun wrestling an old croc.  It took forever to drain the full tank of gas but for my other cars it was like a free trip to the filling station as container after container was poured into their tanks. The jack really helped.

 

To start, I used a larger gas container (2.5 gal) and towards the end used this one gallon container.  By removing the front mounting bolts and loosening the rear mount I was able to tilt the whole tank and get all but a couple of gallons out of the tank. In the end, it wasn’t very heavy. 

 

Once the tank was down. I clipped the wire ties, slipped the wooden board out and rested the tank on trucker’s blankets. (Psst...the neighboring tenants didn’t hear a thing)

 

 

Although the corks floated in this bit of gas, they “just” floated and not very robustly.  With the added weight of the brass lever wire it’s doubtful that anything was really happening.

 

Everything was either painted over dirt, rust or crud. It’s highly doubtful there was anything resembling a “ground” connection. Hopefully the mechanism is salvageable.  I’m not sure how to measure the resistance so I’m asking for help here.

 

Restoration and Testing to follow,

 

Hank 

Edited November 10, 2013 by HanksB3B

[_shel_ny]

If single terminal, 1 lead to the terminal, one lead attached to the body of the sender. Slowly move arm.

 

 

EDIT: would expect  0-90 ohms same a car sender

 

Edit :  oops  10-90 ohms (tks Merle)

Edited November 10, 2013 by shel_ny

[_shel_ny]

I had one with a nice wire cone that was detached. Epoxy repair did not hold.

 

Had another with the cone firmly attached, but the wire was toast.

[Merle Coggins]

Yup, like Shel said... Use an ohm meter with one lead on the terminal and one on the flange. Move the arm through it's range and note the ohm reading. It should go from around 10 ohms to around 90 ohms. If it does, add a ground terminal into the body of the sender as I have outlined in other posts and reinstall it with a new float grafted onto the end.

 

Merle

[JBNeal]

if the cab & fuel tank are aligned, the sender can be fished out via the cab access panel.  I've swapped out the sender on the '48 twice over the years, and pulled the one on the '49 last year to verify that it only works if the tank is over 1/2 full.  I've seen retaining ring removers fabricated out of a PVC pipe, but have not tried this yet as I have a nice pair of pliers and a screwdriver that can work that ring off in about a minute.  The float arm should have enough flex in it that when pulling the unit through the cab floor, the unit can be laid over enough so that the float can be pulled out of the tank opening.

[Dodgeb4ya]

I would not be able to remove my tank sender from the top because of mis-alignment of the sender to cab floor hole. Lucky as mine has always worked foer all 40 years I have owned this truck

[HanksB3B]

 

Shel_ny: Thanks for the electrical help.  I’m not exactly what you are describing as “wire cone”.  Either I’m not that into it yet, or mine fell off ?    

 

Merle: Expect to re-visit your old thread on theis topic.  Can you please provide a link or if you remember the exact title of the thread I can search for it.

 

JB: I remembered somewhere it was rumored that the fuel sender could be snaked out with the cab still on the truck but wonder if “yes” depends on the model of the truck.

 

Dodgeb4ya: That’s the way it should be.  In about forty years I hope when I get to be about a hundred I hope to repair it one more time.

 

There were a few reasons I felt I needed to remove the tank and to me it not is very apparent I need to do some paint removal and get down to bare clean metal. Another reason is that if the sender turns out not to be functioning, I have a 6V JC Whitney sending unit still in a box that would require testing and adjustment before the tank is replaced.

 

Thanks, so far so good,

 

Hank 

Edited November 10, 2013 by HanksB3B

[Desotodav]

You've done well Hank. I had a faulty gas gauge a while back. I ended up running out of petrol once - and I started the mission to fix my gauge shortly thereafter! It turned out that there was no float left in my cork float, so I replaced the float with a plastic one. I actually have the arm bent up slightly on my sender unit now so that it shows empty when I have about 1/2 inch of gas left in the tank (sort of gives me a reserve supply of gas). I like your tank removal method. I recall using my feet one end and hands the other to sturdy the tank and drop it down on my chest for removal - things we do hey!

I haven't come across a truck here in Oz yet where the access hole in the cab floor lines up with the sender unit.

[_shel_ny]

wire cone repair that did not stay attached.

[GORDON WRIGHT]

I have just been through this exercise to replace sender unit.

I ordered (TAN-ORG Fuel Tank Sending Unit Early Ford & Mopar Type 5 Hole Design - 73-10 Ohms) @ $35.00)

from http://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=276/category_id=62/home_id=62/mode=prod/prd276.htm

 

My ute does have everything lined up thru the cab and was easy to access. I removed the top plate from original sender and the new one as well.Some trimming of the new sender post was needed to fit  it into the raised impression of the original sender,but nothing any handy owner cannot do. Also soldered the new post to original top plate sufficient to provide good electrical contact.

A small amount of tin work must be filed away to slightly enlarge the hole in the tank, nothing serious though, to get float and sender through.

I have converted the ute to 12 volt and inserted a voltage reducer before the fuel gauge , all works well.

 

Gordon W

[HanksB3B]

There has been some progress but as usual with our trucks it always takes more planning and time than you thought.

 

What I like most about the Forum is the way any one Pilothouse owner can have a different perspective and approach to work in progress. Ingenuity is required for a number of reasons. Part al availability, $$$ (darn if I want to pay NAPA $21 for a foot of 2/14" i.d. hose for the filler tube to gas tank connection when all I need is 4". It means a trip to the junk yard and I guess I should be happy gas is almost ridiculously cheap this past month. (more on this later).

 

The Fuel Gauge Sending Unit is progressing.  The intent is to use the original unit with new cork floats.  I say floats because two pieces of cork are factory.  Where the fuel unit attaches to the gas needs some work especially if I maintain the original 1-wire design without a dedicated ground.

 

Ground...? Ground...? More like dirt.

 

 

 

 

It was either buy a bag of corks from Jo-Anne's or buy two bottles of champagne.   (actually they have a cork recycle box at Bev-Mo and the price was right). 

 

 

Spent a little time at my local machine shop with the bead blaster. That's not silver paint that's raw steel. The center terminal is insulated.  If I were to drill and tap the mounting plate just above the terminal I could provide a ground wire terminal secured with a machine screw and star washer.  What do you think ?

 

Plan is to mount the component parts using Dilectric Grease. I thought all Dielctric Grease was conductive.  Mine say Non-Conductive it is a Protective. If anyone has experience with Dilectric Grease I need to know if it is made as non-conductive and conductive,  Product recommendations would be appreciated.  

 

Thanks for Looking,

 

Hank 

Edited November 21, 2013 by HanksB3B

[HanksB3B]

Bump (could use some help in post above)

 

Thanks,

 

Hank 

[ggdad1951]

I think you may want to seal the cork so it doesn't get gas logged?

[Merle Coggins]

Dielectric grease should be non-conducting. It's purpose is to seal and protect the component, not pass electricity.

 

And when you add your ground screw, be sure it won't interfere with any of the internal components of the sender.

 

Merle

[Jeff Balazs]

Hank;

Is that pressed cork ? or is it solid ? Would be a real bummer if it were to disintegrate in the tank.

Like a lot of stuff these days ........cork ain't what it used to be. Not sure what you would use to seal it with.....but I agree with Mark it should probably be treated with something. When I was restoring my 49 AJS years back the fuel taps on the tank used sealing washers made with cork. The modern replacements were made using a composite pressed cork which had a very short service life. Seems like the material substituted really did not like being in fuel.

 

I wonder if you called Gray Roberts he would sell you one of the floats that come on the senders he sell? Maybe he has something laying around?

 

Jeff

[HanksB3B]

I think you may want to seal the cork so it doesn't get gas logged?

 

Mark,

Thanks you really can't tell by this photo (and who knows if it's factory) but there appears to be no coating or sealant.  A trashed out as the blackened cork from my fuel sender was, it still floated.  Those couldn't possibly have any sealant or coating remaining. Not sure I can make this statement but  "cork floats" that what it does. In nature it is a "closed cell" organism.  Yes in time it will loose some of it's floatation but that will be in another 40 years (guess where I'll be) 

 

 

Mark suggest something that will seal and not be dissolved with gasoline ? thanks, hank.

 

Merle,

I intend to drill and tap a small hole on the opposite side of the housed mechanism. (FS Unit, o-ring, flat washer, star washer, terminal, lock wasker, screw in that order) I found an NOS piece of brown wire for the ground and also found some blue NOS wire with the proper delineating marks originally installed at the factory. (at least something on my truck will be up to Mark's standards) 

 

Jeff,

It is real cork, organic, pretty solid actually and not reconstituted. (you gotta stop drinking that two buck chuck stuff Jeff) Sort of the difference betweem Toms brand Potato Chips (the real thing) and Ruffles which must be manufactured from Instant Potato Mix then chemicals added by "Walt" and fake Cheddar Flavor then extruded and "cooked" by "Walt".

 

I'll admit, I sort of want to be the Gas Tank Float Poster Child someday that said back in the day before plastics... were invented we used cork.

 

Varnish...No...Clear Epoxy...maybe ?

 

Thanks,

 

Hank 

Edited November 21, 2013 by HanksB3B

[Jeff Balazs]

Hank

Hey I resemble that remark. Actually I never touch wine......the stuff tastes like lizard spit to me. Yuck!

 

Cork is basically tree bark......and it ain't as good as it used to be either.

 

Jeff

[ggdad1951]

Hank, gas being what it is....a good solvent....yah maybe an epoxy?   How about an good old hollow brass float?  I know somewhere someone was fixing and reselling them?

[HanksB3B]

Hank

Hey I resemble that remark. Actually I never touch wine......the stuff tastes like lizard spit to me. Yuck!

Cork is basically tree bark......and it ain't as good as it used to be either.

Jeff

 

I'm with you on that,but I do like all the hard stuff ! Some not so much like at 15 two of my buddies and I finished off a magnum of Cutty Sark now..I avoid looking at the label.

 

Hank, gas being what it is....a good solvent....yah maybe an epoxy?   How about an good old hollow brass float?  I know somewhere someone was fixing and reselling them?

 

A brass float would be cheating (wouldn't it Mark  ) 

 

I'm going for it, I don't mind being under my truck

 

Natural Cork Rocks !

 

Hank 

[ggdad1951]

I'm with you on that,but I do like all the hard stuff ! Some not so much like at 15 two of my buddies and I finished off a magnum of Cutty Sark now..I avoid looking at the label.

 

 

A brass float would be cheating (wouldn't it Mark  ) 

 

I'm going for it, I don't mind being under my truck

 

Natural Cork Rocks !

 

Hank 

 

FEF's was brass....(and had a leak)....

[HanksB3B]

FEF's was brass....(and had a leak)....

 

Mine is cork and will eventually sink. Hopefully it'll be decades.  In the meantime don't sell your truck so years from now you can hear the end of the story.

 

Hank 

[Dave72dt]

Hank

Hey I resemble that remark. Actually I never touch wine......the stuff tastes like lizard spit to me. Yuck!

 

 

Jeff

Thanks Jeff. I've always ( never, really) wondered what lizard spit tasted like. How did you come to your conclusion on the taste comparison? Does each type of lizard have different tasting spit? Are some years better than others?

My turn to sit in the corner.

[Young Ed]

Both my 46 and 48 had cork. Now they have plastic. The 48 has the original sender repaired with a float from a 94 dakota sending unit. Hank while you are at the junkyard looking for hose(which a dakota might donate too-they do use a hose like that but I'm not sure of the size) look for a float.

[Jeff Balazs]

Thanks Jeff. I've always ( never, really) wondered what lizard spit tasted like. How did you come to your conclusion on the taste comparison? Does each type of lizard have different tasting spit? Are some years better than others?

My turn to sit in the corner.

Figure of speech. Most of the lizards here eat bugs....or other lizards ....so not a lot of speculation is really necessary.

I was pretty certain I wouldn't offend anyone here as it is a well known fact that most wine drinkers here drive Toyotas, Nissans. or Beemers

 

Jeff

[HanksB3B]

Both my 46 and 48 had cork. Now they have plastic. The 48 has the original sender repaired with a float from a 94 dakota sending unit. Hank while you are at the junkyard looking for hose(which a dakota might donate too-they do use a hose like that but I'm not sure of the size) look for a float.

 

I will look for a float and will watch out for Lizzards.

 

Good to see someone else go off topic for a change,

 

Hank