fuel gauge sender gasket

[bluefoxamazone]

hello!

just removed the gauge sender from the tank... the gasket to seal off the sender from the tank was made out of cork but is now totally gone.

What is the best choice gasket material to make a tight seal? Has someone tried an o ring made out of gasoline resistant rubber? 

Since I am over the pond in Belgium, ordering a new one at the known places in the US is out of the question. I have to make my own.

Any suggestions?

Does the tank need to be grounded properly to get the gauge working correctly?  

If you look at the attached picture you see that the steel wire connecting the float has been soldered. Is this original or has someone before me been playing around with it?

Any help is highly apreciated.

Thanks Franky

 

[Dodgeb4ya]

Why not make your own 1/8" cork gasket....easy to make if for 1941-48 MoPars.

Cork is good...won't leak.

Yes the sender needs a good ground.

But for a 1949-54 MoPar a rubber square profile O-ring is used...

Edited December 2, 2020 by Dodgeb4ya

[Los_Control]

What I have picked up from my local auto parts store  https://www.amazon.com/Fel-Pro-3060-Gasket-Material/dp/B000CNKUGO

I find it handy to have around and would work for you also.

[Sniper]

On my 51 that wire is bolted on, not soldered. 

 

I believe my gasket is some flavor of rubber.  Buna N, or nitrile, is good for gasoline.  Not so good if it has Ethyl Alcohol in it.

[Sharps40]

Rubber innertube

[Los_Control]

Looking at this reminds me of the sender I got from "Tanks" along with the new tank.

It is adjustable two rods like this and a clamp to hold them in place when you set it to the length you want it.

Honestly I think the clamp is so cheesey with one screw to hold it ...am concerned it will rattle loose and float drop off in the tank etc...

My first thought is to set the length and then solder/weld them together so they cant move. Just like yours.

 

Makes me wonder if yours is a aftermarket like mine, This way it can fit many different tanks and be universal, possibly yours was changed some years ago?

I doubt factory would do this, cost more money and labor to make.

 

[normanpitkin]

The original one on my 48 new yorker is rubber

[JBNeal]

the original seal for the sending unit to the tank should be an o-ring that fits in the tank groove...I had enough left of my originals to get them sized at a local industrial supply for pennies...a ground stud can be added for improved gauge accuracy 

[Dodgeb4ya]

I made a mistake....!?

The five mounting screw type senders use a cork gasket up through1948.

 1949 and later senders using the twist lock ring as shown by the OP ....a rubber O-ring is used.

The original O-ring was a square cut ring.

Edited May 26, 2020 by Dodgeb4ya
Stupidity

[bluefoxamazone]

thanks for the info guys!

I can move on with this!

best regards,

Franky

[bluefoxamazone]

would someone know how to solve the instability of the gauge reading? We have repaired the gauge, taken care of a good grounding but the needle jumps up and down while driving... any clue's?

[Sharps40]

Baffle the tank

[DJ194950]

Make sure the gauge inside has a good clean solid ground?

 

Add a jumper wire to ground to the gauge.temporarily to check.

 

DJ

[ptwothree]

Does anyone know the dimensions of the square cut O-ring for the 1949+ cars?  Also, a 7806 voltage regulator wired to the powered side of the gauge will help to stabilize the gauge readings by supplying a steady 6 volts instead of fluctuating voltages. 

Edited June 2, 2020 by ptwothree
correct wrong part number

[LazyK]

I just used a standard round o-ring. 2"id x 1/8 fit perfect in the grove in the tank. purchased from a local industrial distributor for a couple of bucks

[bluefoxamazone]

On 6/2/2020 at 8:25 PM, ptwothree said:

Does anyone know the dimensions of the square cut O-ring for the 1949+ cars?  Also, a 7806 voltage regulator wired to the powered side of the gauge will help to stabilize the gauge readings by supplying a steady 6 volts instead of fluctuating voltages. 

I am not an electronics guy but why would it be nescesary to stabilize the 6 V supply when the needle bounces when you take a turn or hit a hole in the road? If the car stands still the needle doesn't jump at all...and.. is the gauge in the dash reading a voltage variation or a resistance variation? any idea?

[Plymouthy Adams]

the electromagnetic style in your car depends on good clean grounds at the tank and at the gauge and also good clean tight connection on the wire from the gage to the sender and also that this wire not be chaffed and thus grounding out.  Further it relies on good clean positive contact on the resistor wiper.  The gauge has two circuits of which one is constantly pulled toward empty while the tank unit pull it toward full, the clean smooth swipe across the resistor is key to this constant pull circuit altered by the changing value of the resistor determinate by the wiper position.  Any dirt, light contact etc could cause for the loss of this circuit and make the constant ground circuit dominant.  To some degree without baffles you will see some slosh but it should not be a flickering of the needle....but a slow change albeit noticeable when say climbing a steep grade.   My  suggestion follow that of the book to clean all connection very well...you can made the resistor test from the book also to prove the wiper....star washers are key here..

[JBNeal]

Needle bounce can be used to monitor fuel amount in several ways: 

• no bounce when tank is full
• bounce is intermittent when tank is 1/4 full
• no bounce when tank is empty

[Los_Control]

16 minutes ago, JBNeal said:

Needle bounce can be used to monitor fuel amount in several ways: 

• no bounce when tank is full
• bounce is intermittent when tank is 1/4 full
• no bounce when tank is empty

Teachings from the school of hard knocks

 

Actually my 1991 chevy the gauge is very active while driving.