Guys, can you tell me just how a sending unit works? Facts: New tank with 10lts fresh gas Had a hard time removing the su from the old tank as 4 bolts were Frozen Cleaned up the su and that little component resembling a capacitor New rubber matt between tank and body New rubber strips between straps and tank Reassembled in reverse order No gas reading... Is the tank supposed to contact / ground with the body somewhere? 10 lts should give reading right? Thanks
Sounds like you lost the ground. Try running a ground wire from one of the sender mounting screws directly to the frame and see if it works.
You're the man Tom! Thanks its alive... Now, how can i pull it with out the Wire? Only way i see it is the tank contacting the body.
www.tanksinc.com. They have a great tech info on how a sender works, and what's probably wrong when it doesn't and how to fix it. I do believe I ran a ground wire on mine if my memory serves, which usually isn't the case.7
Thanks Texas. Im on my phone now. Ill check it out better when im at the computer tomorrow. Now it reads right on E - empty when i turn the key, meaning the pointer moves just a bit. But it moves. Dont know why but i think it should move more after all its about 2 gals by your standards right?
How many gallons does the tank hold? If the pointer is just off empty with 2 gallons that may be about right. You could try filling to 1/4 tank and see if the pointer indicates about 1/4. Fuel gauges are never dead accurate, even on new cars. The sender originally grounded to the body by way of the fuel line, but if your line has been cut and spliced back together with rubber hose that may be where the ground was lost. I always run an extra ground from the sender to the frame and just leave it. You can't have too many grounds on old cars.
Thanks Dobie. You're correct the line is interrupted but that is not the issue since it was done about a year ago and it read good. The tank is the spectra f31d if i recall correctly the ref. Dont remember precisely how many lts it can hold, but ill do the math Tomorrow (midnight overhere). Thanks again
Btw where exactly did you ground it? The bolts holding the body to the frame on the trunk floor seem good.
LOL, you're probably sound asleep, but I checked. As it turned out, I decided to tackle the rerouting of my problematic fuel vent line tonight, so I was in there anyways. My sender actually does have two terminals...power and ground. Can't help on where you should ground, as I've said before, mine is wired as though it's a fiberglass car, so mine is run back to a grounding terminal strip in the trunk. I'd be more apt to use a sheetmetal screw with a small ring terminal on the wire than to try and use a large bolt....maybe on one of the screws that hold the cover plate(trunk floor) on?? Just remember wherever you do it to get below the ring terminal to clean bare metal and put some dialectric grease on it.
Guys, thank you for your help. Grounding solves the problem. Eventough its just a screw and a wire, I still havent done it. Why? Hamb friends (GasolineDeniz and Sabrina) droped by! They just finished an awsome trip, starting in Switzerland, going thru half europe, Portugal (they where here about 2 yrs ago), back up to England, then to the US, across 21 states then down until Guatemala, and then back home again. It was a full day and night of stories told yesterday (2 yrs later) and way cool and nice folks. And look at what I got from them: Six 1955 and 56 Rod & Custom Issues, awsome!
So at this morning's work meeting, the boss asks us what where we thinking for the 2nd semester this 2017, and what were the projects on which we were going to spend money on. I answered differently, but these were my personal notes from the meeting:
I just installed an original fuel sending unit in my 56 and it didn't have the resistor looking component on it like yours. Does anyone know what that is and why it is there?
I believe it's a condenser. The purpose would be to dampen needle fluctuations when the gas in the tank sloshes.
Good info Tomdob, I've got to add that to my to-do list. My fuel gage does fluctuate like was reacting to fuel slosh as you mentioned. I know there is none on mine either...whatever it is.
Rui....looking at your pic, I can see what may be some numbers printed on that (condenser?), but can't make them out. If you get a minute could you see if they are legible and post them. I'm thinking maybe an electronics store could identify what it is by the part number. TIA Also, where did the sender come from...looks new. Maybe a lead there.
Sorry Texas, only now did I see what you asked for and am not near the car at the moment. I'll get that for you tonight, ok? Sending unit is the original one. I just cleaned it and applied what I usually do when I want things to look good but not completely new: 1 part linseed oil heated up in whatever container you want When warm, 1 part beeswax gets melted into it, stirr When wax is melted, turn off heat and slowly pour in 1/2 part turp, stirr Let it cool and you get a waxy like paste but soft enough so you can rub onto stuff, tools, machines, whatever for that industrial well kept feeling. After appliance, remove excesses, leave it for a bit and buff to light shine. And also it smells wonderfull. I'll get those numbers tonight.
Ah dont get that stuff onto anything youll paint after nor onto electric contacts, for obvious reasons.
Texas, Nalakaya here goes: FDA-18871-A. Under and inside a circle: C-D Sorry bad pic. Hope it helps. Regards
It is a radio noise suppression condenser. It has nothing to do with stabilizing the fuel gauge as radio delete cars didn't have them.
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