The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Need new sending unit

The tread completely came off my right front tire the other day goin 60 down the highway. Thank God i was able to stop without crashing! Anyway we took it to get 4 new tires and i asked them to check out my fuel gauge problem that ive had (nothing register, meter just goes all the way past full always). I don't own an ohmmeter or whatever so i havent been able to see if a bad wire was the culprit. They checked it out and the invoice recommended a new sending unit, although they couldnt find one for my truck. I'd like to find one and put it in myself and save the $3,500,000 for labor fees. I just need to know if the sending unit is just the part sitting ontop of my fuel tank or if it actually goes down in to the tank, also is it easy or does a professional need to do it?

Thanks in advance,

Preston

the sending unit for your truck will be available from any of the vendors .... it's a float assembly that goes into the tank, what's on top is just the "base", but is an easy install, take out the old one, put in the new one

Bill

Mine no longer works either. Is it possible to repair/overhaul these units? I'd like to keep my original because the replacement units I've seen are cheap crap from China. Anyone know of a service that works on them? Where could I send mine?

Thanks,
Spot

Yes the sending unit is directly on top of your fuel tank, i recently replaced mine. I got a new one from Classic Industries as well as a gauge and have had no problems with it.

1965 Chevy C10, You don't need an OHM meter. I have several OHM meters and seldom use any when working on my trucks. What I use is a test light, which is basically a light with a test lead attached to it. You can make one by doing just that. Take a piece of wire with a clip on the end and solder to the brass side of an instrument light, wrap some electrical tape around the brass. You can buy a test light at your FLAPS for less then $10.

Spotbiltxo, In most cases the sending unit can be repaired. The common problems are either a leak in the float or a broken connection on the unit. The floats are available from the FLAPS for about $5. There was a recent thread on repairing a broken strap on a sending unit;

https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=533468#Post533468

Hope that helps.

Larry

I suppose you can test for continuity with a test light but it seems much simpler to me to use the ohm meter. To me using a test light to troubleshoot electrical problems is like using vise grips on lugnuts. Why not use the proper tool for the job?

I'm not saying that VOM is not required for working on automotive electrics. There are incidents were there is no substitute, voltage to the coil/HEI, from the gen/alt/reg, and the resistance of the sending gas/temp unit. For most of the electrical that I've done on autos I just need to know if I have power or ground. A test light is the quickest and easiest way to do that. Don't have to find a place to set the VOM so you can see it. Don't have to read a scale most of the time it's either 12 volts or it's not, a light tells me that.

Larry

I recently repaired my fuel tank's sending unit. The metal strap which serves as the conductor from the attachment post to the actual unit down inside the tank, was broken. A five minute solder job, and I was back in the gauge business. I've known this to have happened to at least one other Stove-Bolter. I hope that is your problem too...it's an easy fix.