The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 53 panel fuel sending unit

i've ask in the panel and burb section a while back, but has any one ever rebuilt the sending unit. i have 3 ,enough parts to maybe make 1. any thoughts /ideas???????thanks for responses.tom

I've tried it a coupla times on different vehicles, but always ended up buying a new one in order to get one that worked.

Maybe I'm just not a very good rebuilder. Heck, what have you got to lose by giving it a shot?

I got two working for my 38 that weren't working but I doubt they are the same unit. It's a simple rheostat. 0 ohms resistance is the full position and 30 ohms is empty. You can test using a simple multi-meter. Most likely it's dirty connections somewhere. Have you got any pics of your unit? Post links here or e-mail me some pics (I'm on dial-up so don't make them BIG pics )that show how it's put together & I'll try to help. I had to get creative putting mine back together because the fasteners that hold them together aren't made anymore.

tiny when i said parts i was'nt kiddin. the ohm info is really what i needed. the best one i've got the float raises and lowers but the rod that twist in the reostat is seized. i'm soaking it in a can of loosey goosey(industrial penetrant)and was considering solder the rod joint(i can see the pressed fitting float to upper)when/if i get that to rotate freely......

• chevy i wished i could find a new one,but that's what ya get somethimes with these dang panels /burbs.if it is in front of the doors you can find it if it's behind the doors you almost have to make it

tom

From your description it sounds similar to mine except for the float moving with the rod seized. Look in the lower right hand corner of this picture:
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f167/Tinys1938/BackInTheCar.jpg
You see two sending units. The one on the left is a universal I was using. The one on the right is my original without floats. It's not a good picture but it's the only one I have of the sending unit. If it looks like yours let me know & I'll take a better pic. As the float raises and lowers it turns the central shaft which moves the rheostat in the upper housing. If your's is like this one and the float moves but the central shaft doesn't the gear mechanism is broken. It might be fixable. Let me know. FYI, if we can't fix yours I'll let you have the universal I don't need anymore for a WHOLE lot less that the $50 the vendors get for them.

Hey tiny ,that looks similar from what i can tell. the gear mech. is broke on mine.i can see the gear spin on the shaft and i believe i can solder the gear back to the shaft.i just did not want to solder the float at full to the shaft at empty.that might cause some confusion thanks a ton . shoot me a few pics if you can .tom

I'll snap some pics tomorrow & post them. If you look at the fastener holes on the top of the unit you should see three holes with brass hollow rivets. The brass hollow rivets hold the top to the base and allow the mounting screws to pass through to hold the sending unit to the gas tank. If you have a dremel tool you can grind the flange off of the rivets to separate the top from the base & access the inside of the unit. You will need to do that to determine if the rheostat can be saved. Removing the top will also facilitate cleaning of the parts. If you don't have what I described your unit may be different. If that's the case wait until you look at my pics tomorrow.

OK, I've got some pics for you to look at. I lied to you about the resistance at full & empty. I got to thinking about that & double checked this morning. It's the opposite of what I told you before. 30 ohms is a full tank & 0 ohms is empty. That's why the gauge always reads full when you have a bad connection. Here are the pics:
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f167/Tinys1938/Img_0335.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f167/Tinys1938/Img_0334.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f167/Tinys1938/Img_0333.jpg
These are pics of an extra sending unit I have. I noticed it was being attacked by rust so I sprayed it down good with WD40 after taking the pics. If this looks like your sending unit it's a pretty simple job to clean it up. We should be able to save it.

I got a new pickup sender and using the old panel unit [57], modified it to fit the panel - easy, and you wind up with a known good unit instead of an iffy rotten one that might work .... for awhile

Bill

good idea red. it dawned on me that i might be able to solder the the float arm to match the orginal or at least come close. thanks guys for the ideas. tom