Fuel sender options?

[FPBBrandon]

Spent some time under the trunk of the D this evening to try and figure out my non-working fuel gauge.

The downside is that I wound up splitting my thumbnail to the quick trying to get the fuel tank access panel open (still waiting for it to stop bleeding :(). The plus side is that the sender is pretty obviously gross and corroded, and there is no electrical continuity between any of the terminals. A quick test with jumpers from the post here (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?2291-How-to-Inaccurate-fuel-gauge-readings-How-to-rule-out-the-actual-fuel-gauge&highlight=sender) shows my gauge is still good.

My question is, are there any fuel sender options available that aren't the 400$ DMC kit? My fuel pump is fine, I'd really like to just change out the sender if I could find one. Any suggestions?

[David T]

Spent some time under the trunk of the D this evening to try and figure out my non-working fuel gauge.

The downside is that I wound up splitting my thumbnail to the quick trying to get the fuel tank access panel open (still waiting for it to stop bleeding :(). The plus side is that the sender is pretty obviously gross and corroded, and there is no electrical continuity between any of the terminals. A quick test with jumpers from the post here (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?2291-How-to-Inaccurate-fuel-gauge-readings-How-to-rule-out-the-actual-fuel-gauge&highlight=sender) shows my gauge is still good.

My question is, are there any fuel sender options available that aren't the 400$ DMC kit? My fuel pump is fine, I'd really like to just change out the sender if I could find one. Any suggestions?

You can try cleaning the sender unit up yourself or you can contact SpecialT Auto. In the past he was rebuilding them but don't expect miracles. Another option is if you can find a Tankzilla, they work pretty good but are no longer in production and there is no more stock. I don't know if DMCH is selling just the sender anymore, I think you have to buy the new combo unit.

[NightFlyer]

Calling around to the vendors and seeing what they have available is probably going to be your best bet - I'd personally try PJ Grady, DMCMW, and DMCNW as the most likely to possibly have something available.

Like David T mentioned, Hervey at SpecialT was rebuilding the stock/OEM units for $65 and may still do so - best to call and ask before ordering from his website and sending him your unit. Hervey also sells a custom self-manufactured unit, however, I haven't heard many reports from those actually using his unit, thus you'd be flying blind on that one.

You can also try posting a wanted messages here and on DMCToday. You can also check with the couple of people that are currently parting out cars if they might have one - just check the parts for sale sections.

Best of luck!

[ed uding]

Calling around to the vendors and seeing what they have available is probably going to be your best bet - I'd personally try PJ Grady, DMCMW, and DMCNW as the most likely to possibly have something available.

Like David T mentioned, Hervey at SpecialT was rebuilding the stock/OEM units for $65 and may still do so - best to call and ask before ordering from his website and sending him your unit. Hervey also sells a custom self-manufactured unit, however, I haven't heard many reports from those actually using his unit, thus you'd be flying blind on that one.

You can also try posting a wanted messages here and on DMCToday. You can also check with the couple of people that are currently parting out cars if they might have one - just check the parts for sale sections.

Best of luck!

http://www.delorean.eu/catalog/index.php?cPath=19_25_48 minus 21% tax, you don't pay the European tax on your end.

Ed
www.delorean.eu

[DeLorean03]

Right on the very front page of SpecialTAuto's webpage. $90. I've got an old one I don't use anymore I'll sell ya. PM if you're interested.

22916

[NightFlyer]

Right on the very front page of SpecialTAuto's webpage. $90. I've got an old one I don't use anymore I'll sell ya. PM if you're interested.

22916

What have your experiences with Hervey's sender been like, if you don't mind me asking?

[FPBBrandon]

A little bit more to the story. Got the sender out, cleaned all the connections, and rewired the lines from the sender. Tested the potentiometer with a multimeter, resistance is what I'd expect, I.e. High at the top of the sender and low at the bottom. Tested the sender out of the tank, the gauge reads like I'd expect. It looks like the float doesn't float... Has anyone ever pulled one of these apart to get to the actual float? Maybe the float has a leak and is full of fuel and no longer buoyant? Surely if I could get the thing apart I could get the float buoyant again?

[DeLorean03]

What have your experiences with Hervey's sender been like, if you don't mind me asking?

50/50. It worked fine, but now that I remember, the low fuel light does NOT turn on anymore. When first installed, the cork hadn't settled and fuel came out of the sending unit at first. Once it settled down, the cork behaved and there were no more leaks. Scared the flip out of me at first though o_O ...

[David T]

50/50. It worked fine, but now that I remember, the low fuel light does NOT turn on anymore. When first installed, the cork hadn't settled and fuel came out of the sending unit at first. Once it settled down, the cork behaved and there were no more leaks. Scared the flip out of me at first though o_O ...

The fine wires and contacts oxidize so you get bad/intermittent contact. You can try cleaning them up. The float is a problem. It seems to swell and get stuck inside the tube so it won't move freely. I tried to shave mine down. I was never happy with the way it worked. Even when I got it to work it was not accurate anyway. At the time Tankzilla was a very expensive option but I got one and am still happy with it. I sold my old OEM sender to John.

[DeLorean03]

The fine wires and contacts oxidize so you get bad/intermittent contact. You can try cleaning them up. The float is a problem. It seems to swell and get stuck inside the tube so it won't move freely. I tried to shave mine down. I was never happy with the way it worked. Even when I got it to work it was not accurate anyway. At the time Tankzilla was a very expensive option but I got one and am still happy with it. I sold my old OEM sender to John.

For the wires/contacts oxidize part, are you referring to my comment about the fuel light? John's new sender has no wire for the low fuel light at all. You simply do not get to have it anymore. That wasn't advertised on his page either when I bought it. Needless to say, I was not impressed.

[FPBBrandon]

The fine wires and contacts oxidize so you get bad/intermittent contact. You can try cleaning them up. The float is a problem. It seems to swell and get stuck inside the tube so it won't move freely. I tried to shave mine down. I was never happy with the way it worked. Even when I got it to work it was not accurate anyway. At the time Tankzilla was a very expensive option but I got one and am still happy with it. I sold my old OEM sender to John.

David- Do you recall how you got your float out/gained access to the internals of the sender? I poked around at disassembling the unit last night but was to afraid of snapping something like the reed switch on the potentiometer to get it apart.

[David T]

David- Do you recall how you got your float out/gained access to the internals of the sender? I poked around at disassembling the unit last night but was to afraid of snapping something like the reed switch on the potentiometer to get it apart.

As I recall you undo the nuts on the bottom nylon part and slide the thing apart. A lot of very small parts and wires and they are fragile so you have to be tender. I sanded the outer circumference of the float till it slid easily inside the tube. You take some fine sandpaper and clean the wires and the brass contacts and hope for the best. Even when these senders were new they never worked all that great.

[FPBBrandon]

As I recall you undo the nuts on the bottom nylon part and slide the thing apart. A lot of very small parts and wires and they are fragile so you have to be tender. I sanded the outer circumference of the float till it slid easily inside the tube. You take some fine sandpaper and clean the wires and the brass contacts and hope for the best. Even when these senders were new they never worked all that great.

Much Obliged, I'll take another crack at getting it apart when I'm home tonight.

[NightFlyer]

Much Obliged, I'll take another crack at getting it apart when I'm home tonight.

As I recall, it wasn't too difficult nor was there any trick in disassembling mine. The plastic cover/sheath may be fused to base, thus requiring that you crack it free by rotating it. When I took mine apart two of the internal wires were completely gone - the slinky style wire and thin copper switch wire.

http://www.specialtauto.com/delorean-parts/images/fuelsendunit.jpg

Someday, I plan on rebuilding mine (after all, if Hervey can do it, why can't I) and putting together a "how to," but the sender on the combo unit works great, so I just haven't been motivated enough to do it yet, nor had the time. Since you appear more motivated than myself, it would be a good opportunity to put together a 'how to' with pictures and post it here in the how to section for others to reference in the future :smile:

Anyone know of a source for the slinky style wire (I haven't really looked around yet myself)?

Anyway, from I what I recall, my stock/OEM sender worked great until I killed it in long term storage with E10 gas and too much SeaFoam. If I ever do end up reusing it, I think I'd solder the wires to the connectors and then seal the top in epoxy or something similar to keep them from corroding and snapping apart.

[FPBBrandon]

As I recall, it wasn't too difficult nor was there any trick in disassembling mine. The plastic cover/sheath may be fused to base, thus requiring that you crack it free by rotating it. When I took mine apart two of the internal wires were completely gone - the slinky style wire and thin copper switch wire.

http://www.specialtauto.com/delorean-parts/images/fuelsendunit.jpg

Someday, I plan on rebuilding mine (after all, if Hervey can do it, why can't I) and putting together a "how to," but the sender on the combo unit works great, so I just haven't been motivated enough to do it yet, nor had the time. Since you appear more motivated than myself, it would be a good opportunity to put together a 'how to' with pictures and post it here in the how to section for others to reference in the future :smile:

Anyone know of a source for the slinky style wire (I haven't really looked around yet myself)?

Anyway, from I what I recall, my stock/OEM sender worked great until I killed it in long term storage with E10 gas and too much SeaFoam. If I ever do end up reusing it, I think I'd solder the wires to the connectors and then seal the top in epoxy or something similar to keep them from corroding and snapping apart.

My sender came out, got pulled apart, cleaned and refurbed last night.

The first issue- The copper rod that the float moves up and down over had alot of gross, gunky corrosion, preventing the float from travelling freely up and down the tube. I got busy with 00 steel wool up and down the float guide, and didn't stop until it was uniformly shiny and smooth from top to bottom. The float seemed to move alot more freely along the guide. I checked the contacts that push along the reed switch as well, noting they were clean and clear bright copper. I could see these contacts getting gunky and interrupting the float's operation too, but not on mine.

I checked the sprung contact over the float, as this is what takes current back to ground in the car. I know this was working before I pulled it apart since I tested with the ohmmeter. It looked fine, and I kept my handling very ginger to avoid hurting this contact line.

When I pulled the sender open, the thin line seen running along the bottom of the above pic was fatigued off at one end. This is the low fuel light line. A quick blob of solder got this back into shape.

I then tested the float in the sink, to see if it was still bouyant. I let the sink fill to the brim, and dunked the sender in. The float was fully bouyant. I did not wind up sanding the edges of the float at all, as it felt much freer in the sender tube than before.

I reassembled, but not without putting an X shaped tear in the cheesecloth screen at the bottom of the sender. Damn. I plugged it into the car out of the tank, and played with the gauge much like last night. My low fuel light works now! The moment of truth came, and I dipped it into the tank. No movement on the gauge... (damn damn). I let the canister fill for a few minutes, and tapped on the top of the sender, and all of a sudden, I started reading around a quarter of a tank! I think I probably couldnt get the steel wool around the base of the float guide as well as I'd like due to not wanting to tweak the low fuel contact, so the float can stick if its at the dead bottom. I'll fill the car tonight after I get the headlights back in (got rid of the eyebrows this week and bought a bunch of new front end goodies while its face was ripped out) and see how it reads. I think this went very well and is easily repeatable.

Depending on my results, I'd love to do a how to. Does anyone have a bad OEM sender they would lend me to refurbish, so I could photograph the process? As I mentioned, I'd love to do a how to, but I'm reticent to mess with mine if its finally working.

Cheers!