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Fuel Tank Sender Unit Update


 
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Clive
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Joined: 22 Nov 2006
Posts: 318
Location: Staffordshire

PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 13:18    Post subject: Fuel Tank Sender Unit Update Reply with quote

Hi Guys

This is just an update on how the job of fixing the sender unit went for me, as already mentioned in my earlier post I had to re-tap two of the holes on the driver’s side where the metal fuel tank cover bolts onto the underside of the car.

I syphoned the fuel out of the tank by disconnecting the delivery pipe at the fuel filter in the engine bay.
Once the tank was empty I popped a trolley jack under the fuel tank, partly lowered it and then disconnected the various pipes and wiring to the sender unit.

Next problem was two of the five screws fastening the sender unit to the tank sheared off when trying to remove them, fortunately there was enough thread on one of them to get hold of with some moles grips and get it out but there always has to be one, there was not enough thread to get a grip on.
I tried a screw extractor but could tell from the amount of torque I was applying that the extractor would snap so ended up having to drill and tap the hole, not a straight forward job.

The sender unit screws onto, for want of a better term a very large steel washer which appears to be pre drilled and tapped and then spot welded onto the tank before the two halves of the tank are seam welded together so the tapped holes don’t break through the side wall of the tank itself.

The steel washer is 5mm thick hence the screw only has a 5mm engagement of thread, most HSS steel drill bits have a cutting angle and I needed to cut as much thread as possible, I ended up buying some 4.2mm diameter drills (recommended size for a 5mm tap) drilling as deep as possible and then used a 4mm spot weld removal drill bit as it does have a flat bottom cutting edge, I guess you could sharpen your own but I’m not that good at drill sharpening.

The next thing was to source a set of 5mm taps, having looked on the net and contacting various suppliers I was finding that although the photos showed flat bottomed taps they in fact had a point on them even the plug tap.
Having contacted some manufactures I learnt only taps 8mm and above have flat bottoms and was told there is a small hole in the bottom of the tap to do with the manufacturing process, if small holes were put into the smaller diameter taps it would weaken them so they are produced with a point on them, my only option was to grind them flat.

The screws which fasten the sender unit to the tank are M5 x 12mm under head length x 0.80 pitch (metric course).

Back to the sender unit, the plastic flange had cracked much the same as others on the forum have experienced, I have to say if the plastic flanges on these units was any thinner they’d be paper, no wonder they crack.

I used some J-B Weld and glue it onto the metal disc cover and left it to set, a new rubber joint gasket was fitted after first applying Blue Hylomar to both sides of it, although it never sets I left it overnight, call me paranoid but I then filled the tank with 10 litres of diesel and tipped it on it’s side to make sure where the sender enters the tank was immersed in diesel and again left it overnight just to make sure there were no leaks and it appeared to be a success.

As far as drilling and tapping the tank is concerned, if I was unlucky enough to have drilled straight through I’m not sure how good it would be if a screw was inserted from inside the tank with some sort of sealing washer on the inside, but for what it’s worth I did come across this website who apparently amongst other repairs can weld diesel or petrol tanks www.trickettweldingltd.co.uk

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http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/skyhawk2000/P1180790.jpg
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 13:18    Post subject: Google Ads keep this community free to join!


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