fuel guageOHM's readings

[Captain Obvious]

Yeah, that one was a real bonus! I was cleaning that connector with the 100% expectation that it wouldn't have any effect, but (roll eyes) I had to perform due diligence and clean it before I moved on to more difficult solutions. It was just the right thing to do.

Bonus!!!  Sometimes you win one!     

I guess I'll keep that new sender lock ring and sealing O-ring in a box on the shelf!  Haha!!  And buy a lottery ticket?

[AK260]

And now Mr CO, I know why mine never quite reached F!!!!




Also given my sensor is at the front and now with the fuel tank off, I can confirm your nifty access hatch is of little use on mine and is therefore this shape from under the car ...

[Captain Obvious]

Ewwwwwwww!!! That's got to be worth a quarter tank at least! Maybe a third!       Woof!

That's a perfect example of why I say... "If you have a couple moments of free time with nothing to do, clean some connectors on your old Z car."

[AK260]

Ewwwwwwww!!! That's got to be worth a quarter tank at least! Maybe a third!       Woof!
That's a perfect example of why I say... "If you have a couple moments of free time with nothing to do, clean some connectors on your old Z car."

!!! Well this is how close to F it used to get, quite surprising really!



So I’m expecting serious overshoot when cleaned up ;)

[Captain Obvious]

Haha!! Agreed! After you clean that up, yours should go to 11!

[AK260]

I discovered that the fuel level sensor was leaking on the live terminal where there is insulating plastic, remember this photo?

 

 

To confirm it, I hung the thing from the float over night, with the “bowl” bit filled with self penetrating oil. The next day there was ample oil on the other side to prove it’s no longer air tight. I could have repaired it with fuel resistant mastics but I started to look at the cost of a new one. Utterly HORRENDOUS prices. Over £300 for the right shaped one. Then one appeared on eBay advertised for a Datsun 510 with very similar kinks etc so I took a punt at £40!

 

Today, this little package arrived ...

 

 

Now you can see the differences below:

 

 

 

The resistances however are virtually identical +/- 1/2 an ohm. 10.8 ohms full, 88.5 ohms empty.

 

I was tempted to move the rod and float from one to the other but decided that as it involved cutting the squashed end and re-calibrating, I was going to have a go at bending the new one first.

 

 

I straightened up the first kink on the new one, measured the length of the same king on the old one and bent it in the same place as the 260z sensor. The end result? Ignoring the parallax of the iPhone lens, it turned out utterly perfect. It even sorted out the difference in length - they are now identical in length also.

 

 

I gave it a test run in the fuel tank and fortuitously, there is plenty of room in the tank for the float to sit the opposite way round to the original. The bottom of the tank is actually deeper at that point and thanks to the PO has a raised bit where the POR treatment wasn’t fully flushed out. That will give me “reserve” when the gauge is on empty.

 

A total win!!

 

Next up, a test on the car electrics to see it “turn up to 11” on the gauge ;).

 

[Captain Obvious]

Wow that's a real win! Way cheaper! So (other than to different arm shapes) does everything else look the same? Same mounting bases and everything else?

Can't wait to see how it works on the gauge.

[grannyknot]

Clever boy!  What a great idea, thanks for letting us know.

[AK260]

Clever boy!  What a great idea, thanks for letting us know.

 

Thank you sir. - glad to be of service. BTW, found an even cheaper solution on eBay. A Datsun 720 or 620 sensor would have also done the trick at £28 posted!! I would bet my left testicle* that the ohms will be the same on all these sensors as the main unit is identical, just the float and bends are different.

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164126554844

 

 

 

 

(* not ever planning to have kids again, this is an easy bet! In fact, don’t do it gang!!! Dodge that bullet and live longer, happier, wealthier lives! But that sounds very similar to my S30 ownership too!! [emoji848] Maybe I should just go back to bed and stop prattling on.)