• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

TR2/3/3A Gas Gauge sending unit "float" orientation?

karls59tr

Obi Wan
Country flag
Offline
I ran out of gas with the gauge showing 1/4 tank. I believe the gauge itself is OK but that I installed the sending unit in such a way as the float may be hitting the place inside where the tank shape drops off. What is the correct orientation of the float?....to the left side....to the right...or on an angle towards the back?
 

TomMull

Darth Vader
Silver
Country flag
Offline
The obvious answer is to place the float in the lowest position but you can't see that with the tank in the car. If you're asking what the outside part looks like I can post a picture of an original sender installed in a tank but I think there are several repro senders and they are probably not all the same.
Tom
 

DavidApp

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
I had to do some bending of the float support wire to get it to go move from full to empty.
I fished around through the gas filler till I had hooked the float then checked it would go through the full travel. Bent the support wire till the float did not hit the tank sides.

I do not think the tank is empty when it reads Zero. A better situation than being empty while still showing some fuel.

David
 

6TTR3A

Jedi Warrior
Country flag
Offline
At least it's registering something. Let's assume your baby has ventured 100,000 miles over its
lifetime. That's about 7,000 tanks of fuel that she has gone thru. The TR3 fuel gauge itself is pretty sturdy assuming it hasn't been fooled with...but that Smiths BT3331/02 tank sending unit just can't handle that many rotations. I don't know what the factory specs were, but the six senders that I have on hand vary from 3 to 29 ohms empty and 81 to 96 ohms full. Full is no big deal, but that 26 ohm spread could leave you by the side of the road if you rely on your fuel gauge. David and Tom have the solution to make sure the float rotates free of the tank.
What I suggest (assuming your trip meter works) is figure out just how far you can get on a full tank of fuel.
Set your trip to zero, drive until you think your running on fumes, fill the tank, note how much you needed (14 gal. capacity +/-) and note the mileage. Reset your trip to zero each time you top off and use that mileage figure as you reference. You might also note where your fuel gauge was registering as a ball park reminder but the mileage method is better. To much trouble? Remove your sender and gauge, send it to someone who knows how to calibrate it and for $$$ you will have peace of mind !!!
Frank

 

DavidApp

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
You can also use the dipstick method as a backup to the gauge.

Run the tank low. Dip the tank and mark your dipstick then add 10 gallons and mark the stick again. Divide the distance between the marks by 10 and you have a good idea how much gas you have in the tank.

David
 

CJD

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
Orient it so the arm is toward the center of the tank. This avoids the damper walls AND makes it easy to reach the float with a wood stick from the tank filler throat. Then you have the ability to reach in and bend the float rod to get the gage to read properly.

I adjusted mine so when the gage rests on empty the tank has precisely one gallon remaining. With that adjustment there are two gallons unregistered on the full side. In other words, the sender doesn’t have enough travel for a perfect full to empty reading. My tank reads full until after the first two gallons burn out.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
PAUL161 MGB Replaced sending gas gauge unit. MG 5
G Gas gauge and sending unit Austin Healey 11
S TR2/3/3A glass rattled on the gas gauge Triumph 3
K TR2/3/3A Mystery gas gauge sender? Triumph 0
D BJ8 gas gauge faulty Austin Healey 32
S TR2/3/3A gas gauge or sender or ??? Triumph 4
rjc157 gas gauge Austin Healey 30
C gas gauge Austin Healey 9
6 Gas gauge Spridgets 24
H Trouble shooting gas gauge...any hints? Austin Healey 9
I Bugeye gas gauge Spridgets 4
BugeyeNJ58 Gas Gauge Broken on '58 Bugeye.?? Spridgets 9
richberman new gas gauge available Austin Healey 5
Monark192 Gas Gauge MG 13
S TR2/3/3A tr3 gas gauge calibration resisters Triumph 12
S TR2/3/3A tr3 gas gauge Triumph 5
B gas gauge Austin Healey 6
Jim_Gruber Ohms Specs for Gas Gauge Senders Spridgets 13
Gundy found out gas gauge works Spridgets 12
bighealeysource new gas gauge not working Austin Healey 1
P Optimistic gas gauge Triumph 19
B TR6 TR6 gas gauge stopped working Triumph 10
S TR2/3/3A gas gauge TR3 Triumph 7
jlaird A really accurate gas gauge, Bugeye Spridgets 7
steveg Easy simple product helps eliminate gas gauge flu Austin Healey 0
ronzet Gas Gauge for 100-6 Austin Healey 4
T TR2/3/3A TR3A gas gauge stuck in "Full" Triumph 26
M Gas Gauge MG 4
I TR6 TR6 gas gauge not reading correctly Triumph 11
J Gas gauge Austin Healey 10
ObiRichKanobi Wedge TR7 Gas Gauge Triumph 10
Frank C. Gas Gauge Bounce Austin Healey 12
Celtic 77 MGB LeMans Gas filler MG 10
mctriumph General TR NEVER start a car with stale gas Triumph 0
TomMull GT6 Gas Tank Outlet Triumph 0
B TR6 Gas on spark plugs Triumph 7
Briancole702 MGB-GT 71 Mgb gt no gas in float bowls MG 1
edkap2002 TR6 gas tank sounds Triumph 8
MGTF1250Dave T-Series TF Gas Tank MG 6
B General MG 77 MIDGET Gas tank sending unit MG 1
G Wanted gas tank dip stick for mgtf 1555 MG Classifieds 1
Celtic 77 MGB Pessimistic Gas gague MG 10
B gas leak underneath the carburetor Restoration & Tools 2
T TR2/3/3A TR3 Gas Tank Grounding Triumph 9
P MGB Mgb gas tank cap MG 7
LAW75 Concours: Original Gas Hose Austin Healey 12
LAW75 Gas Odor Elimination Austin Healey 3
B TR4/4A GAS TANK FELT Triumph 14
Hamish Racing General Tech Petrol/Gas with high ethanol Triumph 3
edkap2002 TR6 gas smell Triumph 8

Similar threads

Top