Fuel sender unit float leaks

[mallard]

The fuel guage was not working on the TR6 because the float on the end of the arm was full of fuel. The unit tested good thru out it's range. I have a new unit but it's at least 20 years old so I wanted to use the original. It seems that the originals are better than the replacements. My question is does any of the vendors sell just a new float, or does somebody sell one that is better than the plastic originals? I looked at Moss and TRF and they don't sell just the float. My new 20 year old unit has a new float on it but I'm afraid it may leak in a short time because of it's age. Any ideas?

 

[HerronScott]

Keith,

Check out this thread here:

TR6 fuel sender float replacement

Looks like you can get it for $12.00 shipped from this site (Note that this is just from a quick Internet search and I've never dealt with this company before).

Ford brass float from MAC's

Scott

 

[Deleted member 8987]

And, if it isn't rotten all to pieces, you can usually fix the brass floats.

Unsolder the bung, drain it, resolder the bung, boil a pan of water, take it off the burner so it's hot but not bubbling, stick the float in and hold it down with something like a piece of wire wrapped around it. See where it leaks, mark it, let it cool, solder the hole and re-test (do NOT solder hot as when the air cools it can collapse).

Fized a lot of old Ford floats that way.

 

[mallard]

Thanks Scott for the link to MAC'S They have it for $4.95.

TOC my float is plastic so it can't be repaired but thank you.

 

[Deleted member 8987]

New fuel. Eats the older plastic ones up.

 

[DNK]

You know something funny. I just replaced my sender and I used the stock style even though I am a BIG proponent of the Ford one.
Goes to show ya

 

[HerronScott]

Thanks Scott for the link to MAC'S They have it for $4.95.

Keith,

Sure thing. Note that shipping is $7.00 which is why I said it's $12.00 shipped (OK, $11.95).

Scott

 

[dklawson]

TOC, I have never seen a plastic float attacked by gasoline (new or old). I believe the floats are either polyethylene or polypropylene which are not affected by gas or alcohol.

Mallard, you can repair the plastic floats if you want to. As with the brass floats, you need to get all the gasoline out and you need to locate the source of the leak. You can then use a hot soldering iron to melt/flow the plastic together to close the hole and seal the float. It isn't pretty but it works.

There is one caveat about the Ford brass floats. The Smiths float arm often has a small burr on the cut end of the wire loop that holds the float. The Ford float can be punctured by this burr so be sure to take a file to the end of the Smiths float arm loop and remove any/all sharp edges.

 

[mallard]

Doug thanks for mentioning the burr on the end of the arm, I had not noticed it. That's where the leak was, at the end of the arm.