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Fuel sending unit

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Aloha Dale,

As I also live on an island, so I really understand the added cost of get parts shipped in. Regarding a new starter, I bought a high torque starter for my TR3A from here;

https://hometown.aol.com/martingf/britishstarters.html

The best thing was, the new gear reduction high torque starter was small enough to fit in a US Postal Service flat rate box. I was charged $8.95 for shipping from New York to Hawaii. His prices seem to generally less than $200 for the starter and I saw on his website that he has TR250 and TR6 starters.
 
MGTF1250Dave said:
Aloha Dale,

As I also live on an island, so I really understand the added cost of get parts shipped in. Regarding a new starter, I bought a high torque starter for my TR3A from here;

https://hometown.aol.com/martingf/britishstarters.html

The best thing was, the new gear reduction high torque starter was small enough to fit in a US Postal Service flat rate box. I was charged $8.95 for shipping from New York to Hawaii. His prices seem to generally less than $200 for the starter and I saw on his website that he has TR250 and TR6 starters.
Click to expand...

Or you could just order an adapter kit and get your own Japanese starter from a junk yard.

https://www.canleyclassics.com/products.asp?article=torquekit.xml
Prices include local taxes, I found that shipping from UK to Israel (should be about the same to the US) usually works out to be just slightly more than the taxes so the final cost including shipping is fairly close to the price in the UK. So, ~$90 for the adapter and ~$50 for a used starter locally.

If you have access to a machine shop, it would also be quite simple to modify the bracket by yourself.
 
Back on the gauge subject....

What aftermarket fuel gauge did you install? MOST aftermarket gauges want a direct connection to +12v as they have their own internal stabilizer (regulator).

Before you replace anything... did you buy a new multi-meter? If so, set it to ohms, pull the two wires off the sending unit and connect the meter to the lugs on the sender. Since you can see the float, use a piece of coat hanger wire to lift the float full up, then push it all the way down. Full up should be somewhere around 30 Ohms, all the way down should be somewhere between 240-270 Ohms. IF you start close to 30 Ohms and see the resistance increase... then jump to infinite... you have a problem inside the sending unit. Very common on older senders, not common on new parts.

Aftermarket gauges are also available to suite a multitude of resistance ranges. You have to have bought one that will work match the ranges I mentioned in the last paragraph (30 Ohms = full, 240-270 Ohms = empty). BTW, when you swapped the wires on the sending unit, you performed the "ground test" to confirm the gauge works. By connecting the green/black wire to earth the gauge should read full (resistance on the green black wire goes to "zero" when you do this... 0 is less than 30 Ohms, therefore... gauge shows full).

Moss and others may have new fangled stabilizer/regulators for the gauges, but you can do this yourself for much less money. Take a read through my PDF:
https://home.mindspring.com/~purlawson/files/SmithsVoltageStabilizer.pdf
You can do this as simply as buying a 7810 voltage regulator and soldering three wires to it. However, as mentioned above, your aftermarket gauge probably needs a direct connection to +12V which means connecting it to your existing stabilizer's "B" terminal (full +12 input) instead of its "I" terminal (10V out to the instruments).
 
Thanks Doug-

David brought me a multi-meter and also showed me how to operate my own. Ohms was one of the topics covered. Cool!

I'll test my sending unit as you advise.

My fuel gauge in the dash is an original, so I will put the
the VR back into play.

Thanks for the help.

d
 
dklawson said:
Back on the gauge subject....

IF you start close to 30 Ohms and see the resistance increase... then jump to infinite... you have a problem
inside the sending unit.
Click to expand...

Exactly what happened full 30, 40, 50----bang infinity

Looks like another order for Tony

Thanks again,
PS- Thnaks David for the meter lessons.

d
 
On the shipping thing. Being in Canada (that is outside the US) I had shipping cost issues as well. What I was able to figure out (I may be wrong in the reason but the result I have verified) is that the shippers like UPS, FEDEX etc. have great rates within the US and are easy for the companies to use to ship things. But the minute they ship outside the "simple" (for lake of better word) zone, the cost is crazy. What I have done is asked the sellers to ship with the US Postal service and since then the shipping costs have been resonable. I think this is a bit more work for the seller since it takes the issue outside the "normal flow". I suggest you try that Dale.
 
Tinster, sorry to hear that it took 8 hours to pull the tank. I suggest the next time you pull it out from the trunk instead.

I may have a TR6 fuel gauge if you need it.....I'll send you a credit app to fill out.
 
Adrio-

I ALWAYS ask to have things shipped by U.S.P.S.
It does not seem to matter. 90% of the time I still
get charged the foreign country rate for special handling
and costs.

A small $12. bit I needed from an east coast vendor
required $19. "special foreign country costs."
It arrived via U.S.P.S. in the usual white and blue
jeepster- stamped $2.40 postage.

Happens all the time. I love it when an east coast vendor
has zero shipping costs for America and Canada while I pay
a fortune.

I think I'm like 1,300 miles from Philly. Los Angeles
is like what -3,000 miles? LA is free shipping, I'm high
price foreign country? Go figure.

The worst was $20 shipping from New Jersey for a $4.95 bit.
less than 1/4 ounce weight. The size of my thumbnail.

rant over!

d

D
 
Wow, Is it the post office that is charging you the "special foreign country costs" or is it the seller?

The reason I ask is I deal with a vender here in Canada who resells for on eo f the big three and he is great and has very low prices as a result of his volume. He imports the items from the US to the west coast of Canada and then ships them to me via the post office (I pay him the same amount that the stamp on the box says). The total cost to me is less then if I were to buy direct from the place he resells for.

All this to say I would be happy to hook you up with him and you can see if that gets your shipping costs down. The delivery time is about a week longer then going direct (that is the only down side)
 
FWIW, I try not to order from Canada anymore... not even on eBay. On numerous occasions I've had packages lost, had to pay higher than expected shipping, or had to pay duty. It wasn't always the same either. I found it too frustrating and inconsistent.

Dale, I'm sorry that you've got a bad new sending unit but I am glad you found the problem. If you cannot send the defective unit back for credit, open it up and look for a break in the resistance wires and/or a problem perhaps where the wiper comes out of contact with the resistance wire windings. The resistance wire has a protective coating on it. You might find the coating was NOT removed where the wiper slides. This can be sanded down/off with fine wet/dry paper. If you're real good with acid flux soldering you can bridge an open spot on the resistance windings (neutralize with ammonia afterwards). It's not worth opening up if you can return the dead sender for credit but... sometimes you can repair the senders.
 
With all the focus on electrical I thought I'd mention my experience of the sending unit float cracking and filling with gas sending it to the bottom of the tank! Mechanical not electrical!

There is a thread that talks about a Ford replacement part but I can't recall what the part# is for it.
 
That's where mines resting now. I read that a 90's Ford Ranger Pick-up float will fit, but haven't had a chance to check it out. The originals plastic but I think the Ford one is brass.

Jeff
74 TR6
 
There is also an older brass float from Ford that supposedly fits. Pictures of it and the part number were posted in the Austin-Healey forum here. I thought I had the picture saved but I can't find it.

Regardless, the electrical tests Dale has performed indicate this is a problem with the resistance wire, not the float.
 
I didn't have the information at home but I did have it on my PC at work.

The brass Ford float is their part # COAZ-9202-B. The guys on the Healey forum added for me that the part is about 2" long and 1-5/16" in diameter.
 
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