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Running out of gas

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Daniel Kaminsky

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Gentlemen:

I have been running out of gas in my BJ8 when the gauge reads 1/4. Can it be that my sending unit is installed backwards? Does the wire normally face towards the front of the car, or towards the back(mine faces forward)? So maybe the float is not going into the sump. Can't think what else it could be.

Thanks,
Dan Kaminsky
 
My BN2's gauge used to read low; e.g. a full tank registered as 3/4. I bent the heavy wire that suspends the float down a bit and problem solved. Your problem is, of course, the opposite, but bending the float/wire up a little might do the trick.
 
Daniel Kaminsky said:
Gentlemen:

I have been running out of gas in my BJ8 when the gauge reads 1/4. Can it be that my sending unit is installed backwards? Does the wire normally face towards the front of the car, or towards the back(mine faces forward)? So maybe the float is not going into the sump. Can't think what else it could be.

Thanks,
Dan Kaminsky
Click to expand...


Dan,

Most of the info you need I think is at the link below!

Duane

https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf/showthread.php?89931-BJ8-Fuel-Gauge-Shows-1-4-tank-when-empty
 
Daniel Kaminsky said:
Gentlemen:

I have been running out of gas in my BJ8 when the gauge reads 1/4. Can it be that my sending unit is installed backwards? Does the wire normally face towards the front of the car, or towards the back(mine faces forward)? So maybe the float is not going into the sump. Can't think what else it could be.

Thanks,
Dan Kaminsky
Click to expand...

The terminal for the wire on the sending unit goes toward the front. Is the problem with the gauge something new?
 
I get a consistent 22-23 mpg "around town" and 24-25 on the highway. I gauge (no play on words intended) my need to refuel by what the accurate, resettable tripometer tells me--at 200 miles I am looking for a gas station.
 
Forgot to mention that the fuel gauge is stuck on full, and it does seem to be a new problem. There seems to be some contradictions on which way the sending unit wire terminal faces? Should I just take it out for a look, although I hate to do this if unnecessary.
 
On a BJ8, at least, the wire terminal goes toward the front. That puts the float arm forward so that it can go down into the well in the bottom of the tank (that sits in the rectangular hole in the boot floor, on the forward side of the tank. That allows it to register those last few precious drops of fuel.
All that said, the last time I replaced my sending unit, I discovered that the float arm apparently was hitting the forward wall of the tank. I turned it one fastener hole counterclockwise and the fuel gauge doesn't stick anymore, but also doesn't register completely full.
The photo shows a replacement sending unit from Moss Motors that originally had that crappy plastic float that always arrived pre-cracked. I replaced the float with a Ford brass float, but the unit was still too erratic to use.
 

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Daniel Kaminsky said:
Forgot to mention that the fuel gauge is stuck on full, and it does seem to be a new problem. There seems to be some contradictions on which way the sending unit wire terminal faces? Should I just take it out for a look, although I hate to do this if unnecessary.
Click to expand...

I believe stuck-on-full is a symptom of wiring or ground issues. Before you remove the sender, suggest running a separate ground wire from top of sender to a chassis ground in the trunk. It may also be the result of a broken tiny wire inside the sender.

MGA Guru site has tons of information:
https://mgaguru.com/mgtech/electric/fg110.htm
 
steveg said:
I believe stuck-on-full is a symptom of wiring or ground issues. Before you remove the sender, suggest running a separate ground wire from top of sender to a chassis ground in the trunk. It may also be the result of a broken tiny wire inside the sender.

MGA Guru site has tons of information:
https://mgaguru.com/mgtech/electric/fg110.htm
Click to expand...

The mgaguru site is good, but be advised that the 68 ohms quoted for the MGA calibration procedure should be 90 - 100 ohms for the Healey fuel gauge. Building a calibration test set according to the mgaguru information is fairly simple, but there are some cautions to be observed when actually calibrating a gauge. It's easy to break a coil wire if you allow the guide foot of the terminal post (inside the gauge, so you can't see it) to come out of its track. If that happens, you can spin the post while tightening the nut and that breaks the wire. The next step is to send it to a professional gauge rebuilding service.
 
tahoe healey said:
Do the 4 cylinder Healeys get better fuel economy than the 6's? Seems logical.
Click to expand...
Apparently so, if Michael Oritt's 100 gets 22-23 mpg around town and 24-25 on the road. My BJ8 gets consistently 22-23 mpg on the road. I've never bothered to check it around town, since most of my mileage with the Healey is on the road, usually on long trips.
Like Michael, I don't rely on the fuel gauge to determine when to refuel. When I reach 200 miles on the trip odometer, I begin looking for a place to tank up.
 
Maybe I'm too picky, but I want all my gauges to be at least nominally functioning (I spent years and dollars getting a reasonably good speedometer indication). Yeah, the fuel gauge bounces around like crazy, but on smooth, flat roads at constant speeds should give a reasonable readout. I too get 23-24 on my BJ8 up to about 65MPH but, on freeways when I need to go faster than that to not be run over by a housewife in an Excursion the mileage drops off considerably, to about 18MPG. That's 216 miles on a nominal 12 gallon tank, and that's cutting it pretty close. My aftermarket tank actually holds a little over 13 gallons, but I try to 'forget' about that unless it's absolutely needed.
 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Austin-Hea...m2eb5c1b938:m:meuJPea5AUMjJa295HTIcog&vxp=mtr Click on this link. A BJ8 buddy of mine had issues with his fuel gauge not reading accurate. The needle was bouncing all over the dial. He had run out of fuel too many times. I ordered the fuel sensor listed in the link. I installed it in his BJ8. Then I took the old sensor apart. The spring coil was worn in 2 places. the tightness of the coil was gone, leaving gaps for the needle to get stuck. The one installed has 2 brushes and is more intact. Now every time I see my old pal, I always get a slap on the back and a big thank you. He paid me for the work, but I am satisfied that he doesn't have to worry about running out of fuel. At the time I did this, I owned a 60 BN7. It's been sold and is back in England.
 
Mert said:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Austin-Hea...m2eb5c1b938:m:meuJPea5AUMjJa295HTIcog&vxp=mtr Click on this link. A BJ8 buddy of mine had issues with his fuel gauge not reading accurate. The needle was bouncing all over the dial. He had run out of fuel too many times. I ordered the fuel sensor listed in the link. I installed it in his BJ8. Then I took the old sensor apart. The spring coil was worn in 2 places. the tightness of the coil was gone, leaving gaps for the needle to get stuck. The one installed has 2 brushes and is more intact. Now every time I see my old pal, I always get a slap on the back and a big thank you. He paid me for the work, but I am satisfied that he doesn't have to worry about running out of fuel. At the time I did this, I owned a 60 BN7. It's been sold and is back in England.
Click to expand...

Hmmmmmm ... The ad says '[FONT=arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif]3000 models except BJ8.' (emphasis theirs). Are you saying you put one in a BJ8 anyway? What's the difference for a BJ8 (never heard there was a difference in senders for the 6-cyl cars).[/FONT]
 
Just ignore the ad. It works in a BJ8. I put the new sensor in his Healey over 3 years ago. He has had no problems since the upgrade.
 
Mert said:
Just ignore the ad. It works in a BJ8. I put the new sensor in his Healey over 3 years ago. He has had no problems since the upgrade.
Click to expand...

OK, but now I'm curious. Moss shows a different part# for earlier 6-cyls and BJ8, anyone know what the difference is?
 
Bob_Spidell said:
OK, but now I'm curious. Moss shows a different part# for earlier 6-cyls and BJ8, anyone know what the difference is?
Click to expand...

I seem to recall it's the resistance which is different for the different gauges between the BJ8 and previous cars.
IIRC - with the float pointed forward, the wire connector on the BJ8 is to the front; others to the rear.
 
I only rely on three states of my fuel gauge.

1] it does not move at all after fillup== Tank FULL

2] it starts bouncing around== I got GAS

3] it ain't bouncing no mo!==Need Petro
 
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