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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Sender Unit

Got the tank off, and the sender unit out. It's seized solid - the float spindle, that is.

Has anybody ever successfully freed one of these? I'm not optimistic, and the thought of putting it all back, only for it to fail again, does not appeal to me.

Only £38.50 + VAT, but I bet it won't be a beautiful thing from Smiths Motor Accessories Ltd.

Or I could just go back to zeroing the trip every time I fill up.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

You could try soaking it in diesel, see if that helps.

I was just about to refit the one on my B, when I noticed that the earth tag had snapped off.

Replacements are only about £17, but I'd rather have a 'real' one, so I welded a new tag on. I've bench tested it with a bulb and it seems to work fine.

I think Frogeye senders are the same as A35s, so you may be able to find a used one.
Dave O'Neill 2

I'm not too worried about originality, Dave, but quality's obviously vital for such a hard-to-get-at component. On my last rebuild I had to get a new one, fit it, remove it, send it back, fit the second one etc. etc.

It was easy to see that the rheostat was crudely made, compared with this Smiths beauty I'm looking at now. So I will try soaking it in something. Diesel's a bit hard to come by, so maybe penetrating oil.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

I'm not that worried about originality either, but I don't want to replace it with a new Chinese version unless it's absolutely unavoidable.

Yeah, I heard there was a bit of a diesel shortage over your way ;o)
Dave O'Neill 2

hi nick,
i have a brand new sender that i bought for my mk2. fitted it and it never sorted my problem so put old one back in. ended up being my gauge. on the moss site it says your one no longer available but replacement is part number 21A168. that is what i have. if it any help to you make me an offer. you can mail me at r.taylor2@talk21.com regards bob.
bob taylor

I thought maybe I might hang around the pumps with an eggcup, and ask kind-looking customers for a squirt. Right now I have the spindle housing knee-deep in penetrating oil.

Thanks, Bob, but I don't like those new ones. When I sold that Sprite, the second new sender was already playing up again.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

Bad reviews is why im hesitant to pull mine... but im guessijg i may have to pull the tank to do a clean out anyway..

im hopping i can just clean my sender up and be done... like you the new senders have a recent history of going south in a short time
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Now Prop, that wasn't a very nice thing to say about Nick!

"... like you the new senders have a recent history of going south in a short time"

Charley
^8:1:1272^70:2:154^13:0:280^115:0:63^83:0:42^120:0:5^9:0:14^84:0:10^99:0:1^21:0:2^76:0:10^18:0:14^5:0:13^14:0:1^127:0:1^122:0:2^85:0:1^125:0:1^36:0:1^15:0:1

Charlie,

What did you do to break the BBS? Is it one of those new senders?
Martin Washington

Martin,

I don't know how I broke everything. I think it is one of those things where the systems "forgets" who you are and gives that long name as part of some default. I think I have it fixed now, but I haven't gotten the display to look like it used to.

Charley
C R Huff

Everything looks normal now. It must be what's called "The miracle of modern electronics". Or this paricular batch of electrons wer made in some third world country.
Martin Washington

Don't ask me how, but had the same problem, tried everything, and found clock oil worked. Unit still functional 2 years later. Dolphin head oil or something, not synthetic.
D mckellar

Clock oil. ?

Really... i would never have guessed ... do you put that around the battry post or the usb port

i guess the days of the internet of things is now a physical place...

prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/electricstext1.htm#fuelgauge

Here you see the two types of senders described. The frogeye has the early type. I coated it but the coat was not E5 fuel resistant.

Flip

Flip Brühl

I dropped mine in a bucket of old engine oil for a few days and it came out working but filthy, easy cleaned with a dunk in petrol
Alan McKewan

This thread was discussed between 13/03/2016 and 16/03/2016

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