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MG MGA - Tank sender unit

I am normally on the MGB board but my MGB is from 1964 and shares various parts with the MGA, notably the petrol tank and its sender unit.

The old sender unit started leaking and I tried all sorts of things to stop, the last thing was gluing it up with epoxy. This was unsuccessful too. Eventually I gave in and bought a new one from one of the German parts suppliers. This is pretty poor quality, the thing sticks near the empty position and the readings on the gauge only slightly resemble what is going on in the tank. It is also hard to get to seal properly so at the moment.

Has anyone any experience of the Silver Series sender units which are available by Ebay? They claim to be much better quality than those from the usual suppliers. Should I buy one of these or keep a look out for an original one second hand?

Mike
Mike

A paper gasket would require a sealant, but few sealants are functional with modern motor fuels. Elastomer gaskets are commonly known to swell and/or quickly deteriorate in contact with modern motor fuels, and no sealant can help that problem. I recommend using a cork gasket, even if you have to make your own, and no sealant is required with cork. Keep the screw holes in the gasket small as the gasket needs to seal around the screw threads.
Barney Gaylord

Check Burlen Fuel Systems, they are (I think) producing quality versions
dominic clancy

Mike, I've just bought one from Scarborough Faire and it looks like the original except for the plastic float, and I don't know where it's made. I also bought the cork gasket and new screws just in case. I haven't installed it yet so can't comment on it's performance. Once I have it in I'll try and repair my original one using the the information from Barney's site.

Andy 60 Coupe
Andy Preston

Mike,
Have you looked inside it to see if it has single or dual contacts? The originals were dual, most of the repros are single.

Cheers,
GTF
G T Foster

Wellseal is a good sealant even with cork gasket. Made under licence from Rolls Royce I seem to recall. It never goes solid.

John Francis

I've decided to try out one of these from the USA that are on Ebay. They come with a military specification cork gasket, whatever that means, but I'll follow Barney's advice if that doesn't work.

Somehow I didn't finish my second paragraph, I was trying to say that I only fill the tank half full at the moment. Only filling the tank half full is a pain in the neck, especially as the gauge shows 1/8 full just as the last drop of petrol is going into the pump.

Dominic, I couldn't find anything to do with sender units on the Burlen website.

GTF, I will have a look inside when I get the current sender off.

Thanks for your help, I will report on how the new sender works and seals.

Mike
Mike

I could not get my sending unit to stop leaking until I used a Permatex product called Hylomar. My unit leaked from the small gasket which hides the "wound coil" and also from the mating surface of the sending unit to the tank. Both gaskets are a neoprene (sp?) type material. Success?
It has been a month or so?? No leaky yet! Hylomar is advertised as impervious to gas and other nasty fluids.
Michael Dianna

This thread was discussed between 20/10/2010 and 27/10/2010

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