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Triumph TR6 - Fuel Tank Sending Unit

Could somebody tell me if the Fuel Tank Sending Unit can be removed/replaced without taking out the fuel tank?

Thanks

Sylvain

S Demers

I f you can fit inside you can probably fix it. But if your too big than it'l have to be yanked. It is an easy job. While you have it out you might as well do all the upkeep to it.
DON KELLY

Sylvain,
I just did the same job to my tank about a month ago. It was working before my rebuild and I never re-tested it before I installed the tank. Sure enough....no needle movement at gauge.
What you can do first is..
Remove panel in trunk to gain access to the tank. Check that the ground wire is clean, for that matter, make sure both are bright and shiny. Turn the ignition on. Are you getting 12 volts at the green/black wire? (I think it was grn/blk).

If they're clean and making good contact and you have 12 volts and still no movement from gauge (do you have fuel in tank?), pull both wires off and briefly ground the green/black, does the gauge pointer move smartly toward full? (remove the ground as soon as you see the pointer moving). If yes, the sender is the problem.

You can remove it without "removing" the tank, but first...Turn the ignition off and disconnect battery, drain fuel from tank, remove fuel cap and filler neck. If yours has that that little breather fitting attached, (mine did, a 1970) it makes it a bit difficult. Now you can remove the 6 bolts holding the tank in place. Lean it back and prop it up with a length of 2x4, stuff a rag in the top of the tank, and remove the sender unit.

I was lucky, mine was just stuck in place. A little lubrication (PB Blaster) and I was back in business. You can check it by re-connecting wires and moving float up and down, (plug all openings at tank and be careful of sparks).

Hope this helps
DS


Dennis Silance

If your float is fubar and everything else works you can just buy a "Ford" float to replace yours. Let me know if you need the info.
DON KELLY


Thanks Dennis and Don,

I have done the trouble shooting and it does appear to point to the sending unit being the problem. Some days it would work perfectly and other it would just show empty. All grouds and connections look good and grounding the grn/blk wire would cause the gauge to move to full.

I'll now have to wait for spring when I can burn-off some of the gas.

What is the best way to drain the tank? Can I leave the fuel line attached and still tilt it enough?

Thanks for the help.

Sylvain
S Demers

Sylvain,
Do not recall year of your 6 but if '72 or later then simply disconnect the Separator Canister on top of the tank and then bring the tank top down(sorta' speak). If Early TR6 then I would drain the tank and remove rubber hose at bottom of tank.
To drain tank you have basically 2 options.
1: if tank mostly empty then pinch and disconnect rubber line at bottom. Add hose to the line and drain into some sort of container.
2: if tank sorta full then use a MANUAL, NOT ELECTRIC hand pump and drain tank then do step 1.

On your diagnosis. QUOTE"Some days it would work perfectly and other it would just show empty. All grounds and connections look good and grounding the grn/blk wire would cause the gauge to move to full."
That surely smaks of a dirt rheostat in the sender unit. Grounding the G/B wire says the wiring from the fuse lock is OK so it must be the sender (or it could be the connections at the sender). Not like we have not hear of or experienced dirt/corroded connections in our LBCs. Working then does not work is an intermittent problem. I strongly suggest you seriously clean and add dialectric grease to the connection on the sender unit. I would go so far as to OHM out the ground wire ( the connector)to a good ground on the body of the car. You should read around 3 OHMS. Sorry do not recall where the Black ground wire is actually attached...if I recall a ring connector to one of the mounting screws??? It really does not matter, as long as you get only around 3 OHMs when checking for a good ground connection. Also read that you have 12V at the power line from the fuse...again right at the connector that goes onto the sender. The purpose here is to absolutely eliminate everything to the sender unit. Lets face it, it is easier to do this than remove the tank. OK, so if low OHMS and 12Vs then yes the sender is on the flakey side ...it is intermitent in its' operation.
The float could be partially "gas logged" and move up and down as the gas sloshes around. I do not think this is the case from your comments (It is easily checked though).
After you get the sender out, I would connect your RED OHM meter leed to the terminal on the sender unit and the black leed touch to the top or any part of the sender. Now move the float arm up and down very slowly. You should see the OHMs reading go up or down depending where the float arm is. If the OHMs value reading all of a sudden jumps then goes to zero or some weird thing like that then the rheostat of the sender is dirty. I have no clue if the sender can be disassembled or not. If you see an opening or any sort into the inside of the sender then spray some contact cleaner in there and operate the float lever many many times. Retry the ohms check and see if you get a consistent steady increase (or decrease) in the OHMs reading. Again, move the arm very slowly. Will be interesting to hear what you find out.
Good luck
Rick
Rick Crawford

If you remove the rubber tank hose, remove the top bolts of the fuel tank en loosen the bottom bolts, you can tilt the tank enough to remove the fuel tank sender unit.
Worked for me.

Cheer,
Eric
Eric de Lange

I need to do mine also. Don, what year Ford model sending unit? Thanks
ED Edward Dorsch

Ed- Will try to send you the info
DON KELLY

This thread was discussed between 09/02/2008 and 18/02/2008

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