'53 Fuel Sender

meric42

meric42

Well-known member
I have spent the last couple of months working through my '53. Completely re-wired the car i.e. new dash/engine and O/D looms, fitted relays in the headlight circuit, installed factory turn signals etc. Now I have a faulty fuel sender unit that I need to replace.

Michael at Third Gen has new replacements and I wonder if anybody can advise as to the pros/cons of these replacements? I am tempted to try to find a good used original as opposed to using a new unit of unknown quality. Any advice would be welcomed.

https://thirdgenauto.com/product/new-1936-55-ford-fuel-sending-unit-assembly/

Here's a link to the first fire up of the engine since solving a stuck valve issue. This car had been in a barn in Oklahoma for more than 30 years prior to me buying it and importing it to New Zealand.

https://www.facebook.com/meric.hoffman/videos/10160614102261840

Enjoy :)
 
Don't think it is a quality issue, but more of a different mode of operation. All of the modern replacement units are resistance types. Original would be great if you can find one in working or repairable condition, otherwise resistance is about all there is.
 
JSeery said:
Don't think it is a quality issue, but more of a different mode of operation. All of the modern replacement units are resistance types. Original would be great if you can find one in working or repairable condition, otherwise resistance is about all there is.
Click to expand...

Thanks JSeery, I think I will try to find a salvageable used one.
 
I have successfully repaired King-Seeley temperature senders. I have never done a fuel sender, but since they work on the same princilpe, perhaps thay can be fixed too. Clean and adjust the points for a start.
 
meric42:

Actually it, pretty interesting to see how it works. Be very gentle and patient.
 
Here is what they look like inside. I would start by just cleaning the contacts and see how it works. The first photo is 19Fordy's and the 2nd one is mine.
 

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tubman said:
I have successfully repaired King-Seeley temperature senders. I have never done a fuel sender, but since they work on the same princilpe, perhaps they can be fixed too. Clean and adjust the points for a start.
Click to expand...
And that brings up a common issue with the King-Seely units Ford used, when doing a rewire and converting to 12 volts you cannot use a common volt-a drop or Runtz voltage reducer with the King-Seely from 1957 into the early 80's Ford used a voltage regulator as mentioned here in notation # 13 https://darksidersrealm.forumotion....lt-positive-ground-to-12-volt-negative-ground This is what you will want: https://www.macsautoparts.com/ford_...cP17RWCdzN0VUBMQYXxoCA_EQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
 
JeffB2 said:
And that brings up a common issue with the King-Seely units Ford used, when doing a rewire and converting to 12 volts you cannot use a common volt-a drop or Runtz voltage reducer with the King-Seely from 1957 into the early 80's Ford used a voltage regulator as mentioned here in notation # 13 https://darksidersrealm.forumotion....lt-positive-ground-to-12-volt-negative-ground This is what you will want: https://www.macsautoparts.com/ford_...cP17RWCdzN0VUBMQYXxoCA_EQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Click to expand...

Not totally sure what you are referring to. The voltage goes to the gauge, the sender is a ground circuit to the gauge. With the modern senders it is a variable resistor to ground which is varying the current through the gauges heater coil that moves the indicator. The K-S sender is a bit more complicated, it is using contacts and varying the pulse rate of the current to the gauge heater coil. How the voltage is reduced to the gauge is not a big issue. Some like the later Ford reduction units from the 12 volt vehicles. And, some prefer the individual Runtz unit(s).
 
* UPDATE *
Just to let you guys know, I had to remove the fuel tank from my '53 as is is full of crud (different story), so with the tank now out I decided to remove the sender and see if i could get it operational.

Removing the screws being the first obstacle, lots of penetrating liquid and many strong words later out it came. The first problem was that the float has been almost completely dissolved by whatever had been in the tank over the last 30 - 40 years with just enough of a ring of the float remaining to cling to the hook on the end of the arm. Secondly the surface rust on the underside of the unit and the wire arm meant that it could not move freely at all. After lots of cleaning and lubricating, the arm now moves freely. I popped the top off to find everything inside, clean and in perfect working order. I then refitted the top, hooked the sender up to the wiring and a temporary ground clip lead to find that the sender seems to work fine and looks to be calibrated correctly. Another float was found from an old unit, so the sender is now ready to be reinstalled once I clean and treat the inside of the tank of course. Thanks to all contributors above for their helpful suggestions.

PS: I will take pic's and post these later if anybody's interested :)
 
I just went through the same process with my 51. Tank full of rust, underside of sender also rusted and not moving, float completely dissolved (chemically etched by rust, I'm guessing). Just finished cleaning and resurfacing the tank with PQR-15. I also managed to de-rust the sender and got it moving smoothly. Just to help against future rust, I coated the arm and the outer surfaces of the lower half of the sender with a thin coat of PQR as well. I also popped the lid of the sender and found everything to be clean inside. It seems the critical part of the sender, the flexible metal membrane that allows connecting the rod movement to the electrical bits, is completely impervious to rust or corrosion. That helps a lot in getting these working again.
 
Here's the pic's :)
 

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