Fuel Gauge Project

dlfrisch

dlfrisch

Senior Member
Any unforeseen tricks to installing a new gas gauge assembly? My existing gauge is stuck on 1/4, the glass face is blacken out quite a bit and probably the float is either off or just missing.
 
Rebuild the old one. Its not hard and quite a bit cheaper. Use cork gaskets for the glass and a neoprene float. It does take a special tool to do the job
 
1931 flamingo said:
Disconnect the battery BEFORE you start ! ! !

paul in CT
Click to expand...

VERY good idea!


Also, another NZ member somewhere said to use maple syrup on the seals;) It actually works well - I used it on ours, and it stopped a very light weep we had. Because it doesn't disslove in the fuel, it dries in any tiny gaps in/around the seals.
 
make sure the fuel tank level is below the opening :o

the front of the car should not be on an uphill steep incline:)

wear your depends just in case;)
 
You can get the neoprene float from Bert's in Denver. As others have said, use cork gaskets. I personally put a thin film of Napa Aviation Form-A-Gasket Sealant on the inside of each cork gasket as it is gas resistant, even to the new gas, and assures of no leaks.

Ron
 
Thanks for the tips (even though it wasn't money). I'll probably work on the fuel gauge this weekend. It's supposed to rain and we can't ride our Harely's, unless we want to get wet.
While I have the dash apart, I have to see what may be the problem with my speedometer. It pop the MPH numbers up and down. Maybe a bad gear on the drive ???
 
I would recommend a brass float. You can get one at a very reasonable price from the fellow in San Diego that makes them. Reenlee H. Kotas 858-278-8178.

You will also need the two tools that come as a set to remove the gauge. Most all the Model A suppliers carry them.

Clean the area around the gauge thoroughly, but do not use a vacuum cleaner as it will suck gas fumes into the sparking vacuum motor.

Tom Endy
 
I agree with Tom, the brass float should work with whatever they decide to put in gasoline in the future. Also available from Mikes-afordable.
 
It can be hard to get the original gauge apart to rebuild it. I soaked mine in lacquer thinner for about a week to free everything up.

Absolutely worth rebuilding the original. I've never found a reproduction that I was happy with. The rebuild is an easy job.

Ken
 
I pull the float lever pin and remove the arm, then slip the U shape over a piece of 3/4" plywood clamped in the vice. Now I can really press down as I turn the inner nut off. I also soak it with Kroil, as some are VERY stuck.
 
When installing just test fit it first as you may need to bend the float wire to calibrate it. Remove the fuel fill screen and use another wire bent as a hook to grab the float wire and gently pull it to yhe top of the tank. It should read full. This will give near one gallon left when it reads empty. Bend the float wire about one inch from the pivot to adjust it. The others said the rest. It is an easy job.
 
The early A's had a magnifying lens in the gas gauge,the rebuild kits have a flat glass,it's advantages to clean up that glass with the bubble.
 
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