Gas Gauge Rebuild

J

james1savage

Member
I found that gas seemed to be seeping abit around the gas gauge glass and I’m concerned due to the electrical directly below it. I’d like to replace the gaskets on either side of the glass. I’ve tried removing the star nut inside the housing but it is stuck tight. I’ve soaked it for a couple days in thinner per the red book but still stuck.

Anyone have any knowledge that would assist in my success? Attached are just a few pics including the tool I’m using. I’m gently clamping the outer housing in a vice to hold it while trying to turn the inner star nut.
 

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james1savage said:
I found that gas seemed to be seeping abit around the gas gauge glass and I’m concerned due to the electrical directly below it. I’d like to replace the gaskets on either side of the glass. I’ve tried removing the star nut inside the housing but it is stuck tight. I’ve soaked it for a couple days in thinner per the red book but still stuck.

Anyone have any knowledge that would assist in my success? Attached are just a few pics including the tool I’m using. I’m gently clamping the outer housing in a vice to hold it while trying to turn the inner star nut.
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Seeing it out of the auto- a little heat may help but blow off any thinner etc residue prior to applying heat. might have gasket cement or try a good high temp heat gun
 
You might try a mix of 50% ATF and 50% acetone, immerse completely and put a tight seal across the top. Let it sit for a couple of days. That seems to be the crud buster of last resort.

I believe that tool you have is one of the cast aluminum ones. There are others out there made of steel that might work better for you if that aluminum one strips.

I loosely clamp the gauge body with the ears between the vise jaws so that turning uses the ears to stop rotation. I don't clamp on the body itself, that tends to make removal of the bezel harder.

Given your difficulty, I'd suspect someone used thread locker or gasket sealer sometime in the past. Don't make that mistake when you reassemble!

If all else fails - there are plenty of gas gauges out there new and used, unless that's one of the early 28s with the magnifying lens. Then you have a bit more of a chore finding another one.
 
Yes, heat will help, but, be very, very careful if you use a propane torch. Does this gauge have the original glass lens with a raised oval magnifying lens? If so, and if you want to keep that lens, light application of heat is best.
 
The first and best thing to do is throw those cast aluminium tools in the trash. I made a decent pair years ago and found that I could do a much better job with them. I could tighten things better and undo them easier too. I toyed with the idea of having them laser cut in numbers but I've abandoned that recently because it seems they would attract a tarif. Likewise my ceramic sealed water pump.
 
James, I did this job last year. Buy the better gas gauge removal tool - steel as it grips better and you don't score up the nut. Its available on the US sites. Surprisingly, the angle on the holding tool was bent more on the one that comes with the aluminum option and it held on the outside better including when doing it on the tank in the car.
Or try the Model A club in your area as someone will have the tool.
 
You are correct to fix the gas seeping problem. In the 1960's I saw a gas station that had been burned because of a Model A with a leaking gas gauge. As the driver turned off the ignition the car caught fire and burned the gas station. These were when wood gas stations were still around.
 
I took apart and cleaned up a whole bunch of gas gauges recently. Out of 30, I had five that wouldn't come apart, no matter how long they soaked and how much heat I used to break them apart. I would have tossed them, but three of the five have original glass convex "eye" lenses, so I'm leaving them until I can figure out a better way to get them apart to preserve the lenses.
 

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Try the mix of 50% ATF and 50% acetone as jayjay mentioned.

Also, as you turn the tool try having someone tap the top of it with a hammer. So, tap and turn at the same time.

Stay away from the heat idea.
 
katy said:
rackops, have you tried subjecting them to an ultrasonic cleaner?
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Not yet. I have had them soaking in Kroil for the last few months. I haven't put much effort into taking them apart as I don't know what to do with all of the restored ones I already have. :D They're soaking in my "to do" box along with a few temperamental carburetors and 3X spark plugs. :rolleyes:
 
For reference, this slides shows the assembly sequence of the gas gauge.
 

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Side tracking a bit here but all of those gauges Rackops has reminds me of a lady friend who needed a repair to the gauge in her car. I wasn't working AT ALL. When I removed it from the tank, I found someone had extended the wire that the float goes on. It was so long that it hit the front of the tank and was hammed there. It now has a big "S" in it and works just fine. I know she would have bought one of those if you were closer, Rackops.
 
Synchro909 said:
Side tracking a bit here but all of those gauges Rackops has reminds me of a lady friend who needed a repair to the gauge in her car. I wasn't working AT ALL. When I removed it from the tank, I found someone had extended the wire that the float goes on. It was so long that it hit the front of the tank and was hammed there. It now has a big "S" in it and works just fine. I know she would have bought one of those if you were closer, Rackops.
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Someone obviously replaced the bail on my '31, or maybe the whole assembly. Regardless, the bends in the bail were very gradual, not at all like the relatively sharp ones on the original. So gradual that the bail hits the flame arrestor and the gauge won't register at full or empty. Not much good to me if it only tells me when I'm half full. Temporarily I removed the flame arrestor (I know, taking a chance), but the eventual fix is to bend the bail properly.
 
I had to replace the float on my gas gauge last summer. When installed it does not read correctly a full tank reads 1/2-3/4 as the fuel sloshes around while driving. A knowledgeable A friend removed the flame arrestor to see if the wire bail was rubbing, but declared there was no evidence of that. So what can I do to get a correct reading?
 
700rpm said:
I had to replace the float on my gas gauge last summer. When installed it does not read correctly a full tank reads 1/2-3/4 as the fuel sloshes around while driving. A knowledgeable A friend removed the flame arrestor to see if the wire bail was rubbing, but declared there was no evidence of that. So what can I do to get a correct reading?
Click to expand...
You need to bend the bail up and down to move the float relative to the dial. I start out by putting a gallon in an empty tank with the gas gauge out, then adjust the bail so that the gauge is on "E" but still moving (that is, when I slosh the fuel by moving the car the gauge moves a little bit). You can then calibrate it at half full (5 gallons in the tank of your special coupe) and full. But get the gauge in and sealed before you put much more than 3 or 4 gallons in the tank, otherwise you might spill out the gas gauge hole.

If the gauge reads low (e.g., 6 gallons in the tank reads less than half), bend the float end of the bail downwards slightly. This rotates the gauge downwards (towards full). You can do this from the top (without removing the gas gauge) if you are careful, but far easier is to do it with the gauge removed. It's very easy to rip out where the bail threads into the pot metal gauge housing.

And in the end, what's important isn't the reading when the tank is full, it's that the reading when the tank is approaching empty is accurate. That's why I set "E" to be when there is still a bit of fuel in the tank.
 
I really appreciate all the knowledge and advice, thank you. Last resort I went with the heat and finally was able to crack the inner nut free. Cleaned everything up, new cork gaskets, its back in the car. Going to put some gas in this weekend and confirm the leak is fixed. Then see if I can get my daughter to join me driving it around in the snow hahaha.
 

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