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MG MGB Technical - Fuel tank sender

My Fuel tank sender seems to have gone belly up. I would have erratic indication of fuel level, ie sometimes I see a level on the fuel gauge, other times nothing( yet there was fuel in the tank.) So past threads tended to indicate the gauge itself is unlikely to have failed, rather the tank sended( and it is 38 years old!) So I have ordered a new sender, one of these modern all electronic? Specifically for the B, not a universal sender. Anyway this is my question; I have renewed the tank some time ago, and now they do not have drain plugs. I hate the taste of fuel so I do no relish siphoning the remainder, a small amount. If I jack the car, at the tank sender side, carefully stabilise, most of remaining fuel will be at opposite end of the tank? So then I could deal with the dismantling and replacement. Disconnect battery of course. What about static, any risk? And I'll have to tell the cat, which lounges at the back of the car, not to come near with a cigarette. Is this too dangerous? or shall I try to drain the tank completely? I even thought of using the pump itself to expel all, but don't want it running that long, might get hot? Mike
J.M. Doust

Your method should prove successful as long as you don't have too much fuel in the tank. Tell the cat that smoking is bad for its health and will stunt its growth, unless that's what you're aiming for. RAY
rjm RAY

Ray, that was quick work, didn't expect a reply so soon! Ah, So that's why the cat is so small! Actually, both the cats are old now, and you know what they are like a favourite place etc, I often find them sleeping in the back of the MG! thanks Mike
J.M. Doust

If you have a partial tank all you need to do is elevate the RH side as high ass a normal trolly jack will go. all the fuel is then on the LH side. No need to drain.
darnoc31

Thanks Darnoc31, Yep, I thinks thats just what I will do. Mike
J.M. Doust

Electronic sender? I'm aware of ones with a different form of resistance to the original wound wire, but that is all.

Non-reading, intermittent or otherwise, can be a whole raft of things other than the sender. You should have joined together the two wires at the sender (or the one wire to the body of the sender) when there was no gauge reading and see what that did. If the gauge moves smartly up to F, but still doesn't register when the wires are put back on, then it is indeed the sender. Otherwise it is something else.

You should be able to change the sender with at least 1/3rd tank, with the right rear jacked up.

When replacing make sure to fit the (new) rubber gasket between the sender and the tank, not the locking ring and the sender ...
PaulH Solihull

JM

I had a similar problem - went to all the trouble of changing the sender only to find it was the voltage regulator which was a 30 second job - worth a try first

JT
John Turner (Midget & MGB)

Hi,

My experience with a new tank sender was that it leaked out of the electrical connector. Others have also mentioned this problem.
Since my float had fuel in it I simply swapped the floats.

Herb
Herb Adler

This thread was discussed between 25/10/2011 and 29/10/2011

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