What ate the fuel sender float?

[sick472]

I've only pulled a few fuel sending units in my life, all pre-72 and all brass floats, but I've never seen one like this. It looks like brass. The edges of the hole are very thin and would be sharp if it was not so thin.

I've had the truck since 1995 and drove it for a few years back then. The fuel gauge worked then, but since then the tank has had 87 octane in it mostly setting in the garage waiting "for the day".

Needless to say, it's getting replaced and the tank will get cleaned out an maybe epoxied (it's speckled with light rust). While were talking sending units....Any suggestions as who sells the good stuff?

BUT, What happened here?...

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by sick472

BUT, What happened here?...

stuff deleted.

I'll venture a guess on what ate it. Does your state mandate ethanol in your fuel like mine does? Most states do. I've heard many different stories on how ethanol doesn't hurt what you have unless you let it sit.

I found this online:

Ethanol attracts water. When the two get together, they create the perfect environment to grow a type of bacteria called acetobacter. After getting drunk on their EPA-sponsored kegger in your gas tank, the acetobacter excrete acetic acid. And acetic acid is very corrosive.

If you’re refilling your gas tank every week or two, acetobacter don’t have time to grow a sufficient size colony to damage metal parts in your fuel system. But if your fuel sits for longer periods of time these microorganisms continue to multiply until your gas tank contains damaging levels of acetic acid.

Me personally, I go WAY out of my way to put "non-oxy" aka ethanol free gas in all my small engines; snowblower, weed whip, generator, lawn mowers, outboard motors, etc. I usually drain all tanks like outboard tanks when they sit all winter. In my zero turn lawnmower, which is harder to drain, I start running a product like Stabil in about September so it gets through the system before it sits.

Since my truck is used little in the winter I make sure non-oxy only goes in there. Same for my Chevelles which sit a lot. AND I treat that with Stabil or Seafoam in the last fill-up before winter.

My daily driver, it gets the state mandated stuff. I've never seen any ill effects from using it in there because I go through so much.

[hjewell2]

Originally Posted by mrein3

stuff deleted.

I'll venture a guess on what ate it. Does your state mandate ethanol in your fuel like mine does? Most states do. I've heard many different stories on how ethanol doesn't hurt what you have unless you let it sit.

I found this online:

Ethanol attracts water. When the two get together, they create the perfect environment to grow a type of bacteria called acetobacter. After getting drunk on their EPA-sponsored kegger in your gas tank, the acetobacter excrete acetic acid. And acetic acid is very corrosive.

If you’re refilling your gas tank every week or two, acetobacter don’t have time to grow a sufficient size colony to damage metal parts in your fuel system. But if your fuel sits for longer periods of time these microorganisms continue to multiply until your gas tank contains damaging levels of acetic acid.

Me personally, I go WAY out of my way to put "non-oxy" aka ethanol free gas in all my small engines; snowblower, weed whip, generator, lawn mowers, outboard motors, etc. I usually drain all tanks like outboard tanks when they sit all winter. In my zero turn lawnmower, which is harder to drain, I start running a product like Stabil in about September so it gets through the system before it sits.

Since my truck is used little in the winter I make sure non-oxy only goes in there. Same for my Chevelles which sit a lot. AND I treat that with Stabil or Seafoam in the last fill-up before winter.

My daily driver, it gets the state mandated stuff. I've never seen any ill effects from using it in there because I go through so much.

YUP what he said , do the exact same here in Michigan.

[dmjlambert]

So does the float leak or just look ugly? If it doesn't leak, clean it up and coat it with whatever tank sealant you plan to use, or POR-15.

[Getter-Done]

Seen a lot of copper floats in my life but not like that

Maybe this
vvvvvv electrolysis

^^^^^^^










.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by dmjlambert

So does the float leak or just look ugly? If it doesn't leak, clean it up and coat it with whatever tank sealant you plan to use, or POR-15.

Since it is about 1/3 gone (looking at the picture) I imagine it leaks pretty bad.....

LockDoc

[sick472]

Yeah...it leaks! If you stick your thumb in the the hole and pull back ever so slightly...your thumb will leak right back out.

Anybody recommend a vendor for the sending unit? With my last project (a F@rd), most of the available sending units where sketchy. It looks like the brass float is available by itself for the truck. I ohm tested the unit and this one sends out a pretty consistent 20-120 after some freshening up of the contact points. I think it should be 0-90. My gut says replace the whole thing. I'm not being cheap, but if the old ones are worth refurbishing compared to buying repop...I'm in!

[raggedjim]

Here's what I used to replace the brass float.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ighlight=float

[Andy4639]

Rust! Buy a new one it should last at least 50 more years!

[phlegm]

I just redid all mine. Rep tank fuel lines sending unit fuel pump and rebuilt carb. Fuel lines are the hard part, never the right length had to clean and reuse pump to carb line. If I had to do it over again would have reused the tank to under cab line the same way.

Using that sink trap cleaner outer thingy LOL and some throttle body cleaner I got it really good and clean ithink.