Fuel Tank

One of the problems I had when I was getting the car back on the road was when I filled the gas tank.  After the abortive test drive where the car overheated, a check later that evening showed gasoline dripping from the tank.  I removed the tank and took it to a radiator repair shop to have it fixed.

The tank was is such bad shape that they were afraid to pressure test it as high as they normally would.  They repaired the place where it had been leaking badly.  However, when I re-installed the tank, it was seeping in two other places.  So another removal and back to the shop with the tank.  This time it held, but I started looking for a replacement tank.

The other thing that I fixed during this time was the fuel sender.

Over the years, the copper wire had oxidized and wasn't making contact properly for the level level sensor.  Also the low fuel warning light was flakey.  A little light sanding fixed the first problem and soldering a loose connection fixed the other.  The picture on the left shows the windings of the copper wire for the fuel level sensor.  As the float moves up and down, the contact on the end of the finger coming in from the right rubs back and forth on the windings.  The electrical resistance changes depending on which winding the contact is touching.  This is reflected in the fuel level as shown by the gauge.  The picture on the right shows the low fuel light switch.  When the fuel gets down to a couple of gallons (four in my car), the contact touches the plate at the upper left and turns on the red light in the gauge.

Fuel Level Sensor	Low Fuel Light Switch

I eventually found a good used one tank, but it is from a Series I car so the filler is on the wrong side and there isn't a tube for the return fuel line.  You can see the Series I tank at the top with the filler on the left (right side of the car) and the Series II tank at the bottom with its filler and fuel return tube on the right.

So I'll take both to the shop and they will remove the filler pipe from the old tank and install it along with the return fuel tube on the new tank.  Then they will remove the old filler and seal up that hole with a piece of brass.  For the continuation, click here.