Kaleb C. Striplin wrote:
I just bought one at autozone, 1 7/8 I think was the size, it worked
well but was 10 bucks for 1 socket. Next question, how do you remove the
outer tube part to clean up the inside?
Here's EVERYTHING I know about it:
Tools Needed:
1-13/16" socket
8mm socket or wrench to remove seat back bolts
Lots of clean shop towels or rags.
Plenty of room around car for seat bottom and back to clear doors while
removing.
Fuel tank as low as you dare to go with it.
Procedure:
1.) Remove rear seat bottom by releasing 2 red clips on forward bottom edge
of seat frame. Pull to one side on the clips while lifting up - you'll feel
the seat frame come up as soon as they release. Lift up on the forward part
of the seat bottom and pull towards the front of the car. Carefully remove
seat bottom from car.
2.) In the center of the seat back below the armrest is an 8mm screw. Remove
it. On either side at the lower corners of the seat back are metal brackets
with 8mm screws in them. Remove these as well. Climb into the center of the
back seat area and lift the seat back straight up. There's a metal lip on
the back of the seat that hooks on two "ridges" just below the parcel shelf.
Lift the seat back off of these and carefully set it down in the back of the
car.
CAUTION: Use two people for the next step!!
3.) With another person's help lift the seat back and remove it from the
car. Why two people? Because if you try to do this yourself the seatback is
too heavy. You'll end up dragging one of the corner brackets across the top
of the wheel well or somewhere else around the door area. I have the scars
to show for it. Now is a good time to apply some Leatherique to the seat
back and bottom while you have the whole thing out.
4.) After wading through the spare change, candy, Cheetos, etc, you'll find
some black insulating/sound deadening material draped down the back of the
seating area. On the left rear (driver's side) there will be a cut-out just
below the parcel shelf. Carefully pull this portion back. underneath is a
large (3"-4") diameter plastic plug. Pry it out of the opening it seals.
5.) You are now looking at the top of the guage sender. Carefully remove the
electrical connector and move it out of the way. Place your socket on top of
the sender and turn it counterclockwise. Once unscrewed all the way, get
ready with some shop rags/towels.
6.) Carefully and SLOWLY lift the sender assembly out of the hole. As you
lift, fuel will be draining out of the cylinder. There are two holes in the
side, one near the top, another near the bottom, with still a third in the
base. Look down into the tank as you get close to the bottom of the sender
or listen carefully to tell when the fuel has stopped draining from the
sender. Have some towels or rags ready, as when you remove the sender from
teh tank there will still be fuel dripping from it. Be patient! Too many of
us have pulled the sender out prematurely and gotten baptized with #2
diesel. Yuck! Take the sender to a clean work area where you can disassemble
it and lay the parts out.
7.) Start by wiping the outside of the sender with a clean towel. You'll be
amazed at the nasty black stuff all over. get used to it -you're going to
see more . . . On the bottom of the cylinder is a small round "nut".
Carefully
unscrew this with a pair of pliers and put it aside. Gently twist on the
bottom of the sender and it will start to come apart. Be prepared for more
fuel! Here's what you will
find:
A.) Flat metal disc that covers the bottom of the plastic plate and acts as
the "floor" for
the maze.
B.) Plastic disc that is the closure plate for the bottom. Lots of
convoluted grooves in it, like a little maze. Make sure these are cleaned
out, as they act as a damper for fuel to flow in and out of the sender
cylinder.
C.) Outer tube of the sender. Two small holes in the side, both should be
open and unclogged. These allow fuel to flow in and out of the sender so the
float will register properly. The inside will be messy as well. Clean it. I
pass paper towels (or better yet, a non-fuzzy shop rag) through it.
D.) Sender float and guide rod/wires. Here's where the fun begins
8.) Clean all the individual pieces, saving the float/guide rod assembly for
last. You can use any number of solvents for this, just use them in
accordance with proper safety practices.
9.) Take the float/guide rod assembly and carefully clean it, using a cotton
swab or something appropriate. Handle it carefully, as the fine copper wires
on the sides are very important as you will discover! On the bottom is a
disk that lines up with two copper "arms" on the float. This is your low
fuel light circuit. Make sure the contact on both the float and the disk are
clean. You can burnish them with some emery cloth if necessary, as they will
probably be pretty nasty. I like to use electrical contact cleaner to clean
the low fuel contacts as well as the wipers and wires on the float.
10.) You may find one of the fine copper wires is broken, which will account
for no low fuel light. If this is the case you can resolder the wire using a
low wattage soldering iron and the correct solder (60-40 electronic solder
form someplace like Radio Shack.) It has been my experience that the wires
typically break at the connection point where the original solder joint was,
so no patching is necessary.
11.) Now that you're done, carefully reassemble the pieces, paying close
attention to the placement of the plastic end cap and metal disk. Once you
have the sender reassembled don't place it in the tank - plug it into the
harness and use a jumper clip (wire with alligator clips on both ends) to
ground it. Turn on your ignition to see if you have your low fuel level
light lit.
12.) After this test, remove the connector, carefully replace the sender in
the tank, remembering to put the sealing ring on it, and tighten with the
socket. No need for
brute force here, just make sure the sealing ring is slightly compressed.
13.) Replace rear seat and related goodies
14.) Get a cold beverage of your choice and enjoy a snack from the remnants
that lie under the rear seat! Ahh! Life is good!
<unsnip>
Dan "Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration" Penoff
Marshall
--
Marshall Booth (who doesn't respond to unsigned questions)
"der Dieseling Doktor" [EMAIL PROTECTED]
'87 300TD 182Kmi, '84 190D 2.2 229Kmi, '85 190D 2.0 161Kmi, '87 190D 2.5
turbo 237kmi
