Fuel sender Problem fixed

[Cooter]

Found out my brand new Fuel sender I bought at Carlisle quit working...Gentlemen, The first thing you do when you get one of the newer Fuel sending units is remove the Clear/white plastic float and toss it. I figured I'd Replace with a brass one, quit again...Removed the sender tonight and found the brass one has cracked...

Luckily, I had just installed a fuel pump in a 1997 Lincoln and robbed the sender float off it...Tac. welded the two together and BAM! Fuel gauge works like new again....For whatever reason, when these things are manufactured, they use the plastic floats. When they are snapped into the sender arm, they crack right in the groove where they snap in...Just make sure you get the float tac'd in a Semi-Acurate position to the original.

[MEK-Dangerfield]

A friend of mine gave me his brass float from his '91 Ford Ranger, and it fit my sending unit like a glove.   

[burdar]

There are a few other threads on here that state the exact opposite.  Those posts say to toss the brass floats and install plastic ones.   I guess if you have problems with one style, replace it with the other.

[hooD]

    If a brass float has a leak, couldn't it be fixed with solder and be as good as new again? 

[purple1]

   If a brass float has a leak, couldn't it be fixed with solder and be as good as new again?

     You got to be kidding right? That would be like soldering a live granade.

How could you ever get all the gas fumes out?

[tommyg29]

not solder with heat, but one of those tube type solders or something like marine tex.
Last year my brand new brass float had a pinhole leak in it.

[purple1]

not solder with heat, but one of those tube type solders or something like marine tex.
Last year my brand new brass float had a pinhole leak in it.

  Just I have seen some stuff blow up that we thought was clean. I didn't want anyone to get hurt.
 

[Cooter]

The BEST, PERMENANT fix I've found is to go down to your local favorite repair shop and ask your mechanic to save Any and all fuel sender floats off ANY fuel pumps he/she might install (as most come with them as a "Module" package) and tac. weld the newer Polypropylene (Spelling?) float and never worry again...

The brass float I had came out of a '95 Ford Exploder and when removed, it was cracked. I repaired with solder gun..Reinstaleld thinking brass was better..Cracked AGAIN...I replaced third time with Newer float..Never gonna have to again...This one had been in that Lincoln tank for over 200K miles and almost 20 years. The Plastic and brass floats lasted months.

[tommyg29]

I hear ya,
its happened countless times....even experienced people, while working, thoughtlessly torched something only to realize too late....Dohhhhhh, why did I do that!!
And thats for those lucky enough to still be alive.
Its the same reason many industrial accidents happen....repetition, boredom, or just carelessness or trying to take a shortcut.