This will be the third sending unit that that I am installing in my 1934 ford coupe. The gas tank is a Tanks stainless steel unit .The sending unit is an Auto Meter universal unit , Model 3262-240 ohms empty/33 ohms full. The gas gauge is also Auto Meter. The sending units seem to work for a couple of months, then start to work intermittently, sometimes not working for several months than all of a sudden start working again. Replacing it is getting to be a real pain. Anyone else had the same problem?Its definitely not a wiring problem as when it stops working I wired it to another sending unit and the gauge works fine. Appreciate any info.
then i'd try a different brand of sender do you have an ohmmeter? check the old one when you pull it out
You say it's grounded. Are the wires screwed/bolted down over top of thick paint. Working then stopping and then working again down the road sounds like a ground issue. Or could the float be getting stuck somehow inside the tank and not moving the gauge. You can never have to many ground wires on a car. I would start with re checking the grounds and all the connections. Then I would buy better than auto meter.
After going thru 2 float/lever type sending units , I bought a tubular sending unit made by ISSPRO.. Solved the durability problem , plus took all the "swing" out of the gauge needle.. Check this site for the info on what unit you'll need.. https://www.isspro.com/
I had problems with 2 Auto Meter sending units in 2 different cars. What I finally figured out after pulling one out was the part on the side of the unit that has a little metal contact and slides up and down past contacts IN the tube, had swollen up and would stick in the slide. Probably caused by the wonderful gas we get these days. I sanded it down, and it seemed to work OK after that.
I use ones that Hardin Marine (Florida) sells. They are a tube type,several different lengths and oms. The one I installed in my Sedan Delivery has been working fine for 3 years now.
I used the universal one that Speedway sells, and modded my original mount plate to accept it. It worked fine for a while, then started doing the same as the ops did. Mine has an access door right above the sender so you don't have to drop the tank to get to the sender. Turned out my wiring stud on top was just barely touching the access door every once in a while, causing the gauge to go bonkers. Took the access door off and put a dimple in it with a ball pein hammer, problem solved.
As has been said before Isspro. I've used them in a few customers vehicles with good success. Classic Instruments is now offering Isspro units as their own. I asked them about it and they avoided the question. I asked the Isspro people at SEMA this year and they told me about their deal with Classic. Classic only does quality components so I wouldn't hesitate to buy or from them even if they don't want people to know it's origins.
Why not call TANKS? I use the sending units they sell and have never had a problem. As said by earlier responders I would double check the ground. This is the source of most problems with senders.
Cleaned all the ground wire connections and now the gas gauge appears to be working again. .Thanks for all the input. I will keep an eye on it for a while ,hopefully the problem has been solved , if not here we go again.
The sending unit died again. Hooked up another sending unit externally, and the dash gauge works fine. , Drained and pulled the gas tank, took an internal measurement, and called ISSPRO. They are sending me a tube type sender with a Low Profile Head, to resolve any possible clearance issues. Hope this finally solves the problem.
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