19 replies to this topic

[Ocado Man]

Right then, time to get your Saturday morning 'mechanic' heads on.

1994 1275 Sprite

I had a problem with the fuel gauge reading 1/2, 1/4, 1/2, empty scenario. After a few tests, I determined that it was the fuel sender that was faulty. Fitted new one yesterday & the reading was about right considering I had emptied the tank to get the old sender out.

This morning I've popped over to get refuelled & Lulu is registering just under half. Exactly where it was yesterday. I know for a fact that the tank is full.

I have since pulled out the dash & put a different gauge in (spare on the shelf). Exactly the same reading.

I am about to change the PCB from a three to a two clock (Lulu was originally a two clock).

I don't think it is the voltage stabiliser (not that I can find it) as the temp gauge is working fine.

Any suggestions?
It can't be a sinking float - brand new
It's not the sender
Two gauges read exactly the same
If it is the voltage stabilser, where is it? There is nothing on the back of my clocks.

Cheers

[100ev8]

take the sender out , connect it back to the wires and then test it . anyone been messing with the cap ?

[Dan]

Did you fit the sender the right way around?

How do you know the tank is full? How did you know it was empty? How much do you fill it up with (please don't tell us how much you buy in terms of price, how many litres)? Lots of people have no idea how much fuel their Mini will hold.

[mini13]

I had this with my last new sender, but the other way, it ran out above the red line ad read full too soon,

I ran it right out of fuel, put a gallon can in then pulled the sender out and rebent the arm til ithe needle pointed at the top of the red.

afer that it was about right at full too.

[Ocado Man]

Did you fit the sender the right way around?

How do you know the tank is full? How did you know it was empty? How much do you fill it up with (please don't tell us how much you buy in terms of price, how many litres)? Lots of people have no idea how much fuel their Mini will hold.

I would have though that with all the lugs, grooves & spaces on the fuel tank, the sender will only fit in one orientation, & then with the sender arm facing the back of the car.

How do I know that it is full? I went to the garage & 'brimmed' it. It took another 13.14 litres. Previous to that it was about half full as I could take out the sender as long as the tank was laying at about 45 degrees in the boot with the strap off.

To tank is full, the gauge reads just under half. Brand new sender unit, same reading on a spare fuel gauge. If I attach the wires to the sender unit I took out & keep that in the 'full' position the needle gradually gets there.

[Dan]

I would have though that with all the lugs, grooves & spaces on the fuel tank, the sender will only fit in one orientation, & then with the sender arm facing the back of the car.

Well I had to ask, you'd be amazed what can be achieved by a truly determined idiot!

Interesting that the old sender works but the gauge responds slowly. Is it very much slower than usual? Bimetal gauges are very slow at the ends of travel.

Use a wire coat hanger to pick up the float inside and see if it can be pulled higher, it could be that it's bit bent as said above. Did you use the right sender? Swapping between the injection type with the bent arm and the carb type with the straight arm can cause problems like this. I think the straight arm type are no longer from the original manufacturer and the spec may have drifted slightly over the years.

[Ocado Man]

Dan - I got a torch to look at the float, but I couldn't see into the tank never mind the float.
I bought the sender from MiniSpares for a carb engine. I can't now remember if there was a crank in the arm.
I'll look at get the coat hanger into the tank (if I can find a metal hanger - they are rarer that rocking horse sh*t)
When I say gradually, the needle doesn't rocket upto full. (Everyting about a mini is gradual) It's a gentle sweep unlike my other car (non mini) that instantly reads the fuel level as soon as the ign is on.

[Ocado Man]

Just looking at other issues on this site & a thought struck me.

Although Lulu is a '94 1275 Carb. Sprite she falls into a crossover period of injection models. Could it be that I have been supplied the incorrect fuel sender? Should she have the injection version in?

Although her tank was full this am. she registered just under 1/2 on the gauge. I have since syphoned 14 litres out of her (ready to drag the sender out AGAIN) & the gauge still shows about the same. (just under 1/2)

[matt615]

Although Lulu is a '94 1275 Carb. Sprite she falls into a crossover period of injection models. Could it be that I have been supplied the incorrect fuel sender? Should she have the injection version in?

Yes that is exactly your problem. Despite being a carb car, your Mini would have been fitted with the injection type fuel tank. That means the sender unit you have it getting caught on the extra gubbins inside the tank, which is why it won't read more than half full.

The only difference between carb and injection sender units is that the injection ones have a couple of extra bends in the wire to clear the extra stuff in the fuel tank.

Do you still have the old sender? If so you can bend the new sender to match the old one and it will work.

[Twisty]

sorry to hi-jack the post but it is relevant, I also have these problems with sputnik a 92 1275 sprite again a cross over car.

Is there any chance someone can get some images of the later injection type tank and the original standard old type tank so i can compare the difference?

Cheers

Twisty

[Ocado Man]

Although Lulu is a '94 1275 Carb. Sprite she falls into a crossover period of injection models. Could it be that I have been supplied the incorrect fuel sender? Should she have the injection version in?

Yes that is exactly your problem. Despite being a carb car, your Mini would have been fitted with the injection type fuel tank. That means the sender unit you have it getting caught on the extra gubbins inside the tank, which is why it won't read more than half full.

The only difference between carb and injection sender units is that the injection ones have a couple of extra bends in the wire to clear the extra stuff in the fuel tank.

Do you still have the old sender? If so you can bend the new sender to match the old one and it will work.

Yes, I still have the old sender but that was reading 1/2 full too, so that is probably the wrong sender also. The problem I have is that as Lulu has sat for nearly two years doing nowt, the fact that the fuel gauge has read nigh on empty hasn't been a problem. Now that she is Mot'ed & good to go I ( & SWMBO) need to know what the accurate level of fuel is. I've put a 5 lit. can of fuel in the boot should she run dry.

I think the way forward is to let the little darling run nearly dry then have a fiddle with the tank in the correct orientation rather than at 45 degrees & see if I can get the sender arm to lift to simulate a full tank. If not have a word with the boys down at MiniSpares.

[Big_Adam]

Welp, big tank holds something like 7.5gal, skinny tank is something like 5.5 I think.

So, grab your last receipt and tell us how much per litre it was and how much you managed to put in money wise?

You say 13 ~ 14 liters which is still a good gallon short on the skinny tank and about half on a big one.

[Ocado Man]

Welp, big tank holds something like 7.5gal, skinny tank is something like 5.5 I think.

So, grab your last receipt and tell us how much per litre it was and how much you managed to put in money wise?

You say 13 ~ 14 liters which is still a good gallon short on the skinny tank and about half on a big one.

I think Lulu has the 5.5 gal tank. I'm sure that was the standard at the time. I plan to run her for a while run the fuel out then I'll be able to remove the locking ring & sender with the tank in it's 'set' position. That way I can see/feel if there are any obstructions for the sender arm to get to a 'full' reading.

[Big_Adam]

I think Lulu has the 5.5 gal tank.

On a 1992 car? I'm not sure thats right. Pop the boot open and take a photo of the tank, skinny tank has a flat boot side, where as the big tank has to curve around the rear wheel.

[Ocado Man]

Oooooh!

Lulu is a 94, but you describe her so well! Her tank is slightly Rubenesque. Rounded & fuller than most, certainly around the spare tyre; but certainly flat on the boot side. However as she is of a certain age her capacity might well be 33 litres. I'm not sure her capacity has any bearing on her ability to register 'FULL' when she has been brimmed.