[AF85]

So my sending unit is done... ribbon is completely disintegrated. I have posted want ad's on here an FB, no replies yet. Ebay, nothing.

I read in the TSRM for diagnosing the sending unit that resistance should be 3-110 ohms (empty-full respectively). After searching for a sending unit that would match these readings I found that a 1986 toyota corolla (AE86) is the closest possible find. It even looks identical. It operates on a 0-110 ohms scale.

Right now I can only see one problem, it may not fit on the tank - alignment of the mount to the screw holes. Even with the ohm range being out by just a bit, I would assume that the needle would just simply read a bit more than full on a full tank. I mean its only ~3% of the entire range of the actual gauge.

Has anyone tried doing something like this? I would much rather keep things stock, and will try and be patient with my ad's... but this seems like it would work.

Help.

 

[autopar3000]

I need a sending unit too. I've put out a couple of feelers (not on this site yet) but haven't had any luck. And I've seen that some senders sold at pretty high prices, considering the buyer got a ~40 year old part that is known to corrode and fail.

If I can't find one locally for reasonable money I will probably buy a universal sender from Tanks Inc:

5 Bolt Fuel Sending Unit

Tanks, Inc. manufactures fuel system components and polyethylene, steel and stainless steel gas tanks for street rods and special interest vehicles.

www.tanksinc.com

I used one of those on my 70 Dodge Dart when I installed a newer EFI tank, and it works fine. Some guys just slap it in and then have issues with it not reading properly, but they're not putting enough thought into it. You just have to make sure to cut the float arm to the correct length so it's at the top of the sweep when full and at the bottom when empty. For my Supra I have the clapped out factory sending unit to use as a guide, so it should be easy.

So what about the fact that the Supra range is 110 ohms to 3 ohms? Tanks Inc has an interface module that lets you use pretty much any sender on any gauge. I haven't used one of these, but I read the instruction sheet for the first one and it seems super easy to use. It looks like I could even make the low fuel warning light come on:

MeterMatch Fuel Gauge Interface Module

Tanks, Inc. manufactures fuel system components and polyethylene, steel and stainless steel gas tanks for street rods and special interest vehicles.

www.tanksinc.com

or

Fuel Link Gauge Interface Module

Tanks, Inc. manufactures fuel system components and polyethylene, steel and stainless steel gas tanks for street rods and special interest vehicles.

www.tanksinc.com

I'd rather get a nice factory piece, but if it's going to cost anywhere near the same (or more) I'll probably end up trying the aftermarket option. I'll have to measure the Supra sender bolt holes to make sure they're the same as the modern style (bolts on senders are not evenly spaced), but if they are then this could be a way for us to get the fuel gauge working again with modern replacement parts.

 

[Pat]

I found that if you search for PN 83320 and leave off the rest of the numbers you will find one that is mechanically & electrically the same but with a different wiring connector. I used a 83320-80140 on my 82 Supra and it works fine. Go to WWW.megazip.net for hard to find parts. I know it sounds suspicious but they have been very helpful in finding parts.

 

[autopar3000]

I just put a generic aftermarket sender in mine with the fuel gauge interface module shown in my above post. It was more effort than I was looking for, but my fuel gauge works now. In hindsight the Corolla sender above, or any Toyota sender from the 80s, should work, as they all have the 110 - 3 ohm rating. The only question is with different fuel tank sizes whether or not the float would be all the way down at empty and all the way up and full.

 

[dannoxyz]

I guess you can adapt any electrically-compatible sending unit and can get proper calibration with making customised mounting bracket that holds it at proper depth.

 

[autopar3000]

I'm going to try to find time to post a thread about what was involved. If I do it I'll come back here and let everyone on this thread know.