A year and nine months ago when I purchased my beloved 51 TD, I noticed
fuel leaking around both inner and outer gaskets of the sender unit. I
was not surprised since the TD had been virtually garaged for the past
twenty years and the gaskets probably dried out and/or lost resiliency.
So I replaced the gaskets and all seemed well.
When I returned from the Great Circle Tour in August, I noticed the
sender unit was again leaking, rather badly. The car had been driven
approx 15,000 miles since installing new gaskets. Upon inspection, I
found the outer chamber, which contains the wiper contact from the float
for sending voltage to the petrol light, flooded with fuel. It had
probably been that way for a long time.
Is this normal? I am of course concerned that there is always 12 V DC on
the stationary pole and there could be a small spark as the wiper makes
contact when fuel is low - approx 200 ma current flows. Of course, if
the chamber is always flooded, there probably could not be a spark. But
I am still concerned. Is it normal for the outer chamber to be flooded?
I suspect fuel is coming through the pivot point between the float and
the wiper.
In a way, I am now answering my own question. If the chamber was not
flooded but filled with fuel vapor, this would be a more volatile
situation. The fact that the chamber has a gasket on it seems to
indicate it is expected to be flooded. Am I thinking properly?
I have successfully stopped the leaks by tightening down securely on the
ten screws.
Any ideas or replies about the flooded chamber will be greatly appreciated.
Stu Keen
51 MG TD MkII
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