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Fuel sender construction?

David Lewis

Well Known Member
I am at the point in Building my left fuel tank where I'm fitting the standard lever type fuel sender. Paul Dye's posts warning not to over-tighten the center connection screw when attaching the senser wire got me to thinking about how the sender is constructed. Clearly the wire from the internal rheostat has to pass through to the external set screw.

Anyone know how the sender unit is build so it doesn't leak? I may be suffering from paranoid overkill, but would it be wise to beef up the integrity of the sender where the wire passes through with a little extra strategically placed proseal?
 
It is actually pretty easy to see how they are built - there is sort of a "rivnut" that passes through the center of the mounting plate - it can't pass any fluid, as it is solid. The screw goes in from the outside into the nut, and the wire from the rheostat is soldered on to the inside. It is this solder joint that breaks if you overtighten the screw and spin the rivnut.

Paul
 
Got it. Thank you Paul . . . The "rivnut" passes through the plate, not the wire. I just thought that if over tightening could spin that connection, there might be a path for fuel to leak. Thanks for the explanation.
 
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