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Finishing sealing tanks - 22 year old fuel sending unit

twpuls

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Working on my secondhand RV-9 kit I purchased last year. This might be a dumb question, but finishing up the fuel tanks and wondering if there's any issues with using the fuel level/sending units that are 22-ish years old? I mean, I'm pretty sure my 1964 Cherokee has the originals, but these have been sitting in a box for the past two decades. Maybe I'm overthinking it but just seeing what everyone else has done in this situation.
 
Is there any corrosion? Unless they've been in a barn where rats and bugs made the box their home, they're probably okay. Put an ohmmeter across the terminals and see if the values are repeatable across the range as you move the lever.

But if in doubt and this is keeping you from sleeping at night, just get some new ones. They're a whole lot easier to install with the tank on the table than when they're on the plane.
 
Do an ohm check on them on the bench from full to empty and make sure they read according to spec. That should pretty tell you what you need to know.
 
I suspect you will not be able to get the float arm geometry specified in the plans.

I'd just get two new senders from Van's.

Carl
 
Mine were around that age when I installed them almost 10 years ago. Worked fine, and even somewhat accurate!
 
Working on my secondhand RV-9 kit I purchased last year. This might be a dumb question, but finishing up the fuel tanks and wondering if there's any issues with using the fuel level/sending units that are 22-ish years old? I mean, I'm pretty sure my 1964 Cherokee has the originals, but these have been sitting in a box for the past two decades. Maybe I'm overthinking it but just seeing what everyone else has done in this situation.
If you do choose to replace them, I have the Van’s/Stewart Warner senders (F-385B and F-385C) I could send your way. Pics/FaceTime available. PM me to discuss.
 
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