Morning all,
My fuel level sender from rally design turned up yesterday, looks a nice simple piece of kit. and for once it's not the electrics i have a
problem with.
My question is, how do i bolt it in, when i can only get to one side if it? my guess is some kind of self tapping screw, but that cant be right?
suggestions and pics would be very helpful
many thanks
Yep if an ali tank then you can use self tappers. You could use small rivnuts but you will need to smear a petrol resistant sealer around them
first.
Steve
Rivnuts are the favoured choice for this application if your tank doesn't have captive nuts built in. Self tappers aren't a great idea for this purpose (or in fact many purposes at all!).
I used M3 rivnuts, a Cork Gasket from a Land Rove Series 3 (depends on the size and hole layout, and I think it was hylomar to seal. Anyway, it hasnt
leaked in 3000 miles and a year of use.
Tighten down the screws evenly and go opposites, so you pull it down squarely.
ie as its ally, no distortion. Perhaps a little overkill... but easy to do.
EDIT:
Make sure you properly earth the metal of the fuel sender. I ran a separate earth and put a ring tag under one of the screws securing the sender,
rather than earth through the tank and bolts.
Electricity and Petrol in close proximity... Think about it! Dont take any risks!
[Edited on 18/5/2007 by wilkingj]
how thick is the tank? drill and tap holes to take m4 bolts.
you cold try glueing tapped thicket meta lstrip on the underside that hopefully would stay on when you come to fit the scrtews - sods law mean that 5
will but the 6th one will be out of alignment and fall into the tank.
or rivets if you can knock the broken off steel bit and then tap the inside?
I go with the rest and say rivnuts;
I used petrol resistant m5 anchor nuts with blind rivets. They have an o-ring that seals them to the inside of the tank and the blind rivets were coated in a petrol resistant sealer (PR 1422B2) it's used to seal fuel tanks on planes! The joy of the nutplates is they are floating so if the hole doesn't quite line up then it isn't an issue (thankfully!)[img]http://locostbuilders.co.uk/upload/a560091-IMG_5195 [640x480].JPG[/img]
I just drilled the 5 holes, then put m4 stainless bolts through from the inside of the tank, and tigtened the nuts on top with loctite, dead
easy.!!!
[Edited on 18/5/07 by millemg]
quote:
Originally posted by millemg
I just drilled the 5 holes, then put m4 stainless bolts through from the inside of the tank, and tigtened the nuts on top with loctite, dead easy.!!!
but how did you get the bolts to stay while you lowered the sender on? P.S. that looks exactly like mine!
[Edited on 18/5/07 by millemg]
NOT ANOTHER STUPID QUESTION SURELY
Here's a clue, it came to me when I was in bed one night 
PS - you need shakeproof washers on the bolt heads inside the tank so they won't rotate as you tighten the nuts 
the proper answer is to make a C shaped bar with threaded holes to go inside the tank (being C shaped you'll get it thru the hole in the tank)
Then have 2 longer screws (say 50mm long) to get things started - the rest can be shorties
Bob
stuff like this always reminds me of the song by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, "there ain't 'alf been some clever b*%tards".
quote:
Originally posted by Bob C
the proper answer is to make a C shaped bar with threaded holes to go inside the tank (being C shaped you'll get it thru the hole in the tank)
Then have 2 longer screws (say 50mm long) to get things started - the rest can be shorties
Bob
Not that, is a thoroughly bloody good way of doing it....
why the nutsack did no one tell me that *before* I put mine in with leaky rivnuts! 
Ah well!
Cheers,
James
My way took 5 mins
By the way, it's only the tank you turn upside down, not the whole car
[Edited on 18/5/07 by millemg]