Fuel System: fuel gauge/sender unit issues

[vph63]

what is the easiest way to check that the fuel gauge or sender unit are working. Having problems with the gauge in my63 hawk reading too high,have a new sender unit in tank thanks

[doofus]

Need to know how the gauge acts, if showing full all the time the wire to sender is probably grounded. more info please. Doofus

[thunderations]

Drain the tank and see if it registers empty. Fill the tank and see if it registers full. Empty would be the most important reading to have fairly accurate.
With the wire off of the sender, the gauge should read empty. If you hook the wire to a good ground, the gauge should go to full. That will show that the gauge is working properly.
A new sender may need to be adjusted, (rod bent) to get a more accurate reading.

[TWChamp]

I don't know if the 63 Hawk is wired differently, but my 50 Champion shows full when the wire is removed from the sender.

[vph63]

thanks for the info Doofus,with tank near empty it still registered nearly half on gauge,i removed sender again to check its operation,appears to be ok.Replaced unit and took car for alonger run gauge seems to be reading approximately where fuel is at.so may have been an wiring issue. All the best 2017 cheers Vaughan

[vph63]

Thankyou for your reply,it may appear to be an wiring issue so hopefully may now be sorted, cheers Vaughan

[vph63]

Thankyou TWChamp, may have solved the problem ,cheers Vaughan

[San Diego Ron]

OK if I jump in here? My '62 Hawk fuel gauge shows empty with key off, and while on or engine running, gauge very slowly moves up to about 1/4 mark and fuel tank is full. tried hitting fuel tank with rubber mallet thinking sender may be stuck but didn't help. What should I look for next?

[rkapteyn]

Was surprised to find that the screws that hold the sender in the tank are steel sheetmetal screws. not machine thread screws.
These screws rust and do not make good electrical contact after 60 years.
Run a new wire from under one off the screw heads to a good ground and make sure you clean the fuel sender flange where you connect the wire
The fuel gauge depends on a good ground!

Robert Kapteyn

[TWChamp]

OK if I jump in here? My '62 Hawk fuel gauge shows empty with key off, and while on or engine running, gauge very slowly moves up to about 1/4 mark and fuel tank is full. tried hitting fuel tank with rubber mallet thinking sender may be stuck but didn't help. What should I look for next?

I'd remove the sender and see if the cork needs to be replaced. The new floats will stand up to the new crap gas.

[San Diego Ron]

Removed sending unit and cork float shot, moved lever out of tank with power on and gauge worked although very slow and didn't go all the way to FULL. Looking for replacement sending unit. One more problem I'm having. Car won't start without a squirt of starting fluid but OK after, I installed electric fuel pump but still need to prime carburetor to start. By-passed mechanical pump and car starts right up with electric one. What would be keeping electric pump not to be able to assist mech one or pump through it? Don't want to depend on elect one to run car, would replacement mechanical pump solve this problem? THANKS...
Located on frame rail under back of drivers door.
Have pump on switch to turn off once car has been started. At least that was the plan.

[San Diego Ron]

Would like to jump back in here again. First off, electric fuel pump installed to assist mechanical pump not needed now that I replaced carburetor, car starts right up now, no problem. Replaced fuel sending unit but gauge still very slow to move up to full mark (takes about 5 minutes for needle to move up from empty mark). Would that be a bad ground at gauge or something else? Thanks.

[thunderations]

these gauges are slow to move. Yours may be a little slower then some, but as long as it gets to somewhere accurate, I'd leave it alone. You might try getting a better ground by running a wire from a sending unit mounting screw to a good ground. Check and clean all the other connections at sender and gauge.

Would like to jump back in here again. First off, electric fuel pump installed to assist mechanical pump not needed now that I replaced carburetor, car starts right up now, no problem. Replaced fuel sending unit but gauge still very slow to move up to full mark (takes about 5 minutes for needle to move up from empty mark). Would that be a bad ground at gauge or something else? Thanks.

[San Diego Ron]

Replaced ground at sending unit but have not cleaned connections at gauge...yet! Thanks

[tedtaylor]

where did I read the proper procedure for installing new cork fuel sender gaskets??? I remember reading about pre-soaking in water? not sure if on this forum or on one of the Studebaker parts suppliers websites. Please help direct me.
thanks