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mrbigport
1st November 2006, 07:06 PM
Hey, for the majority of sprinter owners that gauges play around.
And lack of guides with pictures. I decided to make one for those
people that thought it was too much of a hassle. It will take about
5-10 minutes depending on the garbage you have in your boot

You will need:
Philips head screw driver
Small flat head screw driver
A rag
A celebration beer

Caution, if you have brass tools or whatever please use them, a spark
made can cause some unpleasantries when working with the sender.

Remove all the junk from you boot especially anything that can cause a spark then locate the sender unit in your boot. It will be under on the drivers side near the spare tire. It will have 3 screws and 2 looms(one with 2 wires and one with 3 wires). You may want to remove these plugs to work with the sender a bit easier

[attachment=8557:attachment]

Underneath this is the actual sending unit. Undo the 6 screws at the top and remove the sending unit. You might want to rub around the area with a cloth so you dont get much crap into your tank

[attachment=8558:attachment]


You will see a metallic rectangular box with two arms coming out. One with a wire around it that sends the empty fuel light to turn on and another arm with a floating device (black box thingo).

[attachment=8559:attachment]

One the actual unit there are three tabs. lift these up with a flat head or preferably your nails if you can. slide out the box. (tabs are circled)

[attachment=8560:attachment]

You should see this inside. bend the sending thingo so that it makes contact with the coil throuhout the entire travel. You can reattach the plugs at this time if you desire and move the float around and watch the fuel gauge to be sure its working

[attachment=8561:attachment]

once everything is all good. reattach the cover and work backwards to reinstall the sender. Congrats you now have a decent sender (unless your float doesnt work or some electrical problem but then thats not my problem =)

Bustin_86
1st November 2006, 10:05 PM
Thats an awesome guide, need to do this to my car.

Cheers mate!

Beserker99
1st November 2006, 10:58 PM
Ahhhh, fkn hell. I tried doing this to my car liek a week ago, but I didnt know ya ahd to take the tabbed cover off. I though it was just the wire that touches the long sender http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/emoticons/laugh.gif

Oh well, back to doing that tomoz then http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/emoticons/smile.gif

Cheers for the tute!!!!

Dori_Dori
2nd November 2006, 03:52 PM
great write up man
good advice to all the ae86 lovers in need of some DIY
help/fuel sender..... http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/emoticons/2thumbs.gif
""A celebration beer"" for sure YO

Cheers

HYPNTK
2nd January 2007, 04:20 AM
hey man just saw this and i've had to rely on my light to come on to top-up juice all this time! only a couple of days ago that failed too and almost left me stranded (lucky there was a servo at the bottom of the hill i was rolling down http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/emoticons/tongue.gif)
mechanics just tell you to replace stuff till you fix the problem whereis this is awsome mate, thanks a lot

HYPNTK
2nd January 2007, 07:02 PM
hey i just tried doing that now and when i was moving the metal thingo side to side on the copper thing my fuel gauge wouldn't move and then when i put it all together my gauge was still stuck on empty...(mind you my tank was almost empty)

went for a drive, put $20 juice in it and the fuel gauge came up almost to half way...seems this method has worked but is the reading correct? i only ask because it says on here that when you move the metal thing along the copper thing your gauge should move too...meh! at least its not stuck on empty any more hehehe

mrbigport
16th January 2007, 12:14 AM
Doesnt that sound about right? nearly empty when doing the sender.. putting 20 bux of juice, which equates to roughly 15-17 Litres depending on the price of petrol..

so 15-17 is a bit less then half the 40L tank of the ae86.. so doesnt the sender sound like its giving a correct reading at almost half (well half decnet reading)

the gauge moves when u move the contact about the coil.. u just need good eyesight to see it from the boot.. or leave it at full somehow and sit in the cabin.. should see the sender moving to double check it works.. (also make sure the 2 plugs are reconnected when testing )

HYPNTK
16th January 2007, 12:59 AM
oh ok nah i was wearing my specs when i was trying this and it wouldn't move..got someone to do it for me too while i sat inside and didn't move so i was a bit dissapointed but then when i put juice in it its been working ever since so it doesn't matter now anyways...

i wonder why it stuffs up in the first place...can metal "un-bend" itself over 20 odd years???

Monkey1911
16th January 2007, 08:48 PM
Fuel senders can still be ordered from toyota. I know there were a few different part numbers based on what year/month your car was produced.

My car is an 86 model year produced in 10 of 85 and the part number for my fuel sender was 83320-80039 This part should work on any AE85/86 made after 10 of 85

http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/emoticons/biggrin.gif

mrbigport
17th January 2007, 04:18 PM
yup they can still be ordered i got quoted $225 + Gst and 3 weeks until it came from japan..

Monkey1911
17th January 2007, 07:17 PM
yup they can still be ordered i got quoted $225 + Gst and 3 weeks until it came from japan..[/b]

Damn, that's a lotta $$$. Mine was about $125 USD and I only had to wait about a week for it to come up from Oregon......which is the state just south of Washington.

deafkid
20th January 2007, 10:39 AM
good write up dude very helpfull all fixed now http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/forums/emoticons/2thumbs.gif
did it this morn but bit earlie for a beer after tho lol

dori_86
20th January 2007, 01:38 PM
also a quick note ae86 apparently has a 50L tank not 40L from one of the brochures ive got

HYPNTK
20th January 2007, 02:12 PM
also a quick note ae86 apparently has a 50L tank not 40L from one of the brochures ive got[/b]

you never know, the size might vary between jdm and adm

Sanity Clause
4th June 2008, 06:18 AM
The above pics don't open anymore.

Has anyone got copies?

I need to check my sender as it does some odd things.
When the tank is full, if you rock the car a little, the gauge goes down to below half way, and then very slowly back up again!

Any ideas?

Robo86
5th June 2008, 10:03 AM
lol i need to do this, if i have over half a tank my guage goes straight to empty, comes back to life when I'm at about a quarter

Sanity Clause
5th June 2008, 07:23 PM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Robo86 @ Jun 5 2008, 12:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=541656)</div>
lol i need to do this, if i have over half a tank my guage goes straight to empty, comes back to life when I'm at about a quarter[/b]


I pulled the sender out, yesterday afternoon.

The copper coil was black on the left hand side (full reading on left), so I cleaned it up with a WD40 type spray and a cotton bud. I gave the arm a little bend as well, and it tested fine.
Guage reading ¾ on the way to work this morning, so it's all good, now.

I took some pics if anyone needs them, but it's pretty straight forward.

The only things I'd add to the above tutorial....

Use a 1in paintbrush (or similar) to loosen all the dust from around the housing and then blow clean, before undoing the 5 screws (not 6).
Cover the opening with a cloth once the sender is removed.

You only need to lift the 2 smaller tabs on the metal box, then you can slide the cover off.
Longnose pliers make it easier to pinch the tabs back again.

Dom86
5th June 2008, 09:34 PM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Robo86 @ Jun 5 2008, 07:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=541656)</div>
lol i need to do this, if i have over half a tank my guage goes straight to empty, comes back to life when I'm at about a quarter[/b]

mine does the same, but starts working again from half :teehee:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sanity Clause @ Jun 5 2008, 04:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=541929)</div>
I pulled the sender out, yesterday afternoon.

The copper coil was black on the left hand side (full reading on left), so I cleaned it up with a WD40 type spray and a cotton bud. I gave the arm a little bend as well, and it tested fine.
Guage reading ¾ on the way to work this morning, so it's all good, now.

I took some pics if anyone needs them, but it's pretty straight forward.

The only things I'd add to the above tutorial....

Use a 1in paintbrush (or similar) to loosen all the dust from around the housing and then blow clean, before undoing the 5 screws (not 6).
Cover the opening with a cloth once the sender is removed.

You only need to lift the 2 smaller tabs on the metal box, then you can slide the cover off.
Longnose pliers make it easier to pinch the tabs back again.[/b]

yeh man i would appreciate some pics. i know how to get it all out, its just the cleaning and bending i'd like to see.

i don't think ive ever seen a proper working sender on an 86 :confused:

Nikkojoe
5th June 2008, 11:15 PM
lol, you can come see both of mine. Seriously have never seen the problem until i read this thread :P

Sanity Clause
6th June 2008, 01:44 AM
Here's some pics....

[attachment=26661:DSCF4027.JPG]

^ Start here.

[attachment=26662:DSCF4028.JPG]

^ Opened up.

[attachment=26663:DSCF4030.JPG]

^ Dust removed.

[attachment=26664:DSCF4031.JPG]

^ Metal cover off, showing the dirty copper coil and the sliding arm parked at empty position. The arm may need bending slightly to ensure that it makes contact along the whole length of the coil (check the fuel guage).

[attachment=26665:DSCF4032.JPG]

^ The whole sender unit.

[attachment=26666:DSCF4034.JPG]

^ Cleaned up coil, and arm parked at full position.

[attachment=26667:DSCF4036.JPG]

^ The cover back on. The 2 small tabs can just be seen, to the extreme right hand side, next to the rubber seal. (Gently prise them up and slide back the cover to release).

[attachment=26668:DSCF4038.JPG]

^ Tested, working, and ready to replace.

The job's a good'n :2thumbs:

SC

Dom86
4th July 2008, 04:26 PM
coolness. thanks for the breakdown.

ill have to give this a go now.

Dom86
6th July 2008, 01:56 AM
did this today....

seemed to work, saw the guage creeping up imediately.

thanks again!

Sanity Clause
7th July 2008, 09:20 PM
I did find that after a 2 weeks, when I next filled up, the guage only read ¾ full, so had to pull the sender out and clean it again.

I'll have to wait and see what happens in another couple of weeks when I fill up again.

reecegze
11th September 2008, 06:34 PM
why we see the images for ??

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DRF786 @ Nov 1 2006, 06:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=279946)</div>
Hey, for the majority of sprinter owners that gauges play around.
And lack of guides with pictures. I decided to make one for those
people that thought it was too much of a hassle. It will take about
5-10 minutes depending on the garbage you have in your boot

You will need:
Philips head screw driver
Small flat head screw driver
A rag
A celebration beer

Caution, if you have brass tools or whatever please use them, a spark
made can cause some unpleasantries when working with the sender.

Remove all the junk from you boot especially anything that can cause a spark then locate the sender unit in your boot. It will be under on the drivers side near the spare tire. It will have 3 screws and 2 looms(one with 2 wires and one with 3 wires). You may want to remove these plugs to work with the sender a bit easier

[attachment=8557:attachment]

Underneath this is the actual sending unit. Undo the 6 screws at the top and remove the sending unit. You might want to rub around the area with a cloth so you dont get much crap into your tank

[attachment=8558:attachment]


You will see a metallic rectangular box with two arms coming out. One with a wire around it that sends the empty fuel light to turn on and another arm with a floating device (black box thingo).

[attachment=8559:attachment]

One the actual unit there are three tabs. lift these up with a flat head or preferably your nails if you can. slide out the box. (tabs are circled)

[attachment=8560:attachment]

You should see this inside. bend the sending thingo so that it makes contact with the coil throuhout the entire travel. You can reattach the plugs at this time if you desire and move the float around and watch the fuel gauge to be sure its working

[attachment=8561:attachment]

once everything is all good. reattach the cover and work backwards to reinstall the sender. Congrats you now have a decent sender (unless your float doesnt work or some electrical problem but then thats not my problem =)[/b]

focus_7
11th September 2008, 07:26 PM
is this the sender you replace for a conversion to a digital instrument cluster?

reecegze
25th September 2008, 11:58 PM
pics ???

Sanity Clause
26th September 2008, 04:18 AM
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (reecegze @ Sep 25 2008, 01:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=592908)</div>
pics ???[/b]

Disappeared!

Here they are, again....


[attachment=31314:DSCF4027.JPG]
[attachment=31315:DSCF4028.JPG]
[attachment=31316:DSCF4030.JPG]
[attachment=31317:DSCF4031.JPG]
[attachment=31318:DSCF4032.JPG]
[attachment=31319:DSCF4034.JPG]
[attachment=31320:DSCF4036.JPG]
[attachment=31321:DSCF4038.JPG]