Fuel Sending Unit

[Bill C.]

Recently ordered a replacement unit and was floored by the price difference and operation to expect from my purchase. OEM price $275 and import price $69. I was told anything by GM since the present economic situation is out of sight price wise. The cheaper unit is, " not acurrate or reliable" and only id accurate from 1/4 to empty. Where did all the good stuff go ? Bill #20328

[Joe L.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

Recently ordered a replacement unit and was floored by the price difference and operation to expect from my purchase. OEM price $275 and import price $69. I was told anything by GM since the present economic situation is out of sight price wise. The cheaper unit is, " not acurrate or reliable" and only id accurate from 1/4 to empty. Where did all the good stuff go ? Bill #20328

Bill----


The 63-67 fuel sending unit from GM has been very expensive for years. It did not just go up suddenly. That's just someone's INFERENCE. For instance, the GM list price in 2001 was $236. Also, the sender is no longer available through the GM parts system. It may or may not be available through AC-Delco.

[Joe R.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

Bill,

The sending unit (PN 6428065 is still available thru AC Delco BUT it is very high in price and works no better than the reproduction.

A few years ago, there was a rumor going around that the import sending would burn your Corvette to the ground. Some idiot may have burned his Corvette to the ground but it wasn't because of the sending unit.

The reproduction import should not be more than about $70.00.

If you think the 63-67 is high, just price the unit for an 82 or a ZR-1.

JR

[Dick W.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

Last time I heard the ZR-1 was over $1,250.00, so consider the other unit a bargin

[Joe L.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

Last time I heard the ZR-1 was over $1,250.00, so consider the other unit a bargin

JR and Dick-----


Wonder of wonders, the price of the 1990-95 ZR1 fuel module (sender), GM #25028725, actually came DOWN. Once-upon-a-time it was over $1,300. Now, it carries a GM list price of about $460.

The 1982 sending unit, GM #25003153, is no longer available through the GM parts system, but it is available through AC Delco. It carries a list price of $757.

[Bill C.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

You are correct Joe as usual. Checked Ac Delco on line and the seending unit is avail for $505....................Thanks for the help and the wake-up call...............................Bill

[Ronald L.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

That ZR-1 sending unit leaves the Delco facility in Mexico for about $40 US.

And that rumor of cars burning to the ground???

EBay seller to this day saying this in ads to avoid stainless and buy theirs at 2x the price.

here is the ad:
Attention:
Dont be fooled by the cheap after market Stainless Steel Advertised imitations that have caught many Corvettes on fire.

The ones we are selling are OEM GM factory high quality items!

63 64 65 66 67 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 Mid Year C2 Chevrolet Chevy Corvette Gas Fuel Tank Sender Sending Level Unit New ACDelco GM Genuine General Motors Factory Original Equipment OEM Item Part

Made in China. F-0003 on top No stamping on Unit.


Delco # FLS1111 Gm Part # 19180447

FUEL SOCK AND SEAL COMES WITH THE SENDER

Issue is - non of these have the AC Delco logo - do they?!

[Gary J.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

Send it to him for repair:

www.antiqueinstrument.com www.johnwolfco.com 888-309-0453

[Gerard F.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

Here's on of the differences I found in the repro C2 fuel senders:



The repro has plastic pressed in speed nuts at the harness connections. If you get a leak here there is no way to tighten them up.

The other difference is the variable resistor is different and more cheaply made than the original.

Had the one on the left in the picture on my 67 for less than a year before if went bad. Tried to adjust and and clean the contact studs, then it started to leak. Not easy doing an emergency siphon of the gas tank, glad it was only 6 gallons.

Not very hard to refurb your original, which is what I have on now. Glad to see someone is now doing this.

[Chris E.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

Jerry, how do you refurb your original fuel sending unit????

[Gerard F.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

Jerry, how do you refurb your original fuel sending unit????

Chris,

Very carefully

I think there was a Restorer story on a fuel sender repair sometime back in 2005-2006 but on a C3. But the same repair principles apply: insure electrical conductivity in all the wires to the rheostat (or potentiometer) which moves with the float, carefully clean the contact and coil within the rheostat. Test it out with an ohm meter.

Here are some pictures of a repair to a C2 original which I picked up on ebay for cheap, as the seller thought it was trashed:



Used my wife's fingernail file to file the rheostat contact. (see still doesn't know it). Used the cotton swabs and steel wool to carefully clean the coil which the contact rubs against, within the little box which says 90 ohms.

Check the continuity of the coil. if the little wires are worn through there is probably not a repair. If only a few wires are broken, one can probably apply a little solder.

Notice the cracked wire insulation in the picture, that's a potential for a short. Repair insulation with shrink wrap or gas resistant sealant:



Then put the rheostat back together and test the resistance across the two connections at the base:


Float up should be around 90 ohms, float down around zero ohms. If so you are good to go. Note that the wire clip on the rheostat in the picture is only there to hold it together while I test it, the ohm meter connections are to the lugs in the base of the unit.

I even had to rebuild the riveted connection at the top of the rheostat with solder on my original.



After cleaning it up and checking insulation, it is back on the car, and still works just fine.

The repro at the top of the picture lasted only about 6 months. It has a totally different rheostat which is not interchangeable with the original.

So, have fun tinkering

[Chris E.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

Jerry, wow, perfect. Can you post a picture of the bottom face of the original fuel sending unit? Trying to figure out what it looks like. Wondering if the one I pulled out of my car during restoration was an original or not. Thanks much.

[Gerard F.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

Jerry, wow, perfect. Can you post a picture of the bottom face of the original fuel sending unit? Trying to figure out what it looks like. Wondering if the one I pulled out of my car during restoration was an original or not. Thanks much.

Chris,

The below picture is the bottom of an original, or early service replacement, next to a service replacement box with the part number.

This is the one I got on ebay in the service replacement box, and repaired:



My original on the car is just too cruddy to see any definite configuration in a picture, but it sure looks like the one in the picture. Made in USA.

[Ronald L.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

In another related thread you will find my experiences with these senders, there was what I think was a limited run of these just before Delphi closed the Flint plant. They had a modern day resistor card, and were the only sender I found that out of the box, save the NOS parts, measured 90 ohms at full. These can still be found from time to time by checking with the sources I mentioned in that thread, and yes, they will be $300. They weren't cheap new from GM back in the day, nor are they now, but they are accurate and in IMHO with the modern resistor card, well adept to the alcohol fuels. The only difference is that they did not have the AC Made in USA. Other than that - they are turn coated - look identical - unlike the China units made from flimsy stainless. The AC Made in USA can be pressed into these parts to make them perfect for the discriminating restorer, that service was available but not cheap.

These days the Delphi produced parts are made in Mexico, I have seen them around for the same or higher prices and presumably the same functionality.

In case you missed the experience with the China units, there was not one that read 0 - 90 ohms, 150 at full, 200 at full...you will NEVER have a properly operating system with that junk...and those were the $80 and $90 versions, one can only speculate what you get for $30...

[Jim D.]

Re: Fuel Sending Unit

In case you missed the experience with the China units, there was not one that read 0 - 90 ohms, 150 at full, 200 at full...you will NEVER have a properly operating system with that junk...and those were the $80 and $90 versions, one can only speculate what you get for $30...

I bought one of the Chinese units of E-Bay for $50. It has worked perfectly for over a year. If I develop a problem, I will have my original restored. The high priced ($300) "Delco" replacement I saw looked exactly like the import ones.