Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
Hi I checked out the faulty gauge mentioned in my https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/365673-my-lc-80-thread.html and offer the following to help others in the future:
WARNING:
You are opening a fuel tank, once opened the fumes could be ignited from quite a distance away from the car, work outside away from any property, keep all doors/windows open and all sources of ignition at a safe distance.
The fuel gauge is located in the top of the fuel tank and very easy to access. Remove the second row seating 4 bolts (two of which are under the plastic covers seen when you lift the seat), then the step pads and lift the carpet pulling from the rear towards the front revealing an oval panel held in place by three screws, remove the panel and you will see the top of the gauge sender unit held down by eight 8mm bolts, unplug the connector block for the wires and remove the two pipes (flow and return) but blow off any dust on the top of the tank first so it does not get inside.
Now remove the bolts noting one also holds down a cable clamp and another other holds down a tank vent pipe. Lift the unit out complete turning it gently so the float and pick up pipe clear the opening, at this point it would be a good idea to have some cloth to hand, my car being diesel if this dripped on the carpets it will smell for weeks. Once the unit is clear you can move it to the the bench to start the examination. For safety's sake the first oval inspection plate you removed should be dropped over the tank opening to reduce fumes and prevent contamination.
On my unit it was clear from the pictures that the filter had seen better days and yet the tank looked clean inside, I then straightened the three tabs on the lid of the enclosure which held the sender unit and this exposed the resistance winding and as you can see it was toast, the windings are supposed to be tight together and mine seen to the left of the 'sweeper' arm are broken and spread apart so a new unit is needed. I could have soldered the wires at the top half together but they were so brittle that the slightest touch and they broke into little pieces. The small sensor also seen in the pics is the low fuel sensor for the warning light which works ok, so for the moment the filter is cleaned and the unit can go back in until a new one is sourced.
Refit is reversal of procedure but I would add a smear of rtv silicone to the gasket to ensure no leaks ect.
I could only upload three pics so left the inspection plate and tank cover out.
Items needed:
Flat screwdriver
Philips screwdriver
1/4 drive ratchet with small extension and 8mm socket
3/8 drive ratchet with small extension and 14mm socket
Small pliers
RTV sealant
1 hour of your time
Pic 1 shows the whole unit removed
Pic 2 shows the filter
Pic 3 shows the resistance winding and if you look closely you will see the broken wires
I hope this helps someone at a later date,
regards
Dave
WARNING:
You are opening a fuel tank, once opened the fumes could be ignited from quite a distance away from the car, work outside away from any property, keep all doors/windows open and all sources of ignition at a safe distance.
The fuel gauge is located in the top of the fuel tank and very easy to access. Remove the second row seating 4 bolts (two of which are under the plastic covers seen when you lift the seat), then the step pads and lift the carpet pulling from the rear towards the front revealing an oval panel held in place by three screws, remove the panel and you will see the top of the gauge sender unit held down by eight 8mm bolts, unplug the connector block for the wires and remove the two pipes (flow and return) but blow off any dust on the top of the tank first so it does not get inside.
Now remove the bolts noting one also holds down a cable clamp and another other holds down a tank vent pipe. Lift the unit out complete turning it gently so the float and pick up pipe clear the opening, at this point it would be a good idea to have some cloth to hand, my car being diesel if this dripped on the carpets it will smell for weeks. Once the unit is clear you can move it to the the bench to start the examination. For safety's sake the first oval inspection plate you removed should be dropped over the tank opening to reduce fumes and prevent contamination.
On my unit it was clear from the pictures that the filter had seen better days and yet the tank looked clean inside, I then straightened the three tabs on the lid of the enclosure which held the sender unit and this exposed the resistance winding and as you can see it was toast, the windings are supposed to be tight together and mine seen to the left of the 'sweeper' arm are broken and spread apart so a new unit is needed. I could have soldered the wires at the top half together but they were so brittle that the slightest touch and they broke into little pieces. The small sensor also seen in the pics is the low fuel sensor for the warning light which works ok, so for the moment the filter is cleaned and the unit can go back in until a new one is sourced.
Refit is reversal of procedure but I would add a smear of rtv silicone to the gasket to ensure no leaks ect.
I could only upload three pics so left the inspection plate and tank cover out.
Items needed:
Flat screwdriver
Philips screwdriver
1/4 drive ratchet with small extension and 8mm socket
3/8 drive ratchet with small extension and 14mm socket
Small pliers
RTV sealant
1 hour of your time
Pic 1 shows the whole unit removed
Pic 2 shows the filter
Pic 3 shows the resistance winding and if you look closely you will see the broken wires
I hope this helps someone at a later date,
regards
Dave
Last edited: