[GunMoto's] Casual look | OEM fuel sender
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Joined: Sep 2003
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From: OC/SD, CA
EG8 | E46 | W211
[GunMoto's] Casual look | OEM fuel sender
I recently shot images of my old fuel sender (leaking), which will hopefully be helpful to anyone considering modifying the unit or for simple edification.
Some mentioned having difficulty separating the top and bottom halves of the unit. Perhaps older versions of the unit are fully sealed. If so, the unit pictured below is the 211 470 51 94 version.
I too had difficulty removing the top/bottom halves of the unit, but there is a retaining clip that needs to be kept open but the o-ring still makes it quite difficult to twist, even with a fair amount of leverage. Getting a good grip on the oddly shaped unit is the correct approach and with 2 people, you shouldn't have any issue twisting the top off. The top half needs to be rotated CLOCKWISE.
Thoughts on leaking issue:
Symptoms:
Fuel would pool on the top half of the sender unit, along with an EVAP leak code. This means the top portion, which is the only area exposed outside of the fuel tank, must have some sort of crack or hole. I haven't had a chance to inspect the top half at depth to see why it would be leaking, but will do so at a later date.
Thoughts on modifying sender unit:
Assuming the fuel sender is a solid component and did not have the notorious fuel leak issue AND assuming removal of the internal fuel filter will not affect the pressure regulator (it shouldn't be affected), then perhaps removing the internal fuel filter entirely and installing an external inline fuel filter may work. This would totally make R&R on an external fuel filter straightforward. The fuel pressure regulator is located on the bottom half of the sender.
There are 4 hoses from the sender, 2 of which connect to the fuel pumps, while 1 routes to the right-side of the fuel tank to send fuel to that side for equalization, and the last 1 also doing the same sending fuel to the left-side of the fuel tank. *Please chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.
Ready, set...............GO!
Part number:
Overall unit:
***Simple 2-step process to separate the halves:
Bottom half:
Bottom half:
Top half:
Top half:
Top half:
Top half (filter removed, o-ring inserted):
Fuel filter:
Fuel filter (no significant markings, e.g., part number, size, etc.):
Some mentioned having difficulty separating the top and bottom halves of the unit. Perhaps older versions of the unit are fully sealed. If so, the unit pictured below is the 211 470 51 94 version.
I too had difficulty removing the top/bottom halves of the unit, but there is a retaining clip that needs to be kept open but the o-ring still makes it quite difficult to twist, even with a fair amount of leverage. Getting a good grip on the oddly shaped unit is the correct approach and with 2 people, you shouldn't have any issue twisting the top off. The top half needs to be rotated CLOCKWISE.
Thoughts on leaking issue:
Symptoms:
Fuel would pool on the top half of the sender unit, along with an EVAP leak code. This means the top portion, which is the only area exposed outside of the fuel tank, must have some sort of crack or hole. I haven't had a chance to inspect the top half at depth to see why it would be leaking, but will do so at a later date.
Thoughts on modifying sender unit:
Assuming the fuel sender is a solid component and did not have the notorious fuel leak issue AND assuming removal of the internal fuel filter will not affect the pressure regulator (it shouldn't be affected), then perhaps removing the internal fuel filter entirely and installing an external inline fuel filter may work. This would totally make R&R on an external fuel filter straightforward. The fuel pressure regulator is located on the bottom half of the sender.
There are 4 hoses from the sender, 2 of which connect to the fuel pumps, while 1 routes to the right-side of the fuel tank to send fuel to that side for equalization, and the last 1 also doing the same sending fuel to the left-side of the fuel tank. *Please chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.
Ready, set...............GO!
Part number:
Overall unit:
***Simple 2-step process to separate the halves:
- Disconnect the (black) harness plug:
- Keep retaining lock/clip open while rotating top half CLOCKWISE, then lift top half to separate from bottom half:
Bottom half:
Bottom half:
Top half:
Top half:
Top half:
Top half (filter removed, o-ring inserted):
Fuel filter:
Fuel filter (no significant markings, e.g., part number, size, etc.):
