Chris A

How could anyone ignore you . . . 😁 I don't have that option ticked I just have it set for all unread posts, then decide what I want to read.

Already said they appear to be the same except mine does fit correctly and can be, and in fact has been, screwed to the tank. When I next try it I am going to swap the float to the right hand side so it moves well away from the tank side. I'm not keen on the idea of bending the box part but may well give the arm a little bend to the left as it isn't at 90 degrees and slightly goes to the right, but only slightly.

Yes I realised it can be reversed, but hadn't thought it was the cause of the problem. You clearly had what I now believe to be mine problem and changing it sorted it. I'm pretty sure 🤞the same result will result here. It would have helped if I had paid attention to which way the float is mounted on the old unit.

I also thought they looked as if they could be the same, if so then it is down to whoever assembled the units having bought the main unit from the same manufacturer then fitting the plate. One got it right the other wrong

Even though it is on the side that could cause fouling, being shorter the risk is less. As for originals, the float almost certainly have been metal. In fact the old unit I have has a metal float, could be galvanized. The unit is a Smith's one but certainly not for a Herald/Vitesse tank, as mentioned earlier.

Just noticed the floati on this one looks significantly shorter than the one on my new one.

May not be directly related but in the same vane, off centre unit but in your example far more of a problem as it can't be fitted. Out of interest which side of the arm is the float when the base plate is the correct way up?

I don't think it is badly made, electrically it works, the resistances are correct for full, mid ish and empty. Even though the control box .Is off centre it fits without problem. I'm inclined to the view the float is one the wrong side of the arm, simple to take out and refit.

Yes they do look as if they were fitted at the factory, well done.

Made in Taiwan according to the box. Although the sender I received is stamped Bastuck & has there reference as well I ordered from Datch. They don't stock the unit but order as and when a customer orders one. They told me, after a couple of days that their supplier was out of stock and offered me the option of either a month's wait or they could source one from someone else but would cost about 10€ more. I opted to wait as it wasn't urgent. I received the unit about a week later. I guess they bought from Bastuck at a trade price. Before I ordered I had seen Bastuck and they had stock. Heard mixed reviews on Bastuck over here so wouldn't be tempted to use them. Can't recall, cant be bothered to go and check either. Even the CE mark isn't necessarily genuine these days. NO IT WOULDN'T!!!! 🤪 Anyway, the unit has been bench tested to confirm the resistences at various points in the movement AND connected to the gauge and the arm moved by hand. all confirmed that top is top. Phew!

Both units shown with the top at the top, you can make out the word 'top' on the sellers photo and mine is the same as mounted plus there is a sticker saying top. I had been very careful about which way up it went, one of the reasons for connecting it and trying it before fitting in the tank. What is different, apart from the way 'top' is identified is the mounting of the spade connector. In the seller's photo it goes to the right on the unit received it goes to the left, there are scratch marks at the side of it which I bet are where the spade connector has been removed, turned and re fitted. On my car the wires come in from the left of the tank, I assume this is normal so a spade pointing to the right would make connecting the unit more complicated. Such things are sent to try us . . .

That is 'the official' advice. If you look at R's site it does actually say it might be necessary. When I first reported my suspicions to the supplier their reply was : Bonjour, En effet en tordant un peu le bras pour modifier la position du flotteur vous aurez peut être une information plus fiable, à contrôler à l'essai. I was prepared to do that or even lengthen the arm, this is my 'sender theory confirmation testing equipment' I constructed to think the options through on. Pale blue wire arm as fitted, yellow/green same length as pale blue but with a bend, dark blue lengthened arm. Not to scale. Pegs used as the upper & lower stops. As you can tell technology doesn't worry me ( I ignore it)

Stabilised system, as mentioned earlier in the thread, everything works fine other than this sender. Having put the old one back in which does work, the new one works when connected but not in the tank, so no incompatibility between units.

Now the garden job is done I can get back to the serious stuff. Decided "what the heck" I'll submerge the new sender in a tub of water and see if the float, floats. . It does. Stared at it menacingly and a small bulb began to glimmer. Photo of the rebellious unit: Photo from a sellers site: (mine has the same supplier name and reference n°) Spot the difference. On the unit received the arm comes out of the right hand side of the control box, the float goes to the right of the arm, plus the arm isn't at exactly 90° to the base & unit it goes very slightly to the right. The mounting point on the tank is to the right of centre and I am leaning to the view that all the little steps to the right result in the float rubbing up against the side of the tank and being blocked. Obvious way to check this is to refit the float so it goes to the left. That is something I'll leave until my next allocation of 'personal choice' time - Friday maybe or when I have used up most of the full tank of petrol I now have. . Perhaps the unit only won the first round of the match . .

Right, week-end over, no bank holiday here today so back to work! So, I drained the tank again and removed the sender. No signs of it leaking plunged it into a jug of petrol, no air bubbles. Confirmed, yet again that outside the tank it works. Refitted carefully making sure it wasn't fouling on the tank, put in 5lts checked for movement, added another 2.5lts checked for movement.Nothing. Added another 5, again no movement. Decided to give up un it and let it win! All I can think of is that it just doesn't like getting wet! Refitted the old sender and did the filling in stages, it does what it did before so will live with it. I hate not having found out why the new one doesn't work in the tank. *** There is an update about this saga on blond moments, well there will be in a couple of minutes.

Good to know it's still effective, I'm thinking of giving my engine a bit of a clean

Gunk. Is it still as good as in the old days? Lots of the classic stuff is now useless.

In my case GOT old

Buy 2 get a third free. Great, 1 for the oil pressure, 1 for the charging & 1 for the indicators. Heart attack guaranteed at every junction and roundabout.

That's a good point. I know that when driving the Herald, a convertible, there are times when the sunlight makes it look as if the charge and /or oil warning lights are on. OK then who has done the mod . . .🤪

My mistake I assumed it was one of the new waterless brands.

I'm more than happy with the anti freeze from my local supermarket, does the job is cheap so replacing it (which I did a couple of weeks ago) regularly and/or topping up is straight forward. Plus in an emergency water can be used. Happened to me 4 years ago. Went in the Herald to check out locations to watch the tour de France pass locally. Didn't have any anti freeze in the boot, not even a bottle of water for me. The thermostat housing cracked. I was on a small country lane and just looking around for sighs of habitation when a car pulled up all they had was a small bottle of water which they gave me. Looking along the lane towards a farmhouse I saw horses in the field. Horses = water. Sure enough within reach was a huge trough of the stuff, several fills of the bottle and careful return home . . couldn't have done that with the new fangled stuff.

I've fitted one that has a higher pressure, 0.8bar, I know it isn't all that high but it makes me feel I'll get a bit more warning of impending doom. It was the highest pressure I could track down here that was a straight swap. Buying from the UK would have cost way too much, for reasons I won't mention.

Same here. The first time I did mine grease came out, a PO must have greased them I assume.