Anyone know which is the correct fuel sending unit for a 1983 Chevrolet Caprice wagon? I am finding conflicting compatibility information online. I bought the Spectra FG14B from Amazon, which claimed to be compatible with my specific vehicle and has three tubes coming off, which I have read elsewhere is (for some unknown reason) specific to the wagon. However, I just crawled under my car, and it appears there are only two tubes going into the tank. Searching on Advance Auto's site shows several different units for the Caprice wagon: some with three tubes, some with two, some with straight tubes and some with bent tubes. I wanted to have correct part in hand before I drop my tank. Anyone know for sure which one is correct? Apparently it's one of the ones with two tubes, but there are a few of those...
So I think it's the Dorman 692-068, based on what I can tell from pictures on line and from peering around under the car. Just ordered one from Rock Auto, which claims it is also for the wagon. Will see when it arrives.
Im happy for you that they are even available...nothing was available for my 68 merc except a rusty one still in the box on ebay for 300 bucks...although in desperation i did consider it, i ended up removing the sending unit, then comparing them to others on ebay, and i bought one that seemed to match very closely for a Torino sedan and hoped for the best..when it arrived it was exactly the same as mine except for being one inch longer on the pick up tube and float wire...cut the tube, and rebent the "Z" on the float and its working great...i got a new lock ring and square cut gasket on rock auto very cheap, they were available and pretty universal..wishing you the best! its one of those tasks that aint very fun but you will be proud once you get it done..while the tank is out be sure to inspect the tank strap and where it attaches to the body for strength and integrity, and its a great time if theres any body rust in that area to coat it with POR 15...send us some pics of your progress! Terry
You may have solved your problem by now, but I think that dropping the tank and actually having the old sending unit in hand to compare it to all of the different ones you see online is the BEST thing you could do. So the car is out of commission for a few days while you wait for the correct unit to arrive. At least you'll know it's correct and will have to order something only once. As far as a sending unit with three tubes when your original has only two, if a two-line unit cannot be found, just cap the unneeded third line on the unit you CAN obtain. Very often a third line is included if the car has A/C (you didn't say if your wagon has A/C).
My wagon does have A/C, and I thought the same about the three-line being for A/C, but for some reason mine only has two... Thanks guys, I did get it done. The Dorman one was the correct sending unit. I drained the tank to nearly empty (by driving it, which was somewhat nerve-wracking since my fuel gauge wasn't trustworthy and I was keeping track of miles to estimate what what left in the tank), which made it less painful to manage the removal. Installed the new unit, replaced the fuel hoses with new sections, and reinstalled the tank. Pics below.
Have you installed it yet? If not. You need to verify the float arm position. Make sure the tank is as drained as it can be, this part is important. Install the sender, and hook it up electrically only. Pour two or three gallons of gas into the tank, keeping it level. This is your 'margin' at 'E'. Turn the key on, and wait for the needle to move. It should be dead center of 'E.' if not, turn the ignition off, pull the sender, and bend the arm just a tiny bit to change float level. If it read low, you bend the arm down, to raise the needle, high reading, you bend the arm up. Get the needle as close to the center of 'E' and that'll give you a figure to work with for how far you can go.
For forward looking folks with old cars, it never hurts to have a bung welded in your gas tanks or trans pans when you have them apart. You never know when you'll have to remove them again and it saves a lot of hassle then.
I never could abide the Bean Counters nixing drain plugs on gas tanks and auto transmissions. But, having one in a gas tank, when you go to drain it, figure out how much is in the tank, then double the figure...ask me how I know this.
im asking hehe...would it be because either the bottom of the tank is not flat? or the tank sits at an angle?
I did install it, and didn't verify the arm position beforehand, but luckily for me, that's just about where it ended up. It had maybe a gallon at most in it when I pulled it, and I dumped a full 2-gallon gas can into it after I got it back in the car. The needle sat squarely on "E." (TBH I was a little worried it wasn't working because I figured with 2-3 gallons in it, it should register somewhere slightly above the E.)
All gas tanks are supposed to have that 2-3 gallon margin from the factory. Of course, owners always push a car past that "E" mark though....
