Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

I'm in Australia and need to use a 4th gen sender unit to get my gauges working on a 0411PCM swap.
I'm using a vy commodore dash cluster which uses the same ohms style sender unit as the 4th gens which is incompatible with the 3rd gen ones.

Unfortunately I can't find a 4th gen fuel tank anywhere here, and the ones on ebay are overpriced, don't have all the bits, and shipping is a killer.

The VY commodore sender units are plentiful here, but they have the same locking mechanism to fix them to the fuel tank.

Can someone explain how the 3rd gen tank sender locks in place compared to the 4th gen one, and if it's possible to properly mate the two together.

From the looks of the sender unit, the only difference may be in the total length, but I'm sure I can shorten the 2 frame pipes to match the 3rd gen unit length.

I was hoping someone over there had successfully done it before so I can have a bit of confidence giving it a try.

Re: Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

For large parts, such as panels, I use a guy in Melbourne (East Coast Mustangs) who brings whole cars in from the USA.

I get the parts delivered to his shipper, who squeezes my boxes into containers with cars. Costs about fifty bucks a box and takes about six weeks for delivery.

There would be someone in Brisbane who offers a similar service.

Re: Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

The 3rd gen uses a steel tank. The sender top is about 3" round and smooth around the circumference but for an alignment tab. It attaches to the tank with a lock ring. I know the later 4th gens had a plastic tank with a later style sender attachment. I don't know when they switched from one to the other. The early 4th gen, like pre-99, may be like the 3rd gen. The last 4th gen fuel pump I did was a 96 TA. I seem to remember it had a steel tank pretty much identical to my 87.

I just did some looking on-line here in USA. It looks like at least as late as 98, the sender continued to use the same style attachment. The tank is close enough to the same shape that the sender should just about drop into a 3rd gen. The 98 looks to be hinged midway down and spring loaded to lay against the tank bottom, so position in the tank should take car of itself. Parts Geek has the units with photos for reference.

Of course the lines connect differently. The 98 is a quick connect style.

Another option would be to attach the 4th gen level sender and arm to the 3rd gen tank unit. It would take just a little fab work.

Re: Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

Thanks for that.
I'll see if I can maybe get just the sender from the states, which at least I'll know I don't need to mod the sender frame.


I had another look a the third gen senders and they seem to go into the tank at a 30-45 degree angle from the top, but the 4th gen ones don't. Would that be an issue, or was it just a change in float location that doesn't affect the level?

Re: Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

Don't know for sure, what about using the whole 4th gen. fuel tank and sender then modify the lines to fit? I don't have mine 94' sitting here to look at, but I think most early 4 th. gens. were metal also.
Joe

Re: Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

I'm in Australia and can't find one on ebay willing to ship for a non-ridiculous price.

Re: Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

Just watched a few youtube videos of people cutting access panels and it looks like the thirdgen tank sender sits up against the rear seats, while the 4th gen tank has the sender towards the edge at the back of the car.

I think based on this it'll be almost impossible for the 4th gen sender unit to fit in the third gen tank, and that's why the pump and bits are on a 45degree angle in the thirdgen tank.

Anyone able to confirm or have any other ideas?

This is the commodore sender similar to the 4thgen one I have ordered:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...1634031982.jpg

vy fuel sender

This is the 3rd gen one:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...f90579dd60.jpg

Re: Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

The 4th gen sender you have pictured appears to be the 98 and later. The earlier tanks used the same steel top as the 3rd gen.

Re: Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

oh ok, sorry I should have been more specific, I keep forgetting about the LT1's and assume 4th gen=ls1=98+.


Yeah, I'm going to pull the 3rdgen sender this afternoon and see what is needed to try and Frankenstein the 2 together to have the pickup in the same spot, but with the 340-35ohm resistor attached, and replace the pump while I'm there.

Re: Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

Cool. Should be able to make that work.

Re: Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

I've also seen apparently some of 98 tanks are still the older style as well, so I need to find a 99 tank

Re: Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

mate if ya need, i can send you the correct one. I'll only charge ya for what it costs to send

Re: Q. Anyone ever put a 4thgen fuel sender in a 3rd gen tank?
 

Hi,
That would be great, but I've been burned one too many times on the forums with part purchases.


If you're able to do it through ebay though when it's insured it would be awesome.


It looks like you can pick up the tanks from $50-100 from the wreckers, and I'm assuming it'd be about $100 shipping.
If you're able to find something and get me the dimensions and weight than I can find out what the shipping would look like.


I'd be after the tank, pump, sender and from the looks of it, the tube from the tank to the fuel flap as well.