1986 Vauxhall Carlton CDi, Daily use of a 37yr old car. Now with electrical gremlins

[tooSavvy]

Has no one ever 'just cobbled in' a varimister/resistor thingie? I mean the gauge must be a +Ve up/down you could find out and something from the GM bin with the same guts [obvz NOT the same fitting] 🤔

Brave Pills, M8 🔨👌

[D.E]

1 hour ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

I have looked for you on various classic Opel parts websites and all the ones I find are different, they are all similar to the one I posted a picture of. So it seems the Opel and Vauxhall tank level senders are different. Don't understand what GM was thinking.

It could be that the Vauxhall factory used other suppliers for some parts? One of my Opels was built in Belgium, the other in Germany. You'd think that it wouldn't matter, but they are slightly different in certain details.*

Spoiler

* Back when these cars were still common, traders used to check which factory it came from. It was said that the Belgian built Opels had better rust prevention than the German ones. Don't know if there was any factual basis for this or just based on hearsay, but it was common practice.

 

[sutty2006]

I’ve contacted someone in Holland. His reply is this. 
 

 

so maybe this tank and sender isn’t a common fit? Or it’s been replaced somewhere down the line with a non genuine item? 
 

so what about the tank then? 
 

I can get one. It’s not too far away either… 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324625504940?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=Ct7lkrX7SwW&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=oSyz5_rPQeO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
 

and it has the twist in sender fixture

 

 

great news right? 
 

no. I threw away the other sender unit I had. Like a dick. Because I thought it wasn’t useable because of how obviously different it looked.

 

so I can buy a new one can’t I. Yes. Not cheap, but yes. 
 

But the problems keep coming. 
 

The other sender unit has a very narrow feed pipe. The one on the car has a very much larger diameter pipe to the fuel pump! So how is that going to work? My brain hurts. I need alcohol. 

[Matty]

1 hour ago, sutty2006 said:

My brain hurts. I need alcohol.

At times like this, always the answer. Fuck what GPs  say

[sutty2006]

Good news this AM. 
 

I threw a grenade into the digital world and braved Facebook. I put a request out for parts. A local chap to me who dips his wick into old opels and Vauxhalls has a mk2 aswell. I saw it at his unit last year. He has told me he is going to break it. 
 

this is hard. 
 

it’s a 1 owner 50k mile tidy car too. Head says pull lots of hard to find parts off (like all of it) and my heart says save it. I bought the C plate Rekord off him in 2016 after he had started to break it, so I might not go down that road again. 
 

down side is it’s a carb model. I’m hoping these carb models have a return in the top of the tank. Keep your fingers crossed. 

[sutty2006]

the man from Greece has found a replacement sender unit. In America. How? 
 

 

eeeeek. 

[Tepper]

Nice work getting this back on the road. Any chance you could rewind the original sender? https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/fuel-tank-sender-repair.14295/

Looks fiddly but probably worth it to save yourself £250!

[sutty2006]

11 hours ago, Tepper said:

Nice work getting this back on the road. Any chance you could rewind the original sender? https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/fuel-tank-sender-repair.14295/

Looks fiddly but probably worth it to save yourself £250!

It’s a good idea but on the wrong sender. This one has a very small circuit board type of thing with a printed on track. I think it’s a tenth of the size of that guys windings. Nice idea though. 

[EyesWeldedShut]

These drawings any good? 200 - 203 - looks like there's gazillions of them?
 

[sutty2006]

10 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

These drawings any good? 200 - 203 - looks like there's gazillions of them?
 

That’s a good website, the Carlton listed in there is 1987-1993. Can’t see the 78-86 one. 🤔

[EyesWeldedShut]

Ah bummer - try chucking the VIN in up the top?
it's an OK site for part numbers but I've not used it for anything pre-1990 (ish)

[Tepper]

1 hour ago, sutty2006 said:

It’s a good idea but on the wrong sender. This one has a very small circuit board type of thing with a printed on track. I think it’s a tenth of the size of that guys windings. Nice idea though. 

Hmm, a little bit more tricky then. Have you got a picture of the guts of your sender? Depending on how creative/bodgy you want to get, it might still be possible to insulate the old track then wrap a wire of the correct resistance over the top of it.

[cort1977]

At those sort of prices is it worth considering one of the kit car universal types from Car Builder Solutions or similar? And fiddle about with resistors to get the reading you want?

[Rust Collector]

3 minutes ago, cort1977 said:

At those sort of prices is it worth considering one of the kit car universal types from Car Builder Solutions or similar? And fiddle about with resistors to get the reading you want?

Car builder solutions actually offer a device that lets you dial in the universal sender using a few potentiometers. I keep meaning to do that on one of my BX’s that the ham fisted PO smashed the sender to bits on.

[sutty2006]

Currently waiting for a guy to message me who’s done a dealer clearance and says he’s seen a few in boxes. 
 

got everything including my testicles crossed. 

[sutty2006]

Currently having the tracking done 

 

 

[sutty2006]

Drives much better now the tracking is done. 

[sutty2006]

I took a massive brave pill (surplus from owning a discovery 3) and opened the sunroof. 😁

 

here’s hoping it seals afterwards!! 

[sutty2006]

New sender on its way. £100. Not cheap, but also not expensive. And found by a lad in Liverpool who has 6 months ago cleared an old Vauxhall dealer parts department. 
 

im going to look into getting the tank cleaned and rust proofed soon. Anywhere still do that? 

[Wibble]

Would love to know what else he’s got!

[sutty2006]

Today the Carlton visited Vauxhall   HQ leek devision. 
 

 

[mat_the_cat]

On 4/24/2023 at 10:56 AM, Rust Collector said:

Car builder solutions actually offer a device that lets you dial in the universal sender using a few potentiometers. I keep meaning to do that on one of my BX’s that the ham fisted PO smashed the sender to bits on.

I've got one of these going spare if you want...keep meaning to list it on ebay but CBA.

[sutty2006]

Looking forward to fitting this tomorrow 

 

 

and I’ve got this to use, it’s a game changer!!!! 
 

[Bren]

On car and classic there is a V reg Royale saloon being auctioned. Been off the road since 1995. Bidding is up to £300.

It's identical to the one I had.

[sutty2006]

1 hour ago, Bren said:

On car and classic there is a V reg Royale saloon being auctioned. Been off the road since 1995. Bidding is up to £300.

It's identical to the one I had.

Good job I don’t have enough room for another project! 

[sutty2006]

Perfect. 
 

 

fitted. 
 

 

got it down. Flicked the ignition on. Nothing. Needle doesn’t move. Check for resistance, 0.00. Ok, maybe there’s no fuel in it? It’s been running ok? Chucked a gallon in it, now the gauge comes up to the bottom of the empty mark. Dodged a bullet there me thinks! 

[sutty2006]

Yay! I have fuel again! 
 

 

[EyesWeldedShut]

Congratulations - I wondered where mine had gone. (Found out yesterday the barge is doing 22 mpg  - told the wife it's doing 32  )

[Bren]

On 4/29/2023 at 7:00 PM, Bren said:

On car and classic there is a V reg Royale saloon being auctioned. Been off the road since 1995. Bidding is up to £300.

It's identical to the one I had.

Went for £500.

[sutty2006]

6 minutes ago, Bren said:

Went for £500.

Bargain. I’d imagine getting parts for that will be harder than getting parts for the Carlton. Hopefully it won’t end up on a banger track.