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[rcdraco]

Is there any way to clean the fuel level sensor if my gauge is reading improperly, or is the gauge itself more prone to failure?

Mine reads Full, but after a few miles it drops to 1/4 then slowly goes to E.  Is there a way to repair the variable resistor in the sensor, or is replacing it the best way to fix it?

I recently purchased a tank and sending unit for it, but they didn't include a new level sensor with the unit.  

[Rocketman]

I've had a gauge burn out on me before, the connections on the back literally melted. I used to have to smack the dash with my hand to get it to kind of read.

Not sure where to get a new one - is RockAuto any help?

[rcdraco]

The actual level sensor is an iffy part to find, moderncapri lists it nonchalantly at $200.

I was thinking there's a way to disassemble the resistor on the sending unit and clean up the contacts to get it to read properly.  There's no issue with it reading high or low all the time, which the book claims would be from the gauge itself being bad.  It seems to just have a gap in the middle range where something is blocking the resistor from working properly.

I think my best bet is to clean it off with alcohol as suggested by other sites, or to buy a new one via a part number hopefully on the unit itself.

[Rocketman]

I know Russ has a whole bunch of them floating around, I might even be able to find one of my old ones. IIRC inside the resistor, its a wound coil? I'll have to see if I can find the assembly

[rcdraco]

The Float itself should be part of a variable resistor like in a volume control dial.  The coil I have no idea what that's for, since it doesn't get anywhere near halfway down the tank.

The new tank looks nearly identical to my original tank.  The only differences I see are the auxiliary inlet hose/air hose is a bit longer on the new tank, and the pan design is different.  Also the new tank as I'm told with all new tanks does not have a drain plug like my old one has.  Another thing I noticed is that the old tank has a flap on the main inlet hose, which can be removed and put onto the new tank, since it wasn't included.

Sending unit is completely identical, Airtex even took the liberty of scratching out the mazda-denso tag.

I think if I can't figure out a way to take the level sensor apart I'll end up buying a new one, since everything else is new.

[Rocketman]

IIRC the resistor is a wound resistor, with a slide on it, technically a rheostat - it uses resistance wire on the coil.

A volume style potentiometer I dont think would hold up in an environmnent like that.

Your gas tank had a drain plug??

[rcdraco]

OE had a drain plug, and a DEEP pan.  New unit is the tank from the 1988 323, shallow pan, with no drain plug.  Bolts are all the same excluding the rear hole for the rollover vent.

[Rocketman]

The 3 OEM tanks I've had never had a drain plug, interesting.

Did you buy one of the $100 tanks on eBay listed for the capri?

[rcdraco]

The tank, ON the car when I bought it was a deep pan, with a drain plug.  I recently purchased the $98 spectra tank for the 323 FWD, along with the sending unit for the same vehicle.

24-50-4 of the shop manual, fuel tank removal.  Remove Drain Plug.  What I don't understand is the huge cut in the side of my pan, all but that side are correct, with that one actually having metal threads coming off it like it was poorly cut.

Sending unit is the same, tanks differ slightly, but look completely interchangable, aside from the pan fill design.