Piston Slap: Sending Out an SOS?

by Sajeev Mehta

Updated: January 3rd, 2020 Published: October 20th, 2017

Eugene writes:Hi Sajeev, Your article provided some hope but I am still having difficulty finding a Fuel Tank Sending Unit 25060-53J15 for a 1996 Infiniti G20 (JNKCP01D5TT538768). Do you know where I can look? Our car only has about 110,000 miles on it, runs great, recently painted with new wheels.Now it seems like we may have to junk it since we cannot find this part — anywhere!Sajeev answers:Junking a perfectly good car with new paint and wheels because the sending unit doesn’t talk to the fuel gauge? Exaggerate much?Seriously, fuel sending units often come back to life with a good cleaning, or perhaps a few tanks with a fuel system cleaner. The Internet recommends several brands, too. Then there was the advice from my previous article, especially the eBay part number search and email notifications for that part. If that doesn’t work, there are a few big Nissan parts vendors you can check with ( here and here for starters) to see if any dealer has one lying around. But if all else fails, buying a used sender with a warranty wouldn’t be a terrible idea. But what’s even better than that?Go global, cross reference parts with the Nissan Primera to find a new one with a modest surcharge for shipping/currency conversion. Not that it hasn’t been done like eleventy billion times before, son!To wit, my latest acquisition for TTAC’s Ford Sierra Ghia:

The items on the right are leftovers from my brother’s 1991 Mustang LX, the other bit is a Ford Sierra Cosworth console trim plate. It’s a low-volume production part (never sold here) that Ford designed to jam the Borg Warner T-5 in the Cosworth’s interior. Which is the same transmission I’m adding to TTAC’s Sierra via Thunderbird Turbo Coupe donor car.While TTAC loyalists remember the Merkur donor car, as this photo shows the Borg Warner T-9 trim plate won’t cut the mustard. And the T-9 is a pile of crap I’d never pay to install in the Sierra.So what’s my point? If I can use my ’80s Ford-obsessed mind to harness the power of the Internet, making TTAC’s Sierra into a well-finished machine (eventually), you can find a suitable sending unit around the world for your G20.Or just clean it. [Images: Shutterstock user art-sonik, © 2017 Sajeev Mehta/The Truth About Cars]Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.

#CleanSendingUnit #FordSierra #FuelGauge #FuelSendingUnit #G20 #SendingUnit #TTACProjectCar

Sajeev Mehta

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Fincar1 on Oct 21, 2017

My old man's 1950 Packard went without a fuel gauge for about two thirds of its life. So we got used to putting gas in it fairly often. Also, the filler pipe was straight so we could use a stick to guess how much gas it had in it. The car also had a whistle in the filler pipe. When the whistle went silent the tank was nearly full. This was a great advantage in the old days before automatic shutoffs.

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Dukeisduke on Oct 23, 2017

I was going to suggest the Primera part as well. Is it showing empty all the time? Try the fuel system cleaner first, then if that doesn't work, pull the sender, and make sure it isn't just a bad float. Brass floats sometimes leak, but once you get the gas out of it, you can patch the hole or crack with JB Weld. If it's foam, you could let it dry out and then paint it with POR-15, or coat it with JB Weld.

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