XK sender unit leaking around gasket

Since restoration of my XK some 10 years ago the fuel sender unit has failed to work correctly and now for the second time it is leaking around the gasket which from memory i think is made of cork. Is there a replacement gasket other than cork and what sealing compound is used on the gasket.

Also i have read on here of people using an Etype sender with an XK float has anyone done this and is it better than the old XK type of sender which has a cover plate that seems to leak also.

Any help would be gratly appreciated,

The XK120 sender is located on top of the tank, where as I recall the 140 and 150 have it on the side.
The outer flange can get wavy due to over-tightening of the six screws.
You may want to carefully straighten it out before putting it back.
Leaking can be around the outer flange, the small cover, or the two terminal screws, all of which need sealant.
I use Permatex but there are other brands of fuel proof sealers in the auto parts stores.
I have used cork, paper and rubber gaskets. In all cases apply the sealant in a high narrow bead, go all around the screw holes, let it cure a couple of minutes, and don’t over-tighten the screws.

Hi Rob many thanks i will look to see if it has distorted have you heard of anyone using the e type sender with the XK float.

I think the difficulty that will arise if you try to use an E Type sender is that the resistance range will be completely wrong. The XK gauge is of the moving iron type and the range for the sender is from about 4 ohms to 75 ohms. E Types use a hot wire gauge where the resistance range (from memory) is from about 20 ohms to a few hundred ohms. This can’t have any other result than limit the usability of the system unless you change the gauge as well. If you do do that then you should also include the 10 volt stabiliser as the hot wire system works on 10 volts.

Eric
Church Stretton, Shropshire, UK

Just to put this to bed, I measured a genuine Smiths sender unit for a Series 2 E Type. The figures I got were 256 ohms empty and 17 ohms full. So, if you used a E Type sender with your XK gauge you could buffer the resistance range by putting a 100 ohm fixed resistor between T & ground. This would then give approximately the right resistance range to match the gauge but there is one catch and that is the gauge will read backwards because the E Type sender works in the reverse sense to the XK one. Still, it would be right when the tank was half full!

Eric

Thanks Eric i will persevere with the XK sender i will be happy if i can just get it to seal to work would be a bonus, is shoots round to full and the red warning light stays on.
Do you have an e type.

It can leak up the thread of the screws if they are not in blind holes,I put some sealer on the threads,ie lock & seal,David Roper

rubyflo?
If it indicates full all the time and the low fuel warning light stays on all the time, it suggests that you have the two wires on the wrong terminals. Try swapping them.

Thanks Rob i think i tried that a while ago but will revisit it.

Eric,
I have just bought an e type otc for restoration series 2, can you recommend any good books on the restoration of e types i looked at Philip Porters but it seems quite old now unless there has been an update.

This is getting off topic so I’ll PM you later the books that I have most useful.

Eric