Project E30 / Ep. 22 / Fuel Level Sending Unit Replacement

10,000+ subscribers!! I'm at a loss for words - thank you all so much for joining in on the channel. In this video, we'll make a fuel gauge work once again.
Here's the fuel level sending unit I purchased: www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-...

[@bmw-e30]

Good quality videos on a special car will always have a big following.

[@JuanCarlosChinoLoco]

great job man. E30 is coming together very nicely.

[@matreyia]

My fuel gauge just went kaputt coming from inspection. Just ordered a sending unit, and went ahead and ordered the in tank fuel pump as well since the car is 35 yrs old with over 220K miles on the clock. And the external fuel pump is working over time even though it is brand new. And I can feel the car struggling more when I press the pedal to the floor, whereas before it would feel much stronger and faster to react and accelerate. 1988 528e Automatic.

[@bigsur175]

Love your videos on the E30 still haven't got brave enough to take the dash out and put in my perfect one

[@rich_2739]

No surprise at all to me that you got to 10k - your passion, presentation of information, and production quality are all phenomenal. One of the things I love most is that you don't manufacture content, you just put stuff out when there's work to be done. Makes every video enjoyable to watch. Keep up the great work, and here's to the next big milestone!

[@ecksthree6598]

Big love on 10k brother. You've taught me a lot of what to be looking for and be aware of in my e30 hunt.

[@amanwithhiscigaretteandcof3474]

i love when you upload about e30. Now... let me sit down+ fire up my ciggarete+ a cup of coffe+ some snack... and watch your e30 video. thanks dude...

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

It makes me happy to read this! I'm glad you enjoy the videos, thank you for watching.

[@EggHead2103]

Appreciate all your videos and reviews! Always great videos and subject matter!

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

Thank you, I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed them!

[@CalypsoBotter]

Congrats man, you've grown like crazy recently! Well deserved.

[@motheolebelo]

Car is looking really good and thumbs up on the job of replacing the fuel level sender unit.

[@nightnomad635]

Super informative video. I'm following your series because I'm trying to restore an E30 too! Thanks again

[@junkitlow]

1at episode to 22th episode in 2 days, still watching!

[@stephanessa8002]

Solid stuff mate. Keep going! You are creating great content that is extremely helpful. I am about to purchase an E30 my self in the next couple of days and will be using your videos as references when it comes time to start repairing it! Thanks :)

[@TheDasbull]

Great job on achieving 10 k subscribers - you will most definitely get more! You have truly brought this e30 back from the brink and have it running and looking great👍 I have a 3 ring binder full of receipts from all the work performed on my e30. They are all old now and even low mileage examples need suspension work.

[@McNasty43]

Someone get this man some sponsors so he can get paid for this excellent content.

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

Thanks, we'll see what happens!

[@user-ng2uq8sj7r]

What a beast man .

[@robsfooty]

Congrats on 10k man! They say that’s the hardest to get haha. Good luck!

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

Thank you!

[@ericgunnyporter8964]

Hey buddy your videos have helped me stay in the garage working on my 87 E30 .. Than you

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

You're welcome - glad you have found them helpful!

[@CookRacingUK]

Looks better and better each video!

[@trevord3903]

Thanks for an informative and helpful video. The fuel gauge on my '91 E30 shows a fuel level that seems stuck at 'F'. I will test the sending unit on the Pass side first to see if there is a problem with the float inside the unit. Good to reminisce about Premium gas at $2.799 - in August 2022. 😀 Congrats on now being close to 29K subs.

[@craig_ramjet990]

Dude you are one of the few people that I have watched thinking I need an e30 and can tackle it. Of course it will be easy after working on this e38 740i.

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

I think an E30 would be a walk in the park after one of those monsters!

[@robi4387]

Viewing in late March 2024.... $235 for 1179720 five years ago sheesh! Viewing because my (1988 320i much laid up) fuel needle started to wobble. After lifting the seat and gaining access I found the left side was faulty. Central rod quite rusty near top - might replace with stainless sometime. Meanwhile cleaned with 280-3,000. one wipe of 3,000 on each side of each wire and it is better now. Meanwhile I replaced both the O-rings and filler cap seal.

[@EB240]

Gongrats 10k is huge, love to see more of the hilux

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

Thank you! I'm sorry to say it but the Hilux is gone. :( I do have a first-gen 4Runner that I may do some videos on in the future.

[@bmwe3opassion519]

Wheels dealer 2, love IT man.

[@Ivan-tq6ii]

Such an awesome video keep fixing that e30

[@GaJeepr]

Yeah, old sending units are CraZy aren't they? Had a used one rebuilt on my last project ( zero aftermarket ) for the tidy sum of $175.00 Big congrats on 10K! Your content is very under-appreciated/ranked/subscribed in my opinion.

[@KNuud]

Awesome video, because you took the time to explain if the sender is repairable or not and showed its insides. That was just what I was wondering, other videos only show how to install it. Subscribed. The sender unit is ridiculously priced. If anyone knows where to find it for cheaper, I'd like to know. :) Need one for my E24.

[@iggyy4473]

Great videos! Btw the sending unit can be fixed by soldering new wires under light tension. I've done it years ago. I don't remember the correct wire gauge at this moment, but I did buy wires with different gauges and experimented with it to get proper resistance signal. You have to be very careful with aluminum housing. It is very fragile and easily brakes especially the tab at the bottom of it.

[@robi4387]

Yes, apparently the two level sender set up is on later cars 1987 onwards which have a more useful 63L tank. The second sender is simpler and easier to take apart. However, the central rod appears not to be made of stainless steel and so can rust - this is why the manual says up to 3% methanol and why it is not a good idea to use e10 or even e5 fuel. It is why I am p~~~~d off with Esso for stopping production of E0 Supreme 99.

[@haikelba2716]

THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

[@downloadingutubes]

thank god for this vid my fuel gauge is not workin now i know how to fix it

[@gp4life03]

10k subs still seems low for the great content you provide, keep it up!

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

Thank you!

[@becomematrix]

Subbed!

[@Ali_F92]

How much did you fill up when you were at the gas station so i would calculate how much mpg does it makes... Thanks

[@forwox]

I need an info about the drivers side fuel level gauge! I can not find the wires attached to it, might be cut by somebody earlier. Could anybody provide some info where to find the outgoing wires for it? Are they placed in the interior our under the car (looks like that)?

[@swazi5]

Congrats on 10k. Should review the z sometime...

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

Thanks, I will have to do that.

[@tomaal]

Mad looking at the distributor like that, In Europe diesel is black and unleaded is green always and everywhere

[@j.l.6325]

What wheels and tires do you have on your Beamer?

[@andrethib]

nice video. there are specialists (can be found on the internet) who rebuild old fuel sending units, but it isn't cheap (comparable to the cost of OEM replacement when available), so you would only want to use them if the fuel sending unit you need is NLA

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

That's good to know. Do you happen to have a website for one? If the other sender ever goes out, I may have to give them a shot.

[@frankburn6312]

@@PracticalEnthusiast post #30 he says it's 90% accurate www.benzworld.org/forums/r-c107-sl-slc-class/1385559-fuel-sender-repair-3.html

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

@@frankburn6312 Good info, thank you!

[@frankburn6312]

i bet that between 36,38 and 40 awg wire, one of them will be the correct resistance. at $4 for 100 ft each, I think it's cheap enough

[@frankburn6312]

www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=380693 looks like 36 on this one

[@thewedge8823]

my fuel gauge needle is stuck on E... even when I fill up my tank completely. should I change my fuel sending unit? or should I try to fix the old one? trying to stay low budget, any help would be appreciated. I have a e34 535i

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

It could be the sending unit. Does your car have two sending units like mine does? If it does, I would be more keen to suspect the gauge is faulty, possibly due to a bad solder joint on the circuit board. The only way to find out if it's a cheap fix is to start taking things apart and inspect.

[@e.a.7265]

Subscribed. Just have to ask, is it normal for the gauge to have a bouncing play when you turn the ignition on?

[@robi4387]

Yes, it always bounds up and settles. It is only if it does not settle where you expect it to that it is a problem.

[@andreww.6283]

You’ve got a very clean car considering the mileage on it. I’ve seen worse E30s that have half the mileage

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

Thanks, I will say though, the videos make the paint look better than it is.

[@KevinTorres1967]

Hey man was wondering if your gas gauge is reading under half. I replaced the same one you did a while ago to no avail. I'm having the problem mine only reads from full to half after half its a guesstimate lol. Great videos definitely gonna subscribe 👍🏼

[@robi4387]

If gauge does not read correctly then one or other sender is faulty and you have to short each one at a time to find the faulty one and then take it/them apart to try and fix.

[@wowkewl]

When is the new interior coming?

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

Good question! I hope to have it back in a couple of weeks. Look for a video on that near the end of April.

[@user-px1xh4zr8p]

ممكن طريقة تصليحه

[@moza260]

what year your model is?

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

1989 325i

[@josephbriggs_859]

Show the orange scoot in the back

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

Will do! I will probably do a review on it, hopefully this summer.

[@josephbriggs_859]

@@PracticalEnthusiast sweet

[@pedrorodrigueztube]

Maybe could be fixed by soaking it with brake cleaner or something like that.

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

Yep, that might work. As long as the internal float still moves around it's just a matter of getting it to self-clean the internal electrical contacts.

[@pedrorodrigueztube]

@@PracticalEnthusiastyou're right probably they have corrosion

[@sosyalant]

why is this unit so expensive!!!

[@joujouzghaib8922]

It cost me 7$ used in my country 🤣🤣

[@jarretthenshaw2916]

First :P

[@touchedouche8806]

Wow. $2.39/gal.

[@PracticalEnthusiast]

It was certainly a different time.

[@noahcampbell271]

Please dont fill up your beauty with regular AHHHHH

[@bigsur175]

Just one was bad

[@donalishop]

very expensive part. for that kind of money I just install a completely new fuel delivery, filter and level sensor from a toyota hahaha.