Material for gas gauge lens for riding mower.

I need a new lens for the gas gauge for a 38 year old riding mower. The part has been discontinued and redesigned 35 years ago. The lens is severely cracked and discolored. The crack is letting dirt and debris into the fuel system and somehow works its way into the carburetor bowl.What material could be worked into shape and would be Ethanol resistant?

I'd guess glass is the best bet.. depends how big the window is but watch glasses come is huge range of sizes example to 38.3mm here: **LINK**

pgk

Plug hole left by old gauge "glass" part

Use a wooden ruler (or a clean, sanded wood stick with series of drilled holes) dipped in tank as new gas gauge.

End search for modern transparent polymer that will work with who know what chemicals in modern motor fuel

Enjoy mowing

PS many service stations still use long wood sticks to do "the dips" at end of shift to check qty remaining in their multi thousand gallon tanks - they can't all be wrong.

I was going to suggest watch crystal glass. It's available in a complete myriad of sizes. usually the sizing is described as 383 for 38.3 as described by pgk pgk above.

Jeff, a wooden dip would not work on a filling station! They are required , by law, to have a non variable material dip stick. When I was working on filling station installations the standard was a very accurate brass "T" shaped dip later modified to an even more accurate composite "T" shaped dip. Wood was never allowed because of natural movement in the material. Nathan.

Certain filling station near Manchester had a metal dipstick which was ever so slightly too long so it rested on the bottom of the tank. Over the years repeated impact of dipstick on tank floor caused a hole in the tank How expensive did that prove, not only a tank full of petrol but a huge clean up bill.

Nathan, glad to hear that brass has stopped expanding when heated. I forget which site, but there were long discussions about filling up when the temperature was hotter or colder and relative volumes of fuel etc.
BobH

Yes, but.....

Volumetric expansion is the linear vaue to the power of three, so far more significant than linear expasion. (Double one dimension and volume doubles, but double all three dimensions and the volume increases by a factor of eight).

Remember, too, that the tank could be expanding with temperature rise as well. Dips, I woud think, were more important as a backup before electronic metering was fully deveoped. Should only be needed to avoid over-filling storage tanks these days (or running empty, of course).

Yes, but.....

Volumetric expansion is the linear vaue to the power of three, so far more significant than linear expasion. (Double one dimension and volume doubles, but double all three dimensions and the volume increases by a factor of eight).

Remember, too, that the tank could be expanding with temperature rise as well. Dips, I woud think, were more important as a backup before electronic metering was fully deveoped. Should only be needed to avoid over-filling storage tanks these days (or running empty, of course).

My 30 + year old Stiga mower has a plastic cover for the fuel gauge / dip stick and that fell to bit's years ago.....

I now use an old bean tin as a water proof cover.......the gauge still works and for those that need to know the gauge needle is opertated by a float sliding up and down on a twisted metal strip......

the mower will out last me and if the can rots there's plenty more in the cupboard.......hahaha......

have fun on ya mower

Ah, the good old days. During the 70's my job involved extracting 'non-standard' information from a mainframe computer. Developing technology at the time, and I got to support a few criminal investigations. ( Never left my office, or got within 200 miles of a criminal, but it was interesting work.)

Anyway, I once spent a week trying to get my head around oil accounting, which is complicated because they have to allow for spills, leaks, inaccurate pumps, temperature, impurities, pipe line lengths, and evaporation. Also, oil in bulk was accounted for by weight and/or volume depending on how it was handled. This causes uncertainty due to conversion errors. Lots of jargon, 'sullage', 'ullage', 'sullage ullage' and I think 'ullage sullage'. I wonder if they've found a better way since?

The complexity makes oil a tempting target for fraud, and a certain depot had come under suspicion. Many oils are too thick for dipping, but Dipsticks were the most usual way of measuring light oils. Nothing conclusive in the computer account but physical inspection of certain tanks found dipstick wells fitted with sleeves, making a tank within the tank. During an audit, the dipstick measured what was in the sleeve and the level was always adjusted by the fraudsters to match the account...

No idea what dipsticks are made of, but the other errors are so big it may not make much difference!

Dave

Fascinating how you claim that "wood was never allowed" when I used a set of wooden dips every day every summer for years while working at my grandfather's service station and later on diesel tanks at a truck stop. Last week I saw a set of wood dips on a rack next to tanks at a busy gas station just east of where I live.

At the old garage and the truck stop we saw far more differences in fuel levels due to water in the tanks (water would be regularly removed) and evaporation in hot weather than from material of the dip sticks. In "condensing" weather (hot days cool nights) there could be two inches of water form in the larger tanks overnight.

Dip technique (straight up and down vs angled entry to the tank) could also make a significant distance in measured levels.

None of these variables affected amounts dispensed accurately to the consumer - that was controlled by the pumps. The tank levels were monitored mostly for knowing when to re-order fuel from the oil company. Tank lids were padlocked , were heavy castings, and checked at start and end of every day to deter theft.

Course that didn't keep idiots from trying to steal gas. Regularly we would arrive at the station in the morning and find someone had cut a hose between pump and nozzle to try to get gas, or had broken the padlock on the pump on/off lever to try and get gas (or both were done). Never worked because the feed valves and electrical supply to the pumps were inside the garage and were always shut off before we left.

I hope this has helped you Mark...

Petrol affects wood.

Years ago my Marina got written off. I cut the fuel hose and filled a petrol tank, plugging the hose with a pencil. I forgot about it for a few weeks, when I pulled the pencil out for a refill it was as bendy as rubber.

I think polycarbonate will resist petrol under normal conditions but will break down in more extreme conditions.

Mike

Watch crystal, excellent idea. Thanks, Mark..

Fuel tank underground by 1 meter, ground temperature summer and winter 11 C. does not change. Fuel temp. may change as it is filled but will take on tank temp. fairly quickly.

A building with a concrete base and having a network of pipes being cooled by an outside pumping station and the concrete stayed quite stable temperature wise winter and summer (11 C) though the females did not like the draft up their nether regions in the summer but wanted fan heaters doing the same in the winter.

In the end I disconnected the lot as the Biocide and maintenance was something like £4000 per annum.

The air conditioning was much the same, having to get it to switch on at 4 am to get a decent working temp. by clocking in time. Found out later that the 3 phase supply was totally unbalanced over the building and they wanted thousands to correct it and to rip apart all the suspended floor and lighting.

Neil, I have no doubt that petrol / gasoline will have major effects on wood if left immersed. For dips they are only in and out of the fuel for a few seconds at a time. Never seen a wood one break down from fuel exposure, but they might if left immersed.

Mike Poole- polycarbonate used to be OK for petrol / gasoline exposure but I have seen some PC parts degrade quickly in modern fuels. I think it may be caused by some of the nastier fuel additives being used now. Some time ago in industry I had to ask around resin manufacturers for a transparent plastic recommendation for the housing of an opto-electronic fuel level sensor. Couldn't find a manufacturer or resin that is rated / certified not to crack craze or become opaque for one or two years while exposed to modern fuel or fuel vapour. There may be one, but I couldn't find it.

Is the existing clear part flat or top-hat shaped? Most of the ones I've seen on small engines are top hat shaped or have curved flanges, and were moulded plastic originally (not sure which plastic though.)

If flat, a watch crystal could certainly work. Most glass shops in my area that do cutting of glass can cut a round flat piece to order. I've had some done for lamp restorations. Ones local to you may also be able to cut rounds.

That's why I suggested the wood stick fuel gauge for Mark's mower tank originally. Can't beat the price, and the risks are mighty low.The bean can cover idea that Clogs suggested is also a very simple and cost effective alternative to finding a suitable plastic or glass bit that will do the job.

You might try a look at the Stens website in the USA, they make or distribute a huge variety of small engine parts. They may have a replacement fuel gauge assy of the type you need. Example below.

Edited By Jeff Dayman on 03/06/2018 21:35:24

Filler neck is an odd size and gauges not available. Too easy to just buy one. Did much research already.