Installing Oil Level Float Device

[l_turn9]

Hi All,
My Oil Level wasn't working properly so I tested the wiring/gauge and then pulled the Sender Unit. I cleaned it up and tested it and it now tests as OK. Now comes the problem. I found a couple of threads on Pelican that says the VDO Part Number is found along the edge of the metal cover, ok so far. That p/n goes at the bottom it says, which puts the "VDO" roughly at the 12 o'clock position. Trouble is, on my 911 at least, that puts the float in a position where the float will only move forward and backwards (vs Up & down) between approx. 6 o'clock and 4 o'clock ; which IMO, is not likely to provide a very accurate oil level reading.

Is it possible the Part Number or VDO is imprinted at different positions on different metal covers? (I have a 74 911 Plain flat 6 2.7L BTW.) Looking the the photo you can see the part # with the arrow. As you can see the float hangs at 6 o'clock and the float can only move between the 6 o'clock and 4 o'clock positions. The VDO is up where the spade click is and if the Sender is installed with the pn at 6 o'clock, VDO will be at 12 o'clock.

Am I over thinking this? Could my VDO and p/n imprints be in the wrong places?

Thanks for your input --
Larry 74 911

Thanks -

[Walt Fricke]

Install as you would a toilet float - I agree with your intuition. One wonders why VDO would change where they have markings, but also why they would care if they went in different places, as long as the mechanism, oriented in one position, stayed the same.

A more clever design would have made the studs and holes irregularly spaced, so only one, the correct, orientation would work. Think flywheel bolting, or the engine mounted oil thermostat, or the post sizes of fuel pumps. But I guess this isn't the case here.

[l_turn9]

Hey Walt,
Actually, you are right! - I did a test fit of the cork gasket from my local P car dealer, and I found it would only fit one way. The Gasket has a notch which fits adjacent to the Spade connector made into the center of the metal plate (not the one that attaches to one of the studs) and I found some of the holes are offset so the gasket only fits one way because 2 (at least) of the holes are not the same distance apart. Then, when I went back through my notes & read about aligning the part numbers, etc. I decided that VDO and the part # location's were trojan horses.
Thanks for taking the time to help!

Larry

[Walt Fricke]

Your picture suggested uneven spacing, but I wasn't sure. I just remember not thinking about this - no Trojan horses around last time I replaced one of mine!