The 3000 Forum

Hello, everyone!
First of all, a happy new year to all!
The boss of the body shop had the flu, so he didn't get back to work until last week.
Nevertheless, he removed all the front panels and epoxied all the elements. The primer has been applied and the interior should be painted this week.
I hope to have it ready for spring!
Cheers !

Hello everyone. Yves, this is a beautiful job. Restoring a car takes a lot of time. I will also start with the owner to reassemble the bodywork. of a 3000. I will post pictures soon.

jean marc

Hello !
Finnally , it is back home , beautifully painted.
I pulled the steering wheel out to recondition it properly. I need to work out the fuel gauge supply (something I can't explain myself) . I have a fiend who knows english electricity and that will help.
I am sweating fitting the carpets and upholstery , but so happy when over.
Now looking at the last photo, can someone tell me what those bolts for ?
I am going to cut them to be able to slide the laterals panels in. I hope that it is not a mistake.
I think, that it was for the safety belts ! Not sure though !
Thanks for watching !

Yves
Those bolts are for the shoulder harness attachment, if you want to put up the aggravation of the fixed length shoulder strap that won’t let you move around.

Don’t feel bad, even us English speaking guys have trouble with the electrical stuff. I say “I don’t speak tricity”.

Keep at it you will be driving around France this summer.

John

Yves
Well done. She looks lovely. To preserve sanity looking at the fuel gauge wiring remember that it can be counter intuitive. The gauge measures the current going through the sender unit in the tank. The tank unit is a basic rheostat with a moving arm sweeping across a coiled wire winding. A full tank allows minimum current and a max reading on the gauge. An empty tank allows maximum current but, obviously, minimum reading on the gauge, which is useful to know if measuring current on a multi meter but the opposite of what you might expect. Current comes from the ignition side of the fuse box, green wire, passes through the gauge and earths (grounds) through the sender tank unit, green/black wire between the gauge and tank unit. The tank unit must be earthed to complete the circuit and the gauge body also needs earthing. Bill

Thanks Bill.
Ì found a video quite clear : but the regulator . Healey book says the regulator goes from 12 V to 10,6 V . The guy in the vidéo says it goes from 12 V to 5/7 V .
When I answer to this question , I have to check each element and find out if the supply is good !
Life is beautiful when we have the answers to the questioins , in't it ?
Have a good day !
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025-04-26 01:39 AM by KBIO.

Yves, Sorry I do not know the exact answer, BUT, using the search facility on this Forum, search “Fuel tank sender”. You will find some old postings with very good information. A good one is headed “Fuel sending unit problem”, August 12 2021 which contains an article by an expert. He advises to ignore voltage and read resistance across the unit. This we are told should be 1 – 3 ohms when in the empty position and 75 - 80 ohms in the full position, using a multimeter on the RX1 scale. Hope this helps. Bill

Hello !
Thanks Bill !
I'll have a look at the post ! I pulled the sender unit off and tested the resistance. It is inthe range you say : 7 to 87 Ohm.and see it goes along the cable ! I hope that is no cut off cable or some other trap .... !
Cheers !

Yves
Has anyone told you that it is a good idea to add a ground wire on the sending unit? Just attach a wire to one of the mounting screws then take the other end to a good ground, easiest is to just go to one of the existing ground points under the lights.

John

Hello John !
A friend of mine pulled a wire from a sender screw to the battery switch close to it .
Now , my problem is that I bought a gauge in Holland which is different of the original one , as that there is no mark to tell where to connect the sender and the ignition.
This gauge is sold as a SMITH but I wonder if it's not a smart copy of our clever far eastern fellows ?
If someone have an idea, I would appreciate.
Have a good day !

Yves
The good thing is that you won’t burn it up if you hook it up backwards. Try it one way then if it doesn’t work try it the other way.
Since I don’t have a BJ8 I am having to rely on my memory, which is scary these days, but I don’t think that face is a BJ8 gage face. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t a Smiths gage since they were put in EVERYTHING in England for a long time. That might even be a gage from a later model Spridget.

John

Hello John !
I am progressing ! Now I realize that this (bi metal) fuel gauge needs to be supplied with 10,6 V to avoid any damage.
Checking on the the ignition suplly wire, I have 12,6 up to 13 V when rev' up.
So I guess that I have to order a regulator which is recommended with this gauge. I knew it from the beginning , but I thought that my regulator (? : the one below) would do the job.
The good new is that my upholstery is doen , I need to install the one in the boot , still ? The steering wheel has a good appearance and should be in place tomorrow or after tomorrow.
Then I can drive around. The engine starts first shot now and runs perfectly. It has been a good medicine to let it run from time to time.
By the end of the week , I should be able to go spare a beer at the pub. I know what I'll have to do then ! My friends are not water friendly !!!
Still need a good wash in & out !

ps : Thanks Bill for the link to the fuel sender. Apparently , most problem are coming from the sender , which is not my case. The good thing is that I have electricity supply and a good ground. Now , I just have to have the fuel gauge set properly ! ;-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025-04-27 12:50 PM by KBIO.

Yves
You have really come a long way since the first time I answered you. I have kept the fellow that was interested in the car and the reason I saw it originally up to date on your progress. He did buy another green BJ8 and of course it came with its own issues because it had sat for a number of years.

FYI that is not you regulator, it is the big, probably 2”x3 1/2”, on the right side of the firewall. That is the overdrive relay and the very large fuse block holding 2 fuses.

John

You are right John.
Picture below shows the right one.
However , I don't know if this regulator has an influence on the fuel gauge???
Voltage too high. So I order one to be safe.
Best regards. .

Good news !
After connecting everything as shown in the different tutorials, I turned the contact key to the right and "Alleluia"; no spark , no smoke and ..... the gauge needle start to move up to 3/4 . My tank is actually a +/- 3/ . BINGO !
Job done! I deserve a beer . Maybe two ....
Thank you guys for your help, I drove 50 km without any problems. No weird noise, no vibration, no leakage! I even adjust the steering a little more to make it a bit firmer .
Next , I'll send you photos of my new toy on the road !
Kind regards.