Sender Unit, fuel tank for trucks

Fuel level sensor is a device for measuring the volume of gasoline or diesel fuel in the fuel tank of a truck. It allows recording the actual consumption of the material, comparing this indicator to the norm, and optimizing the costs. To determine the amount of fluid in the tank, the device creates its own signal, converts it and displays on the indicator. The indicator is located on the dashboard in the cabin.

Types of fuel level sensors for trucks

Catalogues of manufacturers include two types of products:

• Mechanical. These are the simplest devices of a float type. Most frequently, they are a tube that is immersed into the fuel tank. The float is made of thin metal, hollow plastic, or styrofoam. The measurement error in such devices is quite significant, but they are inexpensive. The components are resistant to fluid fluctuations during manoeuvring, driving up and down the hill.
• Electronic. They determine the dielectric coefficient of the fuel, the value of which changes proportionally to the amount of fluid in the tank. They ensure high accuracy of readings.

By the type of the output signal, fuel level sensor in trucks may be:

• Frequency-based. The data is transmitted to the instrument panel in Hertz (Hz).
• Analog. The information is most frequently transmitted in Volts (V). They involve coding the value of the volume into voltage, amperage, or another physical value.
• Digital. The data are displayed on the on-board computer as digits. The maximum permissible error is 0.5%.

Malfunctions and reasons thereto

Fuel level sensors in cars and trucks do not have specific service life; however, they require regular maintenance and timely replacement. Most frequent failures are loss of seal of the float, blown fuse, damage or oxidation of the contacts, worn tracks on the circuit board, loss of tightness in the place of attachment of the device to the fuel tank. In some cases, damage might be the result of a road accident, or prolonged use of poor quality fuel.

How to detect faults

A faulty device displays incorrect information, or does not display it at all. So, the indicator might point to zero, regardless of the amount of fluid, or fluctuate in a haphazard manner, or always point to the maximum, etc. The exact reason for such symptoms may be determined with a multimeter and a test lamp.

AUTODOC: convenient shopping online

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