an unusual question - float retrieval?

[Broncofan76]

while removing my sending unit the float popped off the arm and bounced back into the tank! I have an extra float (thanks Brett!) but am looking for ideas about how to get the other float out of the tank - short of dropping the tank and dumping it over?
Option 2 - just leave the thing in there and forget it happened - but it will always bother me knowing that I did not do it "right", there was enough 1/2 assed engineering done to the truck by the PO that I've redone the right way so I don't wanna start cutting corners now if I can help it.

a wire coat hanger would be useless I think, is anything attracted to brass? obviously not a magnet, but anything? It would ruin my shop vac to attach a smaller hose to it and insert it and wait for it to get "clogged", right?

its at bout 1/5th of a tank so I cant "see" it in there.

Ideas? TIA
drew

 

[DirtDonk]

Wow, nice pickle you got there fan!
I'm with you on the leaving it in there score. It would bother me too. But with just so much gas in there, I'm guessing it's not even close to being near the opening even if you got it towards the front of the tank?

With the stock tanks, can't you get your head up there high enough to see in the hole with a flashlight? Or is it that the fuel level is just so low that no matter what angle you can get, it's not enough?

I would think the old coat hanger trick would at least get it close enough to grab. But only if you can see it.
Maybe you can listen and "feel" for it? Since it's floating it should be bobbing around and easy (?) to at least bump around some to get it within grabbing distance.

When all is said and done though, it's probably less time and hassle to just drop the tank and drain it anyway. Easy to talk yourself out of initially, but usually worth the extra bit of work in the end.
Besides, isn't it time to replace all the rubber hoses anyway? ;D

Good luck!

Paul

 

[bknbronco]

whats so hard with dropping the tank? A bronco tank is about the easyest of any vehicle to drop. Could probably drop it and dump the float out in about the same time it takes me to type all this!

 

[TwoDalesDad]

Why not drop the tank and do it right...rather than add to your worries the po sold you

 

[broncnaz]

Id just drop it. Using a vacuum would be dangerous fumes going directly to a electric motor can you say explosion? About the only other thing I could suggest is maybe a small fishnet? Of course you could drop that in there as well

 

[surfer-b]

Place a bucket under the sending opening and start pooring gas into the filler hole, let the flow coming out flush it out.

 

[patterdale]

Read the warning with your shop vac. One of the first things it says is not to suck up flammable liquids.

 

[stupidboy]

Place a bucket under the sending opening and start pooring gas into the filler hole, let the flow coming out flush it out.

That is what I would do!

 

[deltarat]

That's what I was thinking as well.

 

[Broncofan76]

I'm just gonna drop the tank. yeah, besides the warning on the shop vac (which mine does not have) it just doesn't make sense to use a shop vac for what would be potentially gallons of gas. I just just throwing it out there as a way to get people thinking. Anyway - thanks for the advice. Dropping the tank is not such a big deal so I'll just do it right.
thanks as always.