bgraves06

While replacing the fuel sender, I mistakenly removed the nut which held the sender together when installing the positive wire. I had forgotten that there were originally two nuts and the bottom nut I removed resulted in the sender assembly with float dropping into the tank. Stupid, I know.

The parts were stainless and not magnetic. I've tried using a reacher tool with both gas in the tank and emptied after being siphoned out. It's a 60 gallon 12 inch deep plastic tank. Should I just leave the sender in there? Any tips for getting it out?

mbb

60 gal is 8 cubic feet
so if tank was 2' wide, thats only 4 ft long

And you cant get it?

Can front be lowered, etc to bring it to you or such?

For most part, rare earth magnets will get the stainless. Its not non-magnetic, its weakly magnetic. Cold work (drawing, bending, machining) will make it weakly magnetic. Even hitting head of a bolt with hammer will make it succeptible to powerful magnets.

PeteH

saltwaters

I suggest you try catching it with a wire with a bend in it. There should be a screw hole or something the wire can catch. The first order of business is to get an idea of where it's at. It should be right below the hole where it dropped.

bms1939

https://www.homedepot.com/p/GrabEasy...SABEgLvJvD_BwE

Should be a piece of cake with one of these.

sultany

TTaxi

I keep a flexible combination magnetic grabber on board and it has come in really handy several times recently. 2' long and the grabber only extends through the magnetic tip when you push the other end.

Twice as handy as one or the other.

Mine looks just like the one in that ad so it might have the built-in light as well, normally another handy feature ...but perhaps not so good in a fuel tank.
if the sender moved to where you can't see it . you could try using a length of bendable wire to sweep the bottom toward directly below the hole , then use the grabber. I like old-type bendable aluminum antenna-mast grounding wire for chores like that. Have you moved the boat since it dropped in?

Otseg

I put golf balls in Mothers station wagon gas tank as a kid. She liked it because when she heard them rolling around she knew it was time to buy gas. Who needs no friggin sender?

bgraves06

Got it with a flexible inspection camera that had a hook on the end. Thank you everyone!

GaryDoug

You just wanted an excuse to buy that snake camera didn't you ;-)