Fuel Guage Float Problem

[97CountryXJ]

I recently bought a 98 Sport cheap, with some simple problems. One of them being a inoperable fuel guage.
After some investigating, checking circuits and making sure that everything was solid, I suspected the problem was the fuel guage float.
Today was a s l o w day at work, so I pulled in the rig and used my shop proble to do some exploritory probing with a lit fiber optic scope. Entering through the gas filler tube, I could see the float broken in half and floating at the top of the tank. The mechanicals on the sending unit all looks good, the float rod looks good.
My question being...
Is this a regular occurance?
The tank will eventually be dropped and somehow the float will be re-attached.
Anyone else have this happen?

Thanks

 

[four_shot]

shouldn't have to drop the tank. I have a problem w/my 97 never getting to the full mark on the guage. I wonder if that's related?

 

[RichP]

Never heard of the float itself breaking, usually it's the resistor stuff that falls apart and gives intermittant readings. You can buy the just the new sender but with all the work involved in dropping the tank I'd put a whole new unit in there, pump and sender assembly just to avoid grief later on. It would be really annoying to replace the sender and have the pump go south a month or two later. In my case I *KNOW* thats what would happen LOL....

I'd also only use OEM and not aftermarket, too many horror stories just to save a few bucks and have to pay it back with double or triple labor...

On the 97+'s that tank had to be dropped to get the pump out, there is no clearance like on the older metal tanks. When and if I ever do mine I will be cutting an access hole under the carpet for future use if needed.

 

[97CountryXJ]

I was also thinking about the access hole. I have a full access shop (industrial) and we are in the slow season now.
Hell yeah on the OEM fuel pump assy., I know there is some recall on the aftermarket ones reguarding the o-ring seal.
Weird that the float was broken completely off of the float rod. FSM shows straightforward removal of the whole fuel pump assy.
The fuel guage reads "extra full" (way past empty), the low fuel light is not illuminated, figure that the sending unit is too far past its reading limit.

 

[four_shot]

teach me to look before I type :banghead:
sorry...got confused w/my '86