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MG TD TF 1500 - Issues with NOSLocators/Scarborough Faire, RI

Has anyone on the list had a problem doing business with a MG parts store called Scarborough Faire or their eBay store NOSLocators located in Pawtucket, RI, USA.
A while back I purchased a Fuel Tank Sender Unit (#FT5787/00) from them. The unit was never calibrated correctly and turned on the Fuel warning light on my 1955 mgtf 1500 with 5 to 6 gallons of gas in the tank instead of the correct 2-3 gallons. Recently when I repainted the tank and reinstalled the sender unit the Fuel warning light would not go off no matter how much gasoline was I in the tank. There was an apparent internal ground that I believe I have corrected but when I took the side plate off, held on by 4 small screws I found the original screws to be the wrong size and won't tighten.
I have emailed the firm twice,(with no reply) called twice and talked to 2 different women who said the emails must be on someone's desk (but they didn't seem to want to get involved). I recently send a Fax to the supposed owners Kenneth and Cecelia Bruce and have not received anything from them.
THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE WORST CASE OF CUSTOMER MIS-HANDLING I EVER RECEIVED FROM ANYONE IN MY LIFETIME!
Has anyone else had experience with this firm or have any names, addresses or phone numbers that might be helpful.
Thanks,
Mark Stolzenburg
Chesterfield, MO
Mark Stolzenburg

I have known Cecelia for thirty years. I know of nobody else more knowledgeable of M.G. parts than her. I am a bit surprised at your story. She has been in business for decades, with many satisfied customers. I'd try to speak with her directly.
David
D. Sander

I've bought a few things from them and the items were as advertised and their prices are better than most suppliers. I would definitely buy from them again. JMHO. PJ
Paul S Jennings

Mark - I have never purchased anything from Scarborough Faire, although I had their catalog for a period of time many years ago. That said, I think that you have a misconception of the tank level sensor when you say it was never calibrated correctly. Calibration is a loose term when dealing with the indicator unit as the only adjustment for the level at which it starts indicating is bending the rod that holds the float. Also, I sincerely doubt that it only starts indicating at 2-3 gallons, considering that the fuel in the tank spend a lot of time sloshing back and forth. I put a buzzed across the fuel level indicator in our TD and I find that if I am doing any kind of hard driving, the buzzer starts chirping at me at between 5 and 6 gallons, with light coming on and off slow enough at between 4 and 5 gallons and on steady at slightly less than 4 gallons - that gives you plenty of time to find a fueling facility.

As for them not responding to your e-mails, how long ago did you purchase the unit? Your posting sort of indicates that you have had the unit installed for a fair period of time and you have not had it installed, removed, reinstalled and were fussing around with the unit. I am pretty liberal with doing no charge warranty work on the fuel pumps that I restore for people, but that stops when I find that a pump has been opened up and fussed with before they have contacted me - just saying.
Cheers - Dave
DW DuBois

Mark
I have bought many items from NOS on their ebay store. I have found them always to be fair and ethical business people. I think you should deal with them directly and give them a chance to make it right. If you bought from the ebay store, it is best to communicate directly through ebay, with message linked to your item.

I have been all around with TF fuel senders. I bought from Moss, from NOS and had one that came with my car. All were JUNK because they had plastic floats. The floats crack and fill with gas.
Not until I found a NOS Smiths sender with a tin float did I have a unit that worked properly. I think the fault with the plastic float is a combination of ethanol, the T tank design and bad luck. Many cars use plastic floats. Hard to say.
Look for a unit with a tin float or cobble one together.

Good luck
Tom
'54 TF
T Norby

I've had no dealings with NOS Locators but can confirm that the screws for the fuel tank sender unit come in two different thread types. It seems the early tanks had a different thread to the later type, but I don't know when the changeover occurred or what these thread types were. Abingdon Spares are up to speed on this. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

Peter, I think you'll find that the thread change that you are talking about was not a factory change. It was something that Moss motors did. I'll try to find the archive thread about it. Bud
Bud Krueger

Thanks Bud. I've just re-read that thread & it seems the original was 3BA on the original tank. I've started another thread as I'd love to confirm the thread on the original sender's terminal post. Extraordinary that Moss would continue to sell the incorrect screws! Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

I recall the plastic floats were around for years with no problem, and it was the ethanol that kills them. All available for years likely made in China or somewhere. Considering that virtually everything for our cars is aftermarket, always important to verify/check/test and calibrate (ie use a meter, manipulate the float arm and adjust as needed before installation). Unfortunately I agree with Dave that once the unit was opened the warranty will cease. They should at least call you back of course. George
George Butz

As a follow-up: Last week I called for Cecelia Bruce and was put on hold for at least 5 minutes. A person by the name of Ron finally came on the line and again put me on hold. He came back on line and said they would send me another unit.
Later in the day I got an email from someone named Greg (They never seem to give a direct email address- they go through the eBay system)that said they were out of stock on the unit but he would send me some parts. I sent a note back that said I'm not sure what I would do with these parts so would prefer a unit.
Today I received an email from NOSLocators that said that when NOSLocators restocked the item they would be available on eBay - So the bottom-line is: I still don't know what they are doing!
Mark Stolzenburg
Mark Stolzenburg

BTW, my original operators manual for my TF states the "FUEL TANK - RESERVE" for the TF and TF 1500 is "2 GALLONS (2.4 U.S. GALLONS - 9 LITRES)".
That means when the Fuel Warning light on the dashboard goes on (steady) there is 2 Gallons Imperial(2.4 US Gallons) left in the gas tank.
Hope this makes sense.
Mark Stolzenburg
Mark Stolzenburg

In answer to Dave DuBois:
I never fussed or fiddled with the sender unit until I had a catastrophic failure with the recently re-installed unit - in other words the Fuel Warning light on the dash stayed on. I thought at the time (June 2015) that the float might have been stuck and I removed the side plate held on with 4 screws. That's when I founds out that while the float was not sticking, the 4 screws holding on the plate where the wrong size and would not tighten. I resolved that problem by using the screws from the original sender unit. They tightened with no problem and stopped athe gas from leaking.
Eventually I found the problem on why the fuel light would not go off. It turned out that the vertical brass electrical connector stud was loose and had grounded out on the side of the sending unit. I repositioned the connector and got the light to go off.
At this point the dash light turns on when there is between 2-3 US Gallons in the tank. I currently have 6 gallons in the tank and the light has stayed off - got my fingers crossed X though!
Mark Stolzenburg
Mark Stolzenburg

This thread was discussed between 18/07/2015 and 27/07/2015

MG TD TF 1500 index

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