Flipped-Out Pickup Fuel Gauge

Recently, Just after starting my truck I noticed that my fuel gauge stopped working and my check engine light illuminated.  Reading the code from the ECU revealed that the fuel temperature sensor had malfunctioned.  Since these two events happened at the same time it became obvious to me that the problem must be in the fuel pump/sending unit assembly.  The easiest way to get to that would be to lift the bed.

I had always heard that lifting the bed was easy, but I had no idea just how easy it was.  Essentially 6 bolts and some electrical connectors were all that needed to be removed to lift the bed.

After lifting the bed I found that several wires to the fuel pump assembly had been severed!  There was no evidence indicating how the wires were severed although years ago a body shop had the bed off for a repair; maybe they pinched some wires and it took a while for them to eventually break.

Given the short lengths of wire I decided to strip and solder instead of using crimp connections.  Weatherproof heat shrink tubing was used to protect the wires from the elements.

I also used this opportunity to install new bed spacers as that body shop I mentioned earlier didn't do a very good job leveling the bed.  I verified after reinstalling the bed that nothing was near the fuel pump wires so hopefully this repair will last the lifetime of the truck.

Pulsar Parcel Bar

The Pulsar NX came with a parcel bar across the back seats whose purpose was to keep items stowed in the back from flying into the front of the car when stopping.  This bar was missing from our Pulsar.  In fact, I had a hard time finding an image of tis parcel back large enough for me determine if I could recreate it.  I finally found a listing for another 1988 Pulsar that still had the parcel bar intact.  

Using this photo I created a couple of designs.  The first was a bit off.

But the second design looked close enough to move forward.  The design leverages a chrome shower curtain rod as the bar across the mounts.

I used stainless steel cap bolts to attach the mounts to the seat backs.

I'm quite happy with the way this turned out and unless you're close enough to see the layer lines in the mounts you'd never know this wasn't the factory parcel bar.

Pulsar Door Vent Seals

 The door vent seals on the Pulsar had become brittle and started disintegrating over 30 years.  

With replacement seals unavailable, I decided design and print replacements.  The seals themselves weren't too complex in shape.  Instead of trying to fit the metal clips on the factory seals I simply used Ultra Black to attach the seals to the car.  This worked perfectly and now the door vents blow strong again!

 

Pulsar Fuel Pump Change

I've been chasing an issue with the Pulsar where it is hard to start after sitting for some time.  Since the car has unknown mileage I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to try replacing the fuel pump.  The thinking here is either the pump itself is not pressurizing fast or the check valve has gone bad.  This would also give me an opportunity to inspect the fuel tank for dirt or corrosion.

Dropping the tank wasn't particularly difficult, just tedious.  After disconnecting the electrical connections and hoses under the seat, removing the filler hose, removing some shielding and finally the tank bolts I was able to work the tank out from under the car.

While the outside of the tank looked 30 years old, I was very happy to find the inside of the tank extremely clean.  I found no need to clean the inside of the tank.

The fuel pump itself (ordered from Summit Racing) was an easy swap as it was identical in size and shape.

Using a new seal and stainless bolts, I returned the fuel pump to the tank.  Reinstallation was simply a reversal of the removal steps.

While the new pump ultimately did not solve my starting issues, I do feel better knowing the likelihood of being stranded by a pump failure has been reduced. 

Rogue Oil Change

 On February 12, 2023, the oil was changed on the Rogue.  I forgot to record the mileage.

Sloppy Pulsar Wipers

The wipers on the Pulsar always had a lot of "slop" to them; they seemed to pause momentarily at each end of their stroke.  I opened up the cowl to find that the bushing between the wiper motor and linkage to be missing!  I searched online but could not find a suitable replacement, so I decided that I could create one myself using my 3D Printer.

After a few measurements I had a design that I felt would work.  I printed the part using carbon-fiber infused nylon to give it some strength.  The black part in the photos below is the newly created part.

Before installing I used some 3M silicone grease to lube the parts.  The new bushing snapped into place perfectly.  

No more wiper slop!

Pulsar Odometer Repair

The odometer never worked on the Pulsar when we bought it and it was registered with unknown mileage.  The speedometer and trip meter functioned, so I knew I had a chance of fixing the problem.

Removing the gauge cluster on a Pulsar NX is not terribly difficult.  Remove the steering column cover, the cluster bezel and the switch pods will give you access to the cluster.

The cluster then simply pulls out after removing the four screws that hold it into place.

Removing the speedometer also was not difficult after unsnapping the Lexan cover and unscrewing the corresponding screws in the back of the cluster.  Once I had the speedometer pulled I could see the issue: the first odometer gear had a broken tooth and would not engage the drive.  To fix this I removed the odometer gears by gently opening the metal brackets at each end, you can do this with a small screwdriver and pry the two prongs apart.  I then removed the broken gear and "sacrificed" the six digit of the odometer by shifting all remaining gears towards the drive gear.

Since we had no idea how many miles were on the car I simply reset the odometer to a nice round number: 100,000.

Before reinstalling I used a power drill to spin up the speedometer for a bit and ensure the odometer worked as expected.  Another part of the car working again!