Hi James. I very much doubt if you could do this without damaging the wires. That said, and basing my replacement wire on info above, I have ordered some NiCR (80/20) wire from the link below (40gauge).
Ni80 Wire - 17,18,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,34,36,38,40 AWG ->1000'. However it is often the preferred choice over kanthal when a lower resistance wire with similar form factor is desired.
www.ebay.com.au
I think my issue stems from using the wrong wire (correct resistance is everything). It's a very fiddly job and note carefully just how the wire runs on the float.
I think
@Tony.dreamer has done a few that work perfectly and also had them re-finished, b/c he's awesome like that. I'm not awesome like that, and tried a number of different types & gauges of wire, but the 38g-40g were the only ones that were even close. The internal terminals flex enough that it can affect the length & => resistance. My numbers:
40g Ni80 = 95-100 (e) 5-7 (f)
38g Ni80 = 58-60 2.5-4
40g KA-1 = 125-127 8-14
38g KA-1 = 78-79 4.5-4.9
40g SS 316L = 65-67 5.5-6.5 (I got 74 at the wire but could never get the SS consistent at the terminal to wire where I got closer with others)
Other things I learned; some the hard way:
--when you think you have everything clean, clean some more
--use the lightest duty soldering iron you can--25W was too much for my clumsy hands & the internal connections are super delicate
--if you doubt your skills at all, use desoldering braids to remove the old solder--the internal connections are super delicate
--"note carefully just how the wire runs on the float" Amen. Check and recheck the floating terminals & lacing through the bottom--if you kink a wire at all, start over
--different brands of wire give you different results--wire is cheap b/c it's used in vaping, & like most cheap stuff ...
-- I had a 3-5 ohm difference w the 3 ohm meters I used, and whether I used clips or probes at the top terminals-- micro-clips more consistent, but only use flat ones on the internal connections to get good contact. Also using other parts of the sender top as ground helped check readings--I had trouble getting consistent grounds.
-- The flex and bend in the internal terminals can affect the resistance more than I thought--the internal connections are super delicate .
-- Female spade connectors required cleaning further back into the wire than I thought.
-- Flat wire is easier to manage in some respects, but it seemed easier to kink and hard to keep consistently straight for the float terminals
-- arts & crafts stores have small tools for beading etc & cost a fraction of identical-looking tools sold for electronics, etc.
In the end, mine worked, but the gauge was a bit jumpier than I wanted, b/c I'm not good at small, fiddly stuff. So, I have it as a spare & bought a new one through Paul W at Max, and it works perfectly--only very small difference in the markings from original -- can't remember difference, maybe Chech instead of Germany stamp? Look under "instruments" and not "fuel tank" at W&N & Real OEM to find number.
