Rebuilding a 6 pin fuel tank selector switch

As some of you might know, the 6 pin fuel tank selector switches (E6TZ-9A050-C) found on the '86 trucks are not available new anywhere at any price. These are the ones on the HVAC panel on the dash. I wanted my original dual tank system to be functional but the main issue was the selector switch. I didn't know which tank I was on and my fuel gauge was not working. I figured I had nothing to lose so I decided to open it up.



The switch body is held together with 6 metal tabs that are bent over to hold the 2 halves together. Inside there are 2 sets of 3 contacts, one set for the fuel pumps and one set for the sending units. The 2 copper "sleds" slide across the contacts always making contact with 2 of the 3 contacts, depending on the position of the switch. There was almost zero wear inside that I could see. The problem seemed to be that the original grease had hardened over time and the sleds were not making good contact. The solution is to clean out the old grease (use some brake or carb cleaner) and use some new dielectric grease. Reassembly is kind of tricky since you have to get everything lined up right. There are 4 springs, 2 ball bearings and 2 sleds. Using some grease to stick them in place helps. Now my tanks and gas gauge work as they should. Just wanted people to know (if you didn't already) that these switches can be repaired to "like new" condition.

Im glad to see that im not the only one willing to do that. Glad it worked out. Yes the tabs bending out and back in is the issue.

That's cool!   Glad it worked out for you, and hopefully this can help someone else.