Dont know whether anyones done this before, or has a better method of removing it, (if so let us know)...
My father's SR Fuel gauge was playing up (staying on full after doing 250kms), so he decided to pull the fuel sender unit out to check the meter in the tank..
Once he pulled it out and found some dirt on the terminals of the sender (bridged across), and since he had it out decided to pull the canister to bits to clean it out, and found it had dirt all through the bottom of the container, and the pickup unit as shown...
Now remember this SR has only done 32k....
He said to get this unit out of the tank though is a major job, as there is a compressed washer with a white plastic nut on the top.. so he had to make a custom tool to get it out.. and it was a bastard to put back in.. he thought he might just buy a new plastic nut for it though after he'd mangled it getting it out, but toyota price.. $87!!!!.. the old one went back..
We checked the service manuals etc, no mention of ever looking at these let alone cleaning them out..
Steve