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I made the mistake of fueling my 04 while it was running a month ago and my gauge is still stuck below empty. I've heard that it would clear itself after awhile or to unplug the batteries with the headlights on but neither worked. I called the previous owner and he said that has never happened to him. Any ideas? Thanks!
Mine has done this a few times--not the gauge but the message center.
On a full tank the message center will alarm as to low fuel. It goes away on its own after a couple of restarts after driving.
Mine has done this a few times--not the gauge but the message center.
On a full tank the message center will alarm as to low fuel. It goes away on its own after a couple of restarts after driving.
2006 F350 4X4
that's the pain of the low gauge. The low fuel alarm is always on.
that's the pain of the low gauge. The low fuel alarm is always on.
Sure is. I've have mine do it all day but once started up and it comes on once you reset it wont come on until you restart if I remember correctly. Mine has not done it in a few months.
I found I got better results by removing the sender and cleaning
the resistor and wiper with a Q-tip with some rubbing alcohol/
Just be careful with you remove the plastic cover and with the wiper.
This photo if a sender from a 1988 Ranger but it the same other
than the float and pump assembly.
Fuel level sender
Fuel Level Sensor Board
Fuel Tank tool in action
The plastic tank ring goes on at 60 Ft/Lb with this tool
with a new seal ring.
I threw some in yesterday...nothing yet but I assume it will take some time.
Another thing you might do is remove the battery cables and turn the lights on for 30 or so seconds then replace the battery cables. The gauges should do a full sweep when you reconnect and key on. See if that clears your issue.
mechanic at Ford said to try turning key on, waiting count of twenty or so...
then key off.
do that three or four times and the fuel lines will pressurize and release to "equalize" the float...
don't know if right way or not--- but it worked for
also, my warning did it with engine off, I just don't idle and fill fuel tanks.
Since then I have filled up at 1/8 tank or more, just so I don't get that annoying warning
Another thing you might do is remove the battery cables and turn the lights on for 30 or so seconds then replace the battery cables. The gauges should do a full sweep when you reconnect and key on. See if that clears your issue.
I tried this again and it's still below E but when I turned the key on after hooking the cables back up the gauge did cycle to full and then back down to E. What would that tell me?
I tried this again and it's still below E but when I turned the key on after hooking the cables back up the gauge did cycle to full and then back down to E. What would that tell me?
Not a very good update since nothing has changed. I haven't had a dry day to pull the sender and to be honest, I don't want to throw $300 at a possible fix.
Since this happened a few days after I purchased the truck and my overhead computer doesn't work wither, I'm a little worried about running out of fuel. Common sense is keep topping off the tank but that's becoming a pita......
The gauge doesn't fluctuate at all, stuck below E all the time. The only time it moved was when I unplugged the batteries, headlights on, reconnected, turned the key and the gauge went to full and then back down to below E.
What I do on every fill up is I reset the trip odo to zero. Around 400 miles I fill up. This number works for my truck, my tank size, my driving habits ... your number may be different for some of the reasons just mentioned.
I had it happen to me once where a failed fuel gauge had me thinking I was at about 1/4 tank ... I wasn't ... guess what happened next.
I have also been collecting fuel receipts and writing the odometer on the receipt and entering the receipt into excel when I get home for tax reasons for 14 years ... so setting the trip odometer to zero is part of that routine and not a chore for me.
The fuel gauge cycling to full and back tells you that the computer can talk to the fuel gauge. That means it's probably not the gauge, it's at the sender end.
The fuel gauge cycling to full and back tells you that the computer can talk to the fuel gauge. That means it's probably not the gauge, it's at the sender end.
12-21-2014, 08:32 AM
