I'm finally getting around to doing the work that needs to be done on my Ranger. The fuel guage is reading 1/4 tank while the tank is actually empty. This is not a good thing to have. I'm going to drop the fuel tank, it's plastic, remover the fuel pump and fuel level sender and see if it can be adjusted to read correctly. If not I'll have to see about getting a new one.
The front bumper needs to be looked at. It's hanging a little wrong and the headlight frame, it's plastic, is cracked and is not holding the headlights in the correct attitude. The headlights shine on the street about 15 feet in front of the truck. This makes highway travel at night a very tiring job.
The shift indicator needs to be adjusted also. This seems to be a simple job. Remove the steering column shroud and there's some knob that gets turned to adjust the location of the gear indicator on the column.
I've looked into the fuel tank, I thought that it was the sending unit causing the problem. I removed the sending unit and checked the resistance using a VOM. The resistance was within specifications. So I put the tank back in and thought everything was good.
But the guage still reads 1/4 full when the pump starts sucking air.
So I'm now thinking that the pump is set too high, it has a clamp on it. The fuel filter sock is set at the same level as the float would be at when the tank should read empty. I thought that should be the correct level, but now I'm thinking that the pump should be slightly below where the float would read empty.
Is that correct? Or should the float and the pump intake be at the same level and I should look elsewhere for the problem.
How far should the fuel pump intake be from the bottom of the fuel tank?
The plastic part behind the grill has been replaced. 100 bucks, not Ford, still need a couple of clips for the headlights.
The shift indicator has a screw adjuster that's bolted to the truck under the steering wheel. This plastic part broke and is causing the problem. Ford doesn't sell just the broken plastic part, they have the whole cable indicator assembly for about 30. I've got the part but haven't installed it yet. The dash has to be taken off and the instrument cluster pulled out far enough to install the indicator.
The shift indicator has a screw adjuster that's bolted to the truck under the steering wheel. This plastic part broke and is causing the problem. Ford doesn't sell just the broken plastic part, they have the whole cable indicator assembly for about 30. I've got the part but haven't installed it yet. The dash has to be taken off and the instrument cluster pulled out far enough to install the indicator.
Ya, the gear indicator is pretty easy, just pops into the bottom of the instrument cluster...I replaced one of my pops '96 Explorer in no time a few months back.
I've looked into the fuel tank, I thought that it was the sending unit causing the problem. I removed the sending unit and checked the resistance using a VOM. The resistance was within specifications. So I put the tank back in and thought everything was good.
But the guage still reads 1/4 full when the pump starts sucking air.
So I'm now thinking that the pump is set too high, it has a clamp on it. The fuel filter sock is set at the same level as the float would be at when the tank should read empty. I thought that should be the correct level, but now I'm thinking that the pump should be slightly below where the float would read empty.
Is that correct? Or should the float and the pump intake be at the same level and I should look elsewhere for the problem.
How far should the fuel pump intake be from the bottom of the fuel tank?
I had the same problem with my Aerostar a few years back. It started running out of gas at 1/8 of a tank, then 1/4, then the fuel pump quit working completely. Replaced the pump and it fixed my issues. If there is a leak where the strainer attaches to the pump it can cause this. In my case the pump was weak and didnt have the power to suck the fuel when the level dropped.
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1991 Ford Ranger Xlt 4x2 4.0 auto
1997 Ford F150 Xlt 4x2 4.6 auto-boat and travel trailer hauler
1996 Ford Contour Gl 2.5 v6 swap
1995 Kawasaki Ninja 1100-far from stock...too fast for its own good
1982 Yamaha Maxim 650-830cc turbocharged
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