Fuel gauge
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 151
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From: Alaska
Fuel gauge
Hey guys I have a 96 bronco the fuel gauge reads empty if you unplug the harness underneath to the sender the gauge goes to full then you plug it in in drops back to e what could this be.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,182
Likes: 12
From: Gateway to the West
Basically, the sending unit has stuck or failed. The sending unit changes resistance value as the level of fuel in the tank changes. The more fuel, the more resistance, the less voltage going through the gauge. In the case of a truly empty tank, there is almost no resistance causing the gauge to fall to "E" since the gauge reads NEGATIVE voltage not positive. So, the stronger the negative connection the gauge has, the closer to "empty" it reads. With NO negative voltage the needle will spring up to the "full" end of the gauge. Unplugging it would remove all voltage to it so the gauge should do this when disconnected which means the gauge itself is fine.
If there IS fuel in the tank and the gauge reads empty, either the sending unit has failed or the float is compromised and has sunk/will no longer float. Either way, you are most likely looking at replacing the sending unit.
If there IS fuel in the tank and the gauge reads empty, either the sending unit has failed or the float is compromised and has sunk/will no longer float. Either way, you are most likely looking at replacing the sending unit.
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