But are you going to order their - 4048 (that is said to fit) or the - 4068 that fits diesels for $30 more?..

 

I reckon I'll order the 4048 since it says that it's for gassers.

It doesn't sound like you were very happy with your dealings with LMC. Do you know of another possible source for this sender?

 

I'm just unhappy that I knew enough to doubt their listing and cared enough to spend an hour on the phone being bounced around from the operator to the warehouse to the "tech department".... only to be given bad information about fitment.

My sender now reads backwards (almost halfway) and I am still searching for the unicorn one year sender that fits my 1987 truck.

Judging from how it acts in my vehicle it should work fine in an '85 or '86 with mechanical pump, return line and two pin connector.

 

Is it possible that the sender I need is still available from Motorcraft? I know from my work on Volvos that seldom are aftermarket parts the quality of OE parts. I'm not sure if that holds true for Fords, but maybe?

As for tanks, is there an appreciable difference between the Doorman and Spectra units?

 

The Motorcraft sender may be better quality.
I couldn't find one and needed *something* to replace the non-functional one in my truck.
I took the the tank out because it was leaking on top of the seam.
The lock ring and outlet tubes were pretty much crumbling from 30 years of salty winter roads.

I guess a consistently wrong reading is better than erratic or no reading.

The 19 gallon Spectra midship tank seems fine.
Be sure to get new straps (#ST03) if yours are rusty.

 

I didn't think I would ever do this, some guys once in awhile mentioned they used this method and I thought it would be a pain. I think it would be if I didn't have a trip odometer.

My 86 ranger sending unit finally went out. I knew before that everytime I filled up from the gauge I would put about 14 gallons in the tank. I had checked the mileage before, and was getting around 20mpg. So I filled the tank and reset the trip odometer, drove till I got to 300 miles, and then went to the station. Perfect. It filled with 14.xx gallons. In the winter it might get to almost 15, so I try to fill it when it gets close to 300, but I have gone over to 310-315 miles before with no problems.

I am getting to where I actually like this better than the fuel gauge. But if I didn't have the trip odometer, I would not like doing the math in my head each time. And you do have to remember to reset the trip odometer at each fill up. I am betting most of the 80-86 trucks don't have trip odometers though. I think one of the reasons this old ranger has one is because it's a STX model.

 

See post #10: Both the mid-ship and aft axle tanks are "side mounts" but the parts do not interchange.

So, which tank is it, mid-ship or aft axle?

I'd be leery buying anything from LMC as their catalog is rife with errors and omissions.

 

Dave,
That's what I have to do.
But I have to fill up *every* time.
Running out of fuel with a mechanical pump is troublesome because the truck won't prime without a lot of cranking.

Bill,
Can you please give the part and engineering numbers for the midship sender on a 1985 10,000 gvw, f378 incomplete truck with a 351 that has a mechanical fuel pump?
I'm not sure if 137" wheelbase is C&C or something else...

ETA; what is the difference between gas and diesel sending units?

 

Yes, that is a important key to this method. It would not have worked very well when I was young and just starting out and flat broke. Back then I sometimes only put 5 dollars in the tank to get me by. Filling up is not too much of a problem now, especially since this little truck gets 20mpg+.

 

E5TZ-9275-G .. Fuel Tank Sending Unit-Use with 19 gallon mid-ship fuel tank / Obsolete ~ 56+ available NOS

1985/86 F150/350 all I-6 & V8 gas engines (except 460) without EFI with unleaded fuel.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E5TZ-9275-H .. Fuel Tank Sending Unit-Use with 17 gallon one tube mid-ship fuel tank / Obsolete ~ 2 available NOS

1985/86 F150/350 all I-6 & V8 gas engines without EFI with unleaded fuel.

 

Thank you!

Wow, that 9275-G is a pricey little sucker at $245 list and a shocking $273.50 on Amazon.

​​​​​​​

 

From the Ford D2D (Dealer to Dealer, Ford Dealer Parts Locator System):

E5TZ-9275-G = MSRP: $257.70 / Dealer net cost: $171.80.

E5TZ-9275-H = MSRP: $187.82 / Dealer net cost: $112.69.

 

Hmmm.
I just glanced at a couple of eBay listings.
Maybe that was list when they were originally purchased.

Online dealers say this number is obsolete/unavailable.
Is this sender something that can be ordered through the FoMoCo network today?

 

Any chance you have a line on front and rear senders for my 1987 f-250 mechanical pump 460 truck?

 

^ See my next post (when I get around to typing it).^
A dealer in TX has 1 .. another in NE has 1 .. another in WI has 49 .. two obsolete parts vendors have 3 and 5 each.

There's a few more: A NM Ford dealer will only sell to other Ford dealers (2), another is "Snake" Allen (2), another is located in Puerto Rico (1), and a person in IN has 2.