fuel gauge.....strange problem
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 285
Likes: 0
From: Houston
fuel gauge.....strange problem
I'm almost there. I've got the dash lights working, temp gauge, and now the last one. My fuel gauge will only read up to 3/4 full. I pulled the sending unit to see if it was in there wrong or hitting anything. Nothing. Also, I will let it get down to 1/16 of a tank and then fill it up. It only takes about 10 gals to fill up. So what I am thinking is that the sweep of the needle is somehow off by 1/4 and so when my gauge reads 3/4 it is acually full and when it reads 1/16 then it is acually a little more than a 1/4. Now, with that being said, how do I fix it. I have a 71 w in cab tank. I'm guessing that the tank holds more than just 10 gallons so I would really like to be able to go farther than 120 miles before filling up again. I don't want to just ignore the gauge to see how far I could go on a tank and see if my hypothesis is right. I would really like to fix it.
Thanks
Austin
For those of you doing to math, yes that is 12mpg out of a stock 460 C6 in a SWB
Thanks
Austin
For those of you doing to math, yes that is 12mpg out of a stock 460 C6 in a SWB
Senior User
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 194
Likes: 0
fuel gauge.....strange problem
Im not sure how much this will help. I had a truck that did the same thing yours does. I needed a sending unit in a second truck, so I pulled out my only good one, the one that read 3/4 when full etc. In the new truck, it works just fine, reads normally. I would guess there is a wiring problem between the guage and the sending unit. clean you grounds and check for broken or cracked wires.
GL
Aaron
GL
Aaron
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,494
Likes: 0
fuel gauge.....strange problem
Dablack,
I have the same exact problem. Sometimes if the needle gets real close to E and I fill up the needle will go all the way full, then fall back again to 3/4. I pulled the tank and checked the sending unit. I gounded the wire and sure enough the needle pegged out at full. I even pulled another gauge out of a junker truck and the same problem. I've begun to wonder if it isn't the instrument panel voltage regulator. The wierd part is that all my other gauges appear to work fine.
I have the same exact problem. Sometimes if the needle gets real close to E and I fill up the needle will go all the way full, then fall back again to 3/4. I pulled the tank and checked the sending unit. I gounded the wire and sure enough the needle pegged out at full. I even pulled another gauge out of a junker truck and the same problem. I've begun to wonder if it isn't the instrument panel voltage regulator. The wierd part is that all my other gauges appear to work fine.
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
fuel gauge.....strange problem
My gauge does this, too. Sometimes when I fill it up, it will only go to 3/4, and sometimes it will go all the way to full. I can run it for about 20 miles after the gauge reads "empty". 79 F-150 4x4
All my other gauges work fine, too.
All my other gauges work fine, too.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,613
Likes: 2
From: Gainesville, FL
fuel gauge.....strange problem
Black,
This sounds like a ground problem, maybe? Is this an aft tank? If so, the ground is in front of the tank and is commonly bombarded the dirt,salt and dead animals for the last twenty+ years. Check it, clean it and you'll be good to go.
good luck, have Fun,
kingfisher
This sounds like a ground problem, maybe? Is this an aft tank? If so, the ground is in front of the tank and is commonly bombarded the dirt,salt and dead animals for the last twenty+ years. Check it, clean it and you'll be good to go.
good luck, have Fun,
kingfisher
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 6,175
Likes: 21
From: Texas
fuel gauge.....strange problem
Mine did the same thing for a while. I sure miss that...now it doesn't work at all. I'm not sure what I did. I pulled the dash to replace all of the bulbs, and when I put things back together, the fuel guage wasn't working. All of the wires are well labeled and hard to get in the wrong spot, so I don't know what I did. So I hit the gas station about every 100-150 miles. Unfortunately I'm getting well under 10MPG right now....need some more tuning I think :-)
Greg
69' F250, 390 (Ed RPM Intake, 750 Carb, Crower Power Beast Cam, all MSD ignition, long hedares and short pipes), C6 and dana 60w/4.10s.
Greg
69' F250, 390 (Ed RPM Intake, 750 Carb, Crower Power Beast Cam, all MSD ignition, long hedares and short pipes), C6 and dana 60w/4.10s.
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
fuel gauge.....strange problem
man! mine does the same thing. 3/4 when full, still a quarter-tank left when on E. I checked out the grounding too, pulled the wire from the sending unit, and when grounded, the gauge pegs out at full. It's amazing how many of us have this problem.
Trending Topics
New User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 0
Likes: 24
fuel gauge.....strange problem
Ahem.... Ahem....
How many of you have a problem with the tank that has/had been empty of gas for a while before the problem started ?
This is usually the reason for bad/faulty sending units.(An Empty Tank)
Dennis
Please Don't Ask Me Any Tough Questions As:
"I'm Saving Up MY Memory For When I Develop Alzheimer's"
78 F-150 429CJ C6 ,Silver w/Explorer Pkge
641/2 Mustang,Pre-World's Fair Car #8092
64 Fairlane S/C waiting for a 390-4spd.
68-Mustang.Sunlit Gold 80,000 miles
How many of you have a problem with the tank that has/had been empty of gas for a while before the problem started ?
This is usually the reason for bad/faulty sending units.(An Empty Tank)
Dennis
Please Don't Ask Me Any Tough Questions As:
"I'm Saving Up MY Memory For When I Develop Alzheimer's"
78 F-150 429CJ C6 ,Silver w/Explorer Pkge
641/2 Mustang,Pre-World's Fair Car #8092
64 Fairlane S/C waiting for a 390-4spd.
68-Mustang.Sunlit Gold 80,000 miles
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!
Joe Kucinski
New User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 0
Likes: 24
fuel gauge.....strange problem
Try here !
http://automotiveswap.com/ford.htm
or here
http://www.fordpartsnetwork.com/
Dennis
Please Don't Ask Me Any Tough Questions As:
"I'm Saving Up MY Memory For When I Develop Alzheimer's"
78 F-150 429CJ C6 ,Silver w/Explorer Pkge
641/2 Mustang,Pre-World's Fair Car #8092
64 Fairlane S/C waiting for a 390-4spd.
68-Mustang.Sunlit Gold 80,000 miles
http://automotiveswap.com/ford.htm
or here
http://www.fordpartsnetwork.com/
Dennis
Please Don't Ask Me Any Tough Questions As:
"I'm Saving Up MY Memory For When I Develop Alzheimer's"
78 F-150 429CJ C6 ,Silver w/Explorer Pkge
641/2 Mustang,Pre-World's Fair Car #8092
64 Fairlane S/C waiting for a 390-4spd.
68-Mustang.Sunlit Gold 80,000 miles
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 168
Likes: 0
From: Stratton
fuel gauge.....strange problem
I 've got the same weird bug. Is all it takes is claening the ground? Or is the new sending unit the answer? It is difficult to tell if anyone here actually fixed the weirdness.
Thread Starter
|
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 285
Likes: 0
From: Houston
fuel gauge.....strange problem
Well at least I'm in good company. My solution to the problem will be to put a mustang tank between the frame in the back. New sender, new tank. I will be good to go. Saddly, there are so many projects on the list before that one that it will be at least a year.Austin
Senior User
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 194
Likes: 0
From: Washington
fuel gauge.....strange problem
Had the same thing happening for 2 years in my 67, so one day took a extra sending unit, Plug into wiring harness and manual operated float watching gage on dash, cycle it a couple of times, Reinstalled wiring to sending unit in truck and has gone from reading a little over half to reading whats in the tank, for a year now, Sometimes the strangest things work
GWB
GWB
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
eds72
1987 - 1996 F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
5
Jul 14, 2015 08:25 AM
884x4broncoII
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
5
Dec 23, 2013 06:54 PM
beckula
1987 - 1996 F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
1
Nov 3, 2013 08:57 PM
eatont9999
Pre-Power Stroke Diesel (7.3L IDI & 6.9L)
9
Sep 18, 2011 06:42 PM
