My 2000 F350 powerstrokes fuel guage is going berzerk and is now stuck on full. Does anyone know where to begin looking for the problem?

 

Has it acted up before?

What happened to cause the weird behaviour? A fill-up?

 

It started a few weeks ago. It would stay on full for a very long time and then suddenly drop to empty for a while and then creep back up to 1/2 or more or less. Didn't want to stay where it belonged. Now it's been on full for several hundred miles and my wife just filled it and in reality it was near empty. Not sure when exactly it started. It's not bouncing around erratically, when it moves it's usually gradual.

 

The first thing I would do is check to make sure your ground to the tank is OK and the wires to the sender (that you can see) are in good shape. If all looks OK, then the next step is to drop your tank and check out the sender.

Not a lot of fun, but not the worse vehicle I have ever seen to take a tank out of.

 

Hey Eagleridge5, did you ever solve the fuel gauge problem? I just bought a 2000 F350 dually 4x4 with the crew cab and 8ft box and the V10 gas engine. The very first time I filled her up the gauge read 1/4 tank but she only took 15 gallons. Hmmm. So, I topped her off and drove around until the gauge read 3/4 tank. I pulled into a station and topped her off again. This time she took 6 gallons. 6 gallons would indicate a tank that is somewhere between 25 and 30 gallons. I wouldn't think such a large truck would come with such a small tank. My manual lists tanks of 29 and 38 gallons. I think the smaller tank may be for the non-dually trucks with the 6 1/2 foot bed. I am wondering if you and I may both have a fuel gauge problem.

 

I've got a fuel tank gauge problem of my own maybe you guys can help with. Technically, I have an excursion with a 44 gallon tank, but I'm pretty sure the system is still the same.

My gauge is stuck on full, but the weird thing is that it didn't happen after a fill up. I was at about .5 tank, and I turned the truck on the next morning and it was reading full. I've driven it for a few weeks now and filled up several times, and it always reads full. Any ideas before I take it somewhere (I don't want to mess with dropping the tank)?

Thanks all!

Isaac

 

I very much doubt that your problem has to do with the float or the internals in the tank, but if it does turn out to be the case, let me know before you buy new parts from the dealer. I have some extra stuff floating around in the garage right now.

I know, opportunistic. Sorry

 

I solved my problem myself yesterday. I called a Ford dealership, gave them my VIN number and found out that my (Huge) F350 V10 powered one-ton dually crew cab 4x4 came out of their factory with an itsy-bitsy 19 gallon fuel tank!? Why on earth would anyone want such a measley little gas tank under such a large truck? And why would Ford make such a rig... big inch engine... big inch crew cab interior... 8 foot box... dual rear axle... itsy-bitsy, teeny-weenie 19 gallon gas tank.

The good news is that Tranfer Flow Inc. makes a direct replacement 57 gallon tank! It's on it's way and will be installed in a day. The bad news is that the new tank and installation price is about $1600.00. Ouch. But, I gotta have it.

 

Jetmaker: I'm sure by 19, you meant 29.....but....unless I am mistaken, a 2000 Super Duty with a long box should have a 38 gallon tank. The 29 gallon tank would be found in any of the short box trucks.

 

Hi Delux05,

"...I'm sure by 19, you meant 29"

Those are nearly the same words I said to the guy at the Ford dealership when he told me that my truck has a 19 gallon tank! But no, my truck did indeed come from the factory with a small 19 gallon tank... and so did many other trucks like mine apparently.

When I called the outfit who will be replacing my tank with the much larger 57 gallon aftermarket tank, they told me that they have done lots of these same conversions, for the same reason.

In looking into why Ford would have done such a thing, the story I get is that apparently both California and the Feds were after the big three truck makers on the mileage issue on big trucks and SUV's, because of public pressure.

Since the big three could not simply improve the mileage with a simple "flip of the switch" design change and needed much more time, the compromise was that trucks like mine had to carry less fuel on-board, supposedly keeping them limited in their use. And as it happens, my truck came from California.

By the way. I also read the 29 and 38 gallon section in my owners manual, so when the Ford parts guy at the dealership looked up my truck by the VIN number, he laughed when he told me it had a 19 gallon tank... and I said "no man, you mean a 29 gallon tank"... the rest is history and is going to cost me big to fix it.

 

Well, after several frustrating months and what seemed like hundreds of discussions with Ford techs and the folks at TransferFlow I have finally nailed down a fix for my "tiny tank" problem.

As I originally stated, I was shocked to learn that my 2000 F-350 V-10 Crew Cab 1-ton Dually has an incredibly small 19-gallon fuel tank and that the only way I could solve my "lack of range" problem is to install a larger 57-gallon replacement fuel tank.

I have since learned that the 57-gallon tank will not work on my truck either.
Why? Because it turns out that my dually pick-up is not a pick-up after all. It is a "cab and chassis", with a dealer installed dually pick-up box.

It took a lot of research but I have learned that the original owner ordered the "heavier" duty cab and chassis (used for utility vehicles and has a different frame underneath) for the higher towing capacity because he towed a 36-ft gooseneck camp trailer once or twice a year. That explains why it only had 50,000 miles on it when I bought it in 2007.

Besides the small fuel tank, there were other clues on the truck that you just would not notice much. One is the 4-inch spacer mounted to the front of the box to fill the gap between it and the cab, which is a result of the longer frame, another clue is the sticker under the hood which states it is a violation of federal law to alter either the fule system or the fuel tank in any way without first obtaining written US government permission... nice. The last clue that got me to lookin' into this thing was when I took it in to have the front end aligned and the truck was too long to fit on the alignment rack.

So, the only fix I could legally implement was to install a fuel tank in the bed, with it's own electric pump and handle so that I can fill the tiny tank whenever I need to, without having to find a gas station. (the law does not allow me to plumb the tank directly into the existing fuel system). I hate this fix but I need the fuel on-board as I tow a dump trailer and can't afford the time it takes to stop again and again at gas stations, and if I had wanted a 6-1/2 foot bed, I have bought a half ton.

The truck is perfect in every other way though and the dealership I bought the truck from stepped up and paid half of the $1600 it took to install the bed tank. Now, I carry 70 gallons instead of 19. The guys at TransferFlow were great too. They have tons of ideas to help out.

Feelin' better now. Thanks.

 

my situation is kind of similar to you guys. but i have on 03 f350 sc short box and it has the 38 gallon tank in it i thought my guage was wrong right from brand new. i work at a ford dealer in pa. ran the HVBOM and it has the 38 gallon tank under it. taller the the 29. i've yet to see antother short box even show an option for it from 99 to 04. go figure.

 

My fuel gauge moves around too mostly when i fill it to the brim. It did it awhile back but have'nt had a problem since.