i have a 2.3l ranger. during the last 2 fill ups. the first when i topped it off the fuel gauge said that i only got 3/4 of a tank. then the next fill up it went all the way to full .i no that i can go about 2 weeks and 2 day on a tank of fuel. so it was about 2 weeks and 3 days and the gas gauge was still reading above 1/4 a tank and did not move . i am thinking it is the sending unit . have checked all the fuses and they are ok i dont think it is the pump beacuse the truck runs great no problems but this.any help would be greatfull. thank you in advance.

 

My 1999 Ranger XL, 3.0L Flex Fuel Auto Trans 4R44E, has a problem with the fuel guage, it reads 1/4 when it's empty. Or I should say that pump is not lower than the float, so that when the tank reads 1/4 the pump is actually at the level of the fuel so that sometimes it's sucking air instead of fuel.

I took the fuel pump out once thinking that the problem was with the sender being out of specification, but after I checked it, and it was alright, I put the fuel pump back in thinking that I had solved the problem but it occured again. So I had to rethink the problem.

When I had the sender and fuel pump out and on the bench I noticed that the pump intake was at the same level as the float when the float was in the empty position. Not knowing at the time that this was the problem I put the sender and the fuel pump back in without correcting this configuration.

So I'll have to drop the tank again and see if moving the pump down an inch or so will correct the problem of running out of fuel while the guage reads 1/4.

Did you check the guage and eliminate it as a source of the problem?

 

so how do you check the gauge. im not going to drop the tank i think i will take the bed off. or is it not that bad to drop the tank.

 

Sending unit. My truck had the same issue.

 

hjfrans: it's much easier to remove the bed from the truck than to drop the tank. Plus you don't have to worry about spilling fuel or the tank being too heavy with fuel in it. It's also easier to get to the fuel connections to the pump and the plug is right there as well. If you tear up the lock ring for the float/sender unit, trying to get it removed, you can get a new one from your local Ford dealer for only a couple of bucks. I think they come in a couple of different sizes, so just let them know the diameter you need. To test the sending unit once it's out, you'll need an analog voltage/ohmmeter tester, one with a needle that shows the reading. You might be able to use a digital meter as well but usually the analog type shows the change better. The sending unit will probably be a plastic box with slots in it which is attached to a metal tube for fuel return. The float arm will come out of one side of the box and the other side of the box will have the pivot end of the float arm go thru a metal support for the box attached to the tube. This support end is the ground for the sender and the wire is the positive end for the gauge. Connect one wire of the meter to the wire from the sender or to the pin it goes to on the plug and the other meter wire to the tube. You'll be doing a resistance check so set the meter to ohms. There may be more than one scale for ohms but you should see a change in the needle on most of the scale settings. With the meter on and the float rotated down to what would be the low point in the tank you should see a reading on the meter. Then slowly move the float arm up to see if it makes the needle change to indicate some higher or different numbers. You should be able to see the needle move in a steady pattern to indicate the change you are making in the position of the float arm from top to bottom. And it should show any dead spots as you go. It's usually the sending unit that goes bad. If the gauge goes bad they usually don't indicate anything. When you put the sender back in the tank, try to make sure the fuel filler hose won't affect the float arm travel which might give a low reading when you know it's actually full.

 

thanks for the responses. one other thing while i am changing out the sending unit should i replace the pump as well why i am in there. one again thank you all.

 

Probably wouldn't hurt (cept for the money) to replace it. Specially if it's the original, so you would at least know what's going on with it from this point.

 

thank you guys very much for your replys. i am changing it out this weekend i will post resualts. thanks agian,