I have a 1997 Ford Ranger with the 3.0 V6.......the gas gauge hasnt been working for 2 years now..i have checked the acutal gauge in the dash and it does work, but the sending unit is what i guess is broke on it, unless it could be something else....I just want to know what is the easiest steps to replace the sending unit at home myself in my drive me, because the ford dealer wants $400 to do it, what are the easiest steps to replacing it, and what brnd would be good to replace it with??ford brand, napa, or whatever places like autozone have....thanks...oh yeah, if anyone thinks of some other reason it may not be working other than the sending unit, please tell, or any other method other than replacement to fix it

 

The sendor/float is the common problem, the best way to get at it is to pull the bed back rather than dropping the tank.

 

I had the same problem myself on a '96. I lifted the bed and unscrewed the large plastic nut that holds the fuel pump and gas level transmitter, It was easy and cheap. The float cost about $6.00.