1999 Ranger 3.0 (Flex VIN) 126" WB - Fuel Tank Sending Unit

[AK Ranger]

Hello all,
I just wanted to get this discussion started, as I will be heading home in a few days to start digging back into the Ranger.
It seems to run okay, although I have not physically checked the fuel pressure to see if there is any pressure issues, but the gauge in the instrument cluster is stuck on Full.

In my situation, with limited time home and wanting to have parts sitting at the house when I arrive, I am contemplating ordering a drop-in fuel pump / sending unit assembly to have on hand if needed.
I know most say that you should buy factory parts when you can, but I do not see a Motorcraft listing on any of the sites I have looked at. Honestly, I would be afraid to know what they want, because the cheapest place I found the Delphi brand of part is $172.50 on Amazon. Everyone else is over $200 for it. Oddly, RockAuto says the DELPHI HP10213 fits, but Amazon says it does not... This should be fun

If I wait to order the sending unit assembly until after I get home and check things out, I run the risk of not having there in time, if it is the sending unit that is bad.

A couple things I would like to know:
1. Is DELPHI HP10213 the correct P/N for a 99 Ranger, 3.0L, Flex VIN and 126" W.B.?
2. Are there any, more economical brands of this type of part that you guys have had good luck with?
3. Other that the tank sending unit being bad, what else in the system should cause the gauge to read full, when it was empty?

Thanks in advance for any information provided.

 

[Brain75]

If you have a bad gauge but not pump, I would see if you can R&R (Repair & Rebuild) first... if you have a bad pump I would order a Bosch (typically $65) and replace the pump only.
I would ask "stuck on full" - how bout past full.
The ohm range is 16-160 ohm, and a short (0 ohm) or a break (infinite ohm) will show as past full and past empty - a slight but noticeable past if you know what you are looking at.
I would bet you have a wiring issue and the sender is fine, and that you are actually past full.
OEM for a lot of stuff is Bosch, and Bosch is a good name... I don't think you will find a full sender by Bosch though.


Might be the float is tangled/stuck in something and stuck at full height causing a full reading.
The most typical failure is the float fills full of gas (pinhole leak which can be drained and resoldered), and a less but common is the anti slosh module pukes out (circuit board on the back of the instrument cluster).... everything else is significantly less common.

I don't know about the delphi p/n.. I would go through both rock auto and partsgeek and see what they both agree on if I was desperate to get a new and unwilling to fix what I had (but I would probably go to a junkyard and see if I could get an OEM and fix it first).

 

[AK Ranger]

Thanks Brain. I don't recall if it is on full, or just past full. I am about 600-700 miles from the truck, but will see if my son can take a look for me. This truck is new to us and seeing what I have seen so far, it definitely could be a wiring issue. If it ever had to be changed in the past, I suspect they threw in whatever was cheapest.

**Edit**
I checked Parts Geek and their Delphi part numbers do not match up with anything else on the internet and the RockAuto Delphi part number does not bring up anything on Parts Geek.

 

[Brain75]

anti slosh module typically causes it to read always empty I think, but I do remember some folks here with other odd behaviour (fluctuates wildly over the course of a few miles)

anti slosh module bypass/eliminate:

You can fix em too - they typically have large capacitors and the caps go bad - just have to re-cap - the big red one in the top right of the board he shows at 2:57

 

[AK Ranger]

My son just sent me a picture of the instrument cluster and it is definitely showing past full, so I will hold off on purchasing anything and start chasing wires when I get home.

 

[AK Ranger]

Ok, starting to REALLY dislike Rangers.

I have got good continuity with the yellow/white wire from the plug above the tank, to the dash. I don’t think I have a broken wire.

this truck has a hard bed cover and a plastic slip in liner. Not going to be easy to take the bed off.
I have the two tank straps loose, but the damn tank barely moves. I has a crossmember directly under it that stops it from moving.
There is not really room to get my hands up to the top of the tank.

Frustrated!!!!!

 

[sgtsandman]

Ok, starting to REALLY dislike Rangers.

I have got good continuity with the yellow/white wire from the plug above the tank, to the dash. I don’t think I have a broken wire.

this truck has a hard bed cover and a plastic slip in liner. Not going to be easy to take the bed off.
I have the two tank straps loose, but the damn tank barely moves. I has a crossmember directly under it that stops it from moving.
There is not really room to get my hands up to the top of the tank.

Frustrated!!!!!

Unfortunately, pulling the bed is the easier option. I tried the method you are doing now for the work I was doing. I got the job done but it wasn't the least bit fun and probably took longer than if I had pulled the bed. Even with removing the fiberglass cap and the raised platform in the bed, it was still easier when I was troubleshooting fuel pump issues than when I tried just dropping the tank to get at the wire harness for something else.

 

[Brain75]

just curious, what ohm reading do you have as it is now with it all hooked up (assuming tank has somewhere between E and F) - just looking for a 'sanity check' - if the reading is out of the range entirely then continuity isn't the issue.

 

[AK Ranger]

I think it’s broken in the tank, if that possible. Testing the plug from the sending unit, I get no continuity/ohm reading between the yellow/white wire and any of the other pins.

the truck is basically empty, likely less than 4 gallons.

 

[Brain75]

The sending unit has a bulkhead connector to get from inside to outside and yup they do corrode right there on the inside side of the tank.
should have continuity and ohms between 16 and 160 to ground from the gauge pin (the other pins are pump power and ground... probably 4 pins and one is unused - don't know that year so much).

 

[AK Ranger]

I’m about over it. Down to one fuel line to get the damn tank to drop… been fighting it for 30+ minutes.
Maintenance and repair on such a simple system should not be this damn difficult.

 

[Brain75]

I know pulling the bed sounds harder, but it is the way to go in 99% of ford rangers (the 1% is like some early 84-85 years where the sender is half under the bed and half under the cab - no choice but to drop the tank)...

While I was waiting to hear from ya, I googled:
Autozone (a vendor that sells spectre which are generally better senders) lists the DHP10213, DHP10226, & DHP10218 as being compatible (all Delphi).... and good lord are those pricey being a FFV and cheaply made. The float arm clips to the rheostat in such a delicate and barely there way that one sharp corner and the slosh will cause the arm to get broken loose ... which equals always reading empty.

10213 has a cheaper looking pickup /strainer design, and is the cheapest cost of the 3... so if you can't R&R what you got at least you got a 2nd vote of confidence in the part number you found.

 

[AK Ranger]

Ok, I has to loosen the pump assembly while the tank was still in the truck and then drop the tank while allowing the pump assembly to come out of it. It took another bunch of time to finally get the last line off, it was extremely seized on there.

the wires to the sender were/are extremely hard and just a touch, broke them. I pulled the rheostat apart and it is extremely worn, as well as deformed to a degree.

I called around and there is no way I can afford the better parts locally. I should have ordered the parts a week ago, when I found the good price and had time to get it delivered. Being in Alaska, parts are expensive, or the shipping can be expensive, so when you find a good deal, sometimes it’s best to jump on them.

We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

 

[Brain75]

I swear, when I get done with this one I am gonna write up an article on detailed step by step..... so no chance of R&R what you have?

 

[AK Ranger]

Just frustrated. I don’t know how to rebuild the rheostat. It looks extremely worn and the contact arm is barely making contact with the rheostat.

Is there a certain type of wire that should be used, being that it is submerged in gasoline?

But, yes, I’d definitely rather save the $300 and fix what I have.

I can give it a shot, but I also have many other projects, a busy household and this takes up the only garage space. It is an attached garage, with a natural gas furnace and water heater, so I get cautious doing fuel related things, especially when I can’t finish them before I go to bed.
I moved the fuel tank outside, so at least those fumes are not in the garage.

I’ll look at it with a fresh set of eyes tomorrow.