fuel guage

[hawgdawg]

i have an 85 ranger with a faulty fuel guage. i have checked my haynes manual and it doesn't even show a listing. the problem is when i fill up and the fuel hand gets to half a tank it drops all the way to empty. i was wandering if anyone else has had this problem? i was wandering if the problem was in the guage, or in the sending unit in the tank? which ever one i decide to start with it will be the other one. any suggestions ? thanks!

 

[7.5L_STX]

check the ground in the fuel pump wiring harness, if the ground is good then you have a bad sending unit. been there done that, 2 out of the 3 fords ive had with a bad gas guage it was the sending unit, the other time it was a bad ground.

 

[Twisted_Steel]

More than likely it is the float. The one in my 91 was made of brass or something similar. It decays, thins, and then breaks apart over time causing fuel to get into the cracks and drop the float to the bottom. I fixed mine by using a float from a 78 f-150. It's made of the same material, but obviously it lasts longer.
You'll need to pull the bed, get your assembly out, and pop out the old, then pop in the new... nothing to it.
Hope this helps

 

[strvger]

if he has a carb engine, there won't be a fuel pump wiring harness. mechanical pump. i'd go with the float as well. think the same thing is happening to my '84. i'll be looking for a replacement real soon.

 

[4.0B2]

regardless its probably in your tank..lol.

mine did that and it was the needle on the sending unit that is suppose to rub the contact point, it didn't touch. so i bent the needle over till i replaced it. made the needle closer to the unit.