fuel sending unit

[ZMan]

So Allan...you would be the perfect person to ask this question then..

I put a rear tank from a dual tank '88 ranger in my '92 ranger. (you should remember because you sold me the crossmember for it).

Now, what exactly is it I need to do to get the '88 fuel sender to work with my '92 guage? Swap out the chip with an F-150 chip? I'm assuming I would need the chip from a rear F-150 tank?

 

[AllanD]

Hmmm... you gotta be careful with just switching in
the ceramic resistor wafer.

Because not all of them are assembled in the correct direction...

Several of the resistors I tried from different vehicles worked perfectly
for displaying the guage's full range of motion.... but the guage
worked BACKWARDS (very annoying

I happen to know that the F350/450 sender mechanically works in the
correct mechanical direction and with the proper resistance range. as installed on that sender/pickup unit
t works so well I don't like talking about it, because it working
(if you talk about it and it's good it'll go away if it's bad it'll happen)
But it's wotking is not a result of intent or calculation on my part, I put it in the tank to
check function of the circuitry and knowing the tank was dry
(As in washed out with solvent and blown out to get rid of
15years of schmutz)

I noticed the guage was on "E", I lifted the tank unit out
(no bed on the truck at that time as we were still welding in deck reinforcements)
swung the sender arm up and the guage went to full... Hmmmm says I, so I put it to approx half... and the needle (slowly) follows

It works, it ain't broke so I have little intention of attemptoing to fix it.

My front tank?... I ain't there yet.

I wish I could catagorically answer you, but I'm not sure which way
the arm swings relative to the pump on your sensor or any sensor
you may aquire... But I'll suggest that you go to a U-pull-it
and gather a collection....

It's what I'm going to be doing... because I want my front tank guage to
work like my back tank guage does.

I wish I could show you my collection of sender units from various ford vehicles, but some of them are weird the way they bend the wire fload arm relative to the resistor
but the resistor is always arc shaped and the wire can be connected to either end....

But considering that the '92-95 F-series (the "aero" style euro headlamps)
sender unit works in mine it's a good bet one resistor or the other may work.

Last note you MUST get a length of wire with it, because if the wire seperates
from the ceramic "chip" you cannot reconnect it. A special low temp alloy solder
is used.

If you are careful you can remove the sensor housing from the assembly
(one of the plastic pins is usually melted over but is easily removed with
a pocket knife) then you release the barbs that hold it on to the metal plate.

At tha point you can bend out the tabs that hold the chip in the plastic housing
and you have something the size of a postage stamp with a wire tail to take to the counter of a U-pull-it instead of a $30 fuel pickup unit.
(presuming you are honest enough to even take it out of your shirt pocket)

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