Slow to move fuel gauge?

reelfishin

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I've been reading and lurking here for a while now, I became the new owner of a super low mileage 2003 F250 last week.
It was garage kept by an elderly man who drove it only a few weeks out of the year.
The truck has 12,000 original miles on it and is in mint condition.
It took some searching but I finally found one in my price range that didn't look abused. It took traveling 800 miles from home to go get it.

So far the only issue I've seen with this is that the fuel gauge is erratic, or slow to change when filled up or driven. I made the 800 mile drive home with it last week, I filled it up near where I bought it because the gauge read about 1/2 tank. I pulled into the first truck stop I came too and topped it off, it took just about 24 gallons. I ran it again to just about 1/3 tank on the gauge and topped it off again and it took 25 gallons. I had gone just about 550 miles at that point. I drove the rest of the trip on that tank of fuel. The next morning the gauge read about 1/2 tank. I drove it around locally for the whole week and decided to take a 300 mile drive the other day so I headed out early with the intention of filling up at the first diesel pump I came across. I ended up driving another 50 miles before finding a station with diesel that was open at 4am.
After filling up, I restarted the truck and pulled away, right away I noticed that the gauge never moved?
Knowing it was full, I wrote down the mileage and figured I'd just refill at around 400 miles to be safe. As I drove, the gauge slowly moved to the full point, after the first pit stop, when I returned to the truck after about 80 miles, I noticed that the gauge was now reading full. I drove until I hit 400 miles and refilled, the gauge read 1/3 again, this time it took only 19 gallons. I've know driven down the current tank to about 650 miles and its still reading just under 1/2 tank. I filled it this evening and it took nearly 30 gallons.
Do these trucks have issues with the fuel gauges? The local dealer tells me its normal? Its been at or near the 1/3 tank point a few times now and each time its taken up to 10 more or less gallons. I've not seen it drop below 1/3 tank, or have I wanted to chance running out either. I believe its got a 39 gallon tank going by the owners manual, (6.0L 4x4 super cab short bed).

Other than the fuel gauge being questionable, its been great.
I did replace the air and fuel, and oil filters and gave it a full synthetic oil change. I also did a full coolant change with new coolant from Ford after reading about all the issues the early models had. This truck was built in 10 of 2003.
Its been getting between 20 and 22 mpg so far, and all miles including the ride home have been with a trailer in tow. When I bought it I towed my car trailer out with me, and towed my old truck, ('93 F150) home behind the '03. My thought was that if the new truck had issues, I could always switch and tow it the rest of the way with the old truck. I sold the '93 today, so the '03 F250 is here to stay I guess. With the low miles, its almost like having a new truck, it even still had the white paper Ford mats from the dealer in it and it still smells new. The guy had it parked in a huge garage with a heated tile floor along with a half dozen other classic cars. Each vehicle had its own door but the building was huge, the size of a high school gymnasium and it was decorated like a museum with all sorts of vintage parts, tools, and posters all over the walls. (He even gave me a Ford NGS scan tool and a five piece factory manual set with the truck, he said he bought it when he bought the truck so he wouldn't ever have to rely on a dealer.
 

79jasper

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Nice. Sound like you got a good deal with the extra goodies.
I would pull the tank sender and give it a good once over. Or just replace it.

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snicklas

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I hate to say it, but on the 03's, at least, I think that is normal with the gauge. Next time you fill up, try this, leave the truck running when you fill up. I bet when you get back in, the gauge will show full. In the almost 10 years I've had my Excursion, if I shut the truck off and fill up, the gauge will be in the same place it was and slowly rise to full. If I leave it running, I can watch the gauge rise while the tank is filling and will show full immediately. It's not the float/sender, because the over head console will show the increased range immediately on restart from a fill up even though the gauge doesn't.

Did you use Motorcraft filters when you changed them?
 

reelfishin

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I filled it up today, the engine is shut down, most stations require you shut down here.
The gauge did the same thing, it was right where it was when I pulled in to fill up. I did notice that the miles to empty went up though, just the gauge didn't move. I noticed that if I kept cycling the key the gauge would go up each time I cycled the key on and off. It took about 5 cycles to get to full. I also notice the the gauge drops when it sits, if I park it with 1/2 tank, it reads less when I restart the truck. Its as if it only makes a gauge position change when the key is cycled.
 

snicklas

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Shut the engine down, then turn the key back to the run position...... see what happens
 

reelfishin

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Cycling the key slowly bumps up the gauge a bit at a time after a fill up, but it doesn't go all the way up until I drive it a bit. After the last fill up, I turned the key on and off about 5 times till it stopped going up any further. After about 30 miles the gauge finally read full.

I'm not too concerned about the way it slowly rises but I'm concerned that it may not be accurately showing how much fuel I've got left.
The miles to empty reading however seems to be more believable. If the sender was at fault, I would think that both readings would be wrong?
 

hoodshauler

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MY miles to empty is off! I always just go with when I get to a 1/4 tank i fill backup.
 

bismic1

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This Ford Broadcast Message might help (but snicklas is correct, the early 03's had this problem and maybe a new sending unit would permanently resolve it).

Special Service Message: 19098 MULTIPLE VEHICLES - SULFUR BUILD-UP ON FUEL LEVEL SENSOR - ADD "CHEVRON TECHRON PLUS FUEL SYSTEM CLEANER" TO FUEL AND FILL WITH FRESH FUEL GASOLINE OR DIESEL VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT ERRATIC FUEL GAUGE READINGS, ILLUMINATED MIL, AND DTC P0463, P2068 AND/OR B1202, B2627 MAY BE PRESENT. THIS CONDITION MAY OCCUR DUE TO SULFUR CONTAMINATION FOUND IN SOME LOCAL FUELS WHICH MAY CAUSE TEMPORARY CONTAMINATION OF THE FUEL SENDER CARD. BEFORE REPLACING ANY COMPONENT, CLEAR DTC'S, DRAIN FUEL TANK (IF FACILITIES PERMIT), ADD TECHRON CONCENTRATE PLUS FUEL SYSTEM CLEANER AND ADVISE CUSTOMER TO USE AN ALTERNATE BRAND OF FUEL. THE CONDITION SHOULD CORRECT ITSELF IN A FEW MILES. ADVISE CUSTOMERS TO UTILIZE THE TRIP ODOMETER TO MONITOR FUEL CONSUMPTION. REPLACEMENT OF COMPONENTS OR PCM REPROGRAMMING MAY NOT FIX THE CONCERN. IF CONCERN PERSISTS PERFORM NORMAL DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. OBTAIN THE NEW TECHRON PLUS FUEL ADDITIVE LOCALLY FROM YOUR LOCAL AUTOMOTIVE CHEMICAL SUPPLY SOURCE OR AUTO PARTS STORE.
EFFECTIVE DATE: 02/22/2006

Also, this may help:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1174082-all-about-the-fuel-sender.html
 

reelfishin

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On mine I think if the sender was at fault the miles to empty change would also be delayed. The miles to empty resets the instant I cycle the key on after filling up.

I was thinking that it was maybe miles related but the movement of the gauge is time related.
If I run down to 1/4 tank, stop for a fill up, upon restarting, the gauge doesn't move.
The last time I came right home after filling the tank and parked it. The gauge never moved, cycling the key didn't affect it. I let it sit there after shutting it off with the door closed for a bit and noticed that so long as I didn't open the drivers door, the gauge would continue to make incremental adjustments every 10 minutes. It jumped up about the needle's width every 10 minutes on the nose.
After 47 minutes its reading full. I did this check twice now, both refills took nearly the same amount.
The second time it took 1 gallon more and it took 49 minutes to read full.
Each time however the Miles to Empty read immediately. Sitting with the key off doesn't move the gauge up, it only moves when the key is on.
As fuel is used, it moves normally but always reads less the next morning than it did when I parked it the night before but all five of my Ford vehicles do the same thing.

Also, what size tank is in these? (F250 4x4 Super cab short bed)
A buddy is telling me the largest tank is 39 gallons but I've been filling this at or just below 1/4 tank since I brought it out of storage (It was put away in storage in 2004 with 13K on the odometer).
After 9 fill ups, its taken between 38 and 42 gallons every fill up at 1/4 tank, it took 46 gallons the one time I ran about 20 miles past the point where the low fuel light came on.
I can see one station maybe overcharging but I've got fuel receipts from 5 states and 9 different stations and all but 2 refills have been over 40 gallons of fuel.
 

bismic1

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Sounds like an aftermarket tank. Which might cause the erratic operation of the level indication. I think 39 gallons is the max, so I wonder how can the "miles to empty" be correct with a larger aftermarket tank?
 

reelfishin

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I bought the truck from the dealer brand new, I've never changed a thing on it other than wiper blades, oil and filters in 17,000 miles now. The miles to empty will read 999 Miles To Empty on fill up right way, it quickly adjusts to anywhere from 650 to 850 MtE depending on my more recent driving.
After a complete fill up, after 210 miles the gauges is sitting on 3/4 tank, at 425 miles its sitting on 1/2 tank, at 545 miles I'm at 1/4 tank, below that it seems to vary to the point the low fuel warning light comes on. It seems to come on between 650 and 725 miles. These numbers obviously would change with more aggressive driving or lots of hill but nearly every mile on this truck since new has been towing either my 16' equipment trailer, (10,000 LB GVW), or my 7x14' single axle enclosed trailer. I only use the tow/haul switch if I'm loaded or towing in the hills. Using it cuts mileage nearly in half. I've gotten as high as 22 mpg out of this truck so far, the more I drive it lately the better the mileage I seem to get.
I take a receipt at every fill up out of habit from my days driving a truck, I keep a mileage log for service on the front seat with every receipt every incurred on the truck in the same book.

If it does have a non standard tank, so long as the height and width were the same, the sender would read accurately. The miles to empty monitor seems to go off the sender level and driving habits. If I drive it harder, the MTE drops pretty fast.
 

bismic1

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snicklas

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OK, That's a bit different than what mine does. When I fill up, it reads the appropriate level, when I fill up and after a restart (or start if I shut it off when filling). I have an Excursion, so it has a 44 gallon tank from the factory. This tank is in the very back, behind the axle since the spare is stored inside. I've never seen it go to 999. It will goto the 600+ miles to empty as I would expect.

I've never tried to "force" it to read by cycling the key, but mine has done it since I owned it. I bought it as a well taken care of 1 owner in 07 with ~60,000 miles on it.

My recommendation is, to see if it's doing the same as mine, when you fill up, since your stations require you to shut down, is shut the truck off. Once the engine is not running, turn the key back to the run position, like you would when waiting on the WTS to go off. Leave it this way and fill up the truck which would simulate the truck running. You can even stand there and watch the gauge while it's filing and watch it rise toward full. If so, it's doing the same thing mine always has. If it doesn't do this, then I would say you do have an issue. For me, I just chalk it up to being "the nature of the beast" and don't worry about it. Since it seams accurate otherwise, I don't worry about it. I'm actually more concerned with the shower head breaking off and not "loosing" 1/4 tank capacity. I live in the rust belt, and don't want to have to drop the tank to fix it.
 

bismic1

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The excursion had a different tank and a different sending unit. Short beds typically have 29 gallon tanks (that can cram in 34 gallons). So a 38 gallon tank may be able to cram in 46 who knows, seems like a lot though. It would sure go slow at the end unless harpooned.
 
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reelfishin

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I tried filling with the key on, it jumps up one 'click' on the needle during fill up, no more. So far with three tanks, its shown its a matter of key-on time before the gauge reads full. The capacity has me baffled. There's a guy down the road with a similar truck but in a long bed, I knocked on his door and asked him what size tank it has and he said his is a 39 gal. tank. I measured his tank and mine is at least a foot longer. The tank on mine takes up all available space from the axle to transfer case. It also appears to hang down a few inches lower than his does? Its hard to tell since mine has a heavy skid plate under the tank.

The only thing different about my truck that I know of is that it was dealer traded from NM to PA for someone. The buyer who it was brought here for didn't take it because of a baseball size dent in the front bumper when it arrived. I got a pretty decent deal on it as it sat.
Its an XLT Sport with leather seats, overhead console, trailer tow, aluminum wheels and chrome running boards. I was looking for a new F350 at the time but this came about for a good discount and I jumped on it. They had dealer traded three of these from the west coast for someone and they walked away from the deal. I bought this one, my buddy bought the other one, and my uncle bought the third one. I now own two of them, my uncle parked his at 500 miles and quit driving, I took a job soon after buying mine that supplied me with a truck so I put mine in storage. I took mine out of the garage for the first time in 12 years last Oct. The other truck is still 'sleeping' with 520 miles on the odometer. ( I did the same thing with my same year, ('03), Grand Marquis which has only 14,000 miles on it). I've also still got a 1993 Ranger 'sleeping since 1996 with only 21k on it.
 

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