Fuel Sender Repair

argve

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Do you have one of the non working fuel gauges?

Well I did. I have been driving around for the last few years by the trip odometer which quite frankly works but it's a pain in the rear because you risk running out of fuel if you figure your mileage wrong.

Now for the repair...

You can either drop the fuel tank. There are two straps and the filler neck that attach the tank to the truck frame/body. Then you have deal with the weight of the fuel in the tank and since you don't have a working fuel gauge you better hope you guess right that it's real close to empty.

or

You can also raise the bed up and access the fuel tank and it doesn't matter how much fuel is in the tank. This is actually an easier way. There are 8 bolts that hold the bed to the frame. 4 on the front and 4 on the rear. I can't remember what size they are that moment but an impact with a couple of extensions make easy work of it. Then you need to unhook the electrical via a couple of electrical connections at the rear of the truck. You will also need to take off the license plate holder because it sits sort of behind/inside the rear bumper. Then take loose the fuel filler neck by opening the fuel door and removing the fuel cap and the three sheet metal screws that hold the filler to the bed.

Now you can tip the bed up on the drivers side enough to access the fuel tank.

Start by removing the electrical connection on the sender. Then remove the two fuel lines. The fuel lines have two different types of connections so you can't get them mixed up upon reassembly. The first one has a little clear clip that you have to squeeze together while pulling the line off. The other has a black clip that you pull out completely then you can pull the line off.

Take note of how the pickup/sender assembly is "Clocked" in the tank - this is because you don't want the float to hit the side of the tank and stick causing you to get back in there again. I would recommend putting a mark on both the tank and the pick up to get it "clocked" correctly again.... btw I didn't do this...

Now unscrew the plastic ring that holds the sender in place - it's sort of like a big mason jar. Then lift the sender assembly out making sure that you don't rip the big huge rubber gasket and take care not to bend the float assembly.

Now that it's out and on the bench you can see that there's really not much to it on our 12 valve trucks because there is no built in pump just a big strainer with a sender screwed on the side.

Now let's get down to the nitty gritty...

Why does the system fail.

Well it's because the plastic pivot point wears out and allows the float to tip sideways and pull the electrical contacts away causing the fuel gauge needle to head straight to below empty which turns on the low fuel light. So you can either purchase a new sender assembly or for around 1 dollar you can fix it - the choice is yours. Me I'm a cheap person (just ask my wife) so you know what I did...

Ok pull the float assembly off the sender by just pulling straight up. There is a small plastic clip that holds the float assembly in place that will pop right out - it probably won't break but if it does no biggie because it's not going to be doing anything when we are done. Now you will see that the post that the float pivots on is metal and metal and shouldn't be worn because the plastic will wear first (this is why we are here right)....

Now with the float off - bend the two contact point down so that they will press against the sender better. I bend the snot out of mine so that if the float tipped a little more they would still make contact.

So now take a hack saw and cut off the plastic of the float pivot point just a little bit - I cut mine flush with surrounding plastic. Now put the float back on the sender assembly and then get your self a retaining clip from the local hardware store (4mm) and push it on. This one of those little things that is a one way device in that as it gets pressure back it bites harder against the post so don't worry it won't fall off. I had to by an entire pack from Lowes to get one (which is good because as small as they are you will drop it and you don't need to go looking for it - just dig in the packet and get a new one) now be careful not to get it too tight against the float assembly that it can't move - if this happens no biggie - just remove the sender assembly and push the center post out some from the back side.

Now reassemble everything. I found that it's a real bear to get the gasket back in place without it wanting to fold over and such and how I got it was to slip the gasket in place then then push the sender/pickup assembly in place. Now just screw on the mason jar top and hook up the electrical and plumbing. Now on the plastic clips - REPLACE THEM - they are cheap insurance. I got them from Autozone for like 5 bucks - again had to buy in packs. Again this is good because you will drop one...

Now reassemble the truck and enjoy a working fuel gauge.

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Dsl_Dog_Treat

I lost my face to the jaws of a poodle
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Got er done eh Trav?
I have a Ford one to have ya fix.:D

So may I ask the cause of death?

Constant on/off conditions syncronous of the throttle pedal?








j/k
:D
 

IvIAVERICK

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Hi Travis, awesome post w/pictures too! My question is... Can this repair apply to my 1991 F250 non turbo idi? When parked on my drive way, the front tank shows it has about 1/4 tank of fuel. How accurate is it? I doubt it is anywhere close. As soon as I back out and start my drive, the gauge will return to Empty status. I've run out of fuel about four times because I miscalculated the amount of fuel in the front tank. Tank you, Thank you for reading this. Richie
 

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