Fuel gauge not working

[RustyBlue05]

Filled up my 2005 XLT yesterday and now the fuel gauge drops below empty and the message center reads "--- MILES TO E" when I turn the key on. I tried disconnecting the battery and cleaning the terminals with some CRC stuff because there was a bit of corrosion, Reconnected the battery, and turned the key on, gauge came up a bit and it read "8 miles to e" for about 5 seconds then went back down below empty and read "--- miles to e" again. If anybody has info on this or can point me in the direction of a thread that does I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Drewmcg]

There are gremlins in the fuel level circuit of these trucks. Occasionally after a fillup the needle will read empty or near-empty on mine, then slowly crawl up over the next day or two. Assuming you have a good PCM, its either the sending unit or the wiring. You can buy the sending unit only for either $100 or $130 plus ship from RockAuto, but its a big job to replace. 2005 FORD EXPLORER 4.0L V6 Fuel Sending Unit | RockAuto. Or you could buy the whole pump assembly for not much more (recommend Delphi brand based on experience).

 

[loooney2ns]

It's probably the sending unit. Mine is bad. It reads full at fill-up, and when it drops to about 7/8, the gauge reads empty. It comes back up at 3/4. It also sets the check engine light. For state inspection, I don't go past 1/2 a tank for a few weeks and the light goes out. It's a minor annoyance, but doesn't affect anything else. One of these days I'll get a replacement pump and sender and drop the tank and fix it.

 

[Drewmcg]

I cut a hole in the floor behind the passenger seat to replace mine w/o dropping the tank. Not too bad.

 

[jeff4912]

Mine did that too. Turned out for me, that the gas I was using did not have the detergents in it that Chevron and other gases have. I had been filling up at convenience stores etc..
When I started going to Chevron again, the problem went away.
Also wouldn't hurt to run a bottle of Sea Foam through your gas tank.
In my case, the fuel sending unit in the tank was varnished up with crud from less quality gas.
I am original owner of a 2003 Explorer and have the original sending unit in gas tank.