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fuel gauge not working
- Thread starter stevedud
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- 94 Sport 4x4
Yes, I would say the float is bad. There is a metal float in the gas tank that the gauge uses to read the fuel level. Sometimes this float wears out, holes develop in the float, and it fills with fuel, and sinks. That's why it could always read 'E'.
It's a pretty common problem on high mileage Explorers. My friend has a 93 XLT with about 140,000 and his fuel gauge is stuck on 'E' too. Plus check out the 'high mileage explorers' thread here and it will be mentioned there too.
If the float is indeed your problem, there is a link describing the fix on this site; the link is on the 'Explorer Owners Maintenance Reference Page' under the 'links' section of this site. It involves dropping the fuel tank and replacing the float. I believe the float is an item that is sold separately from the fuel pump itself, which is good. That means you won't have to buy a whole new fuel pump, just the float. Problem is, it's some work to drop the tank. Or you could cut a hole in your truck's floor above the fuel tank and go in that way, and put a little door in so that you can easily get to the pump area in the future...that's what one of my Bronco II friends did on his truck.
It's a pretty common problem on high mileage Explorers. My friend has a 93 XLT with about 140,000 and his fuel gauge is stuck on 'E' too. Plus check out the 'high mileage explorers' thread here and it will be mentioned there too.
If the float is indeed your problem, there is a link describing the fix on this site; the link is on the 'Explorer Owners Maintenance Reference Page' under the 'links' section of this site. It involves dropping the fuel tank and replacing the float. I believe the float is an item that is sold separately from the fuel pump itself, which is good. That means you won't have to buy a whole new fuel pump, just the float. Problem is, it's some work to drop the tank. Or you could cut a hole in your truck's floor above the fuel tank and go in that way, and put a little door in so that you can easily get to the pump area in the future...that's what one of my Bronco II friends did on his truck.
Opera House
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Unplug the electrical connector
going to the tank. It should read full then after a time delay. You can measure the resistance from the yellow/white wire to the black/yellow tank side. Empty is 15 ohms, full is 170. This is reverse of a lot of the older senders. So if it is low resistance but not zero, you have a bad float. I've removed tank by myself on my 92. Just get it empty and use a floor jack to support armor plate and tank. Not fun but doable.
going to the tank. It should read full then after a time delay. You can measure the resistance from the yellow/white wire to the black/yellow tank side. Empty is 15 ohms, full is 170. This is reverse of a lot of the older senders. So if it is low resistance but not zero, you have a bad float. I've removed tank by myself on my 92. Just get it empty and use a floor jack to support armor plate and tank. Not fun but doable.
shauste
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Your float is full of fuel. The seam on the float has a hole in it. The float is sold separately at the dealership for about $5. The job isn't all that hard. Best to have the tank empty first. Makes the job alot easier. The tank should be plastic (mine is) which makes it a job you can do by yourself. A transmission jack and a lift will work wonders. If you're careful, you don't have to remove the fuel lines. They are spring loaded and a bear to work with under there. Should take about 2 hours. I was watching my child while working so it took me longer than it should have. Good Luck...but trust me...it is easy work.
thegoon543
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sending unit
it could also be the sending unit, part of the fuel pump assembly. my fuel gauge was also stuck in E for a good while, but i recently had the fuel pump assembly replaced and it works fine. i dunno about it being worth the money to pay for it, since the tank has to be dropped and gas stored while its worked on. they spent about 2 hrs just to replace it.
it could also be the sending unit, part of the fuel pump assembly. my fuel gauge was also stuck in E for a good while, but i recently had the fuel pump assembly replaced and it works fine. i dunno about it being worth the money to pay for it, since the tank has to be dropped and gas stored while its worked on. they spent about 2 hrs just to replace it.
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