Fuel Guage Questions

[Wifes98XPL]

My Wife has a 98 Eddie Bauer 4.0 SOHC. She ran out of gas the other day and claims it was at 1/8th tank and the low fuel light wasnt even on. She says she has seen it on before so we know it works, but its fairly inconsistent when it does or doesnt work. I got a reciept from the fill up afterward and it was definitely empty. It took a little over 20 gallons. It sounds like it just hangs on 1/8th tank until its about dry and occasionally goes to empty. She said the light used to give her alot more time before she ran out. I will check both the sender and the guage, but it seems to be a very common issue. Is it even worth it to replace either the guage or the sender? Is it even going to fix anything or is the new one going to be as lame as the first?

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

Was it facing up hill or down hill?

I have noticed that the guage moves down when facing down hill and moves up when facing uphill. The variance in my truck is about 1/8th of a tank...depending upon the grade of the hill.

I usually keep my vehicles as close to full as I can as I have heard (and it could be urban badgering, but it does no harm to me) that if the tank is below a quarter full, the intank fuel pump has to work harder due to being starved during acceleration, braking and cornering.

That pump sounds like a beach to replace so I will just keep the tank topped up...and smile.

 

[storlied]

He's right about the angle of the truck and the gauge, also... with me I (could just be my imagination) but my truck seems to run better with a full tank.

 

[perth]

its a shocker

Ive never had a car with as bad a fuel guage as the ex,its all over the place,go up a hill its heading up go down the hill its falling by a huge amount ,i try to keep at least a quarter of a tank all the time,dont want any crud going into the filter .all the best from Perth Western Australia.

 

[Axial32]

Mine sticks in different places, Half, 3/4, 1/4. Then all of a sudden it'll drop when you come to a stop light either to E or just above it. So I mainly now go by how many miles is on the tank. Also once you get up to speed I believe the pickup is in the back of the tank so the gauge goes up once you get moving.

 

[Four0Sport]

I just got back from a 300+ mile trip and had lots of problems with the reading of my guage. It would vary sometimes as much as a quarter of a tank. Not only did the level fluctuate on hills but even during braking and around turns on the interstate. I logged on today to get info on this problem and happened upon this post. Coincedence? maybe.

Is there a known problem with the floats? the sending unit reisistance? Can the OE sending unit be 'cleaned' or 'repaired' or is it better to just replace the entire assembly once the tank is dropped? The guage in my 93 is more accurate while beating it on the trails than my 97s is while driving on a flat straight road. Its sad.

 

[storlied]

Ya'll think the Explorer fuel gauge is bad? My g/f's F250 fuel gauge will move all over the place just from the movement of driving.

 

[Wifes98XPL]

Thanks guys. the truck is usually sitting pretty level. She just drives around town, taking the kids to school and back. Sounds like the guage is just crap. I might put an autometer guage and sender in it. Get rid of everything in the circuit with Ford written on it. You would think in all of Ford's years they would've learned how to make a fuel guage.

 

[energie]

Yeah mine does the same thing. It'll go from a 1/4 tank, and ill think im okay to get to work, then i start driving.. pass the gas stations and it slowly goes down and down, like i never know how much fuel i have. never have run out but im sure close a few times.

 

[storlied]

Mines pretty accurate, I mean sure it moves around and when you're low it can be a lil iffy.. what's the cause of all this? It sounds like your gauges are a lot more picky than mine.. there has to be a fix rather than replace with aftermarket.

 

[Four0Sport]

im patiently waiting for someone to chime in with a fix lol