Filled the car all the way up yesterday and have driven about a hundred miles so far. The fuel gauge is pegged at FULL. Ideas? I know it's not spectacular fuel mileage, that's for certain!
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1986 Ford Country Squire LX 8-pass wagon 5.0L AOD -
float might be stuck in the top of the tank. There may also be a loose wire, but I can't remember which wire being loose would make it peg.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
Originally posted by gadget73
... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
Originally posted by dmccaig
Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes. -
Had this happen to me before on my old '91 colony park. Ended up hitting a huge dip in the road to free it up
1981 Mercury Marquis Brougham 2-Door 302/ 5-speed -special blend (GMGT)
1987 Lincoln Mark VII 5-speed (Errand runner)
1989 Mercury Grand Marquis (Base Runner)
2007 Lincoln Town Car Signature Limited (Hustlyn)
2011 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (Down with O.P.P)Comment
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It's kindof a pain to drop the tank too.
Wonder if you can just tap on the center of the tank with a plastic mallet (not too hard)? Hitting dips and potholes notwithstanding.
err, is that a correct way to use the word 'notwithstanding'? Just checking.Comment
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If I recall correctly... yes, I do-- on the '91, and on the '90, which were opposite of the --89 models, "full" is also high resistance.
I agree that a stuck float is most likely.
But if the sensor wire became unplugged (easy to get to-- get the back of the car on some ramps and slide under with a flashlight!), it would also result in reading "full" all the time.
Or of course if at any point between the gauge and the sensor, there was a disconnect. But get under there, tap on the back of the tank where the sensor is installed, and at the same time just make sure the wire is plugged in there, not dropped off and hanging loose, and not overly corroded.Comment
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When the ignition is "off", the gauge goes to E, like it should. I noticed the gauge read lower than the "F" last night, so maybe it fixed itself. I'll know this afternoon when I go for a ride.1986 Ford Country Squire LX 8-pass wagon 5.0L AODComment
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I checked what I could and things appear good. The gauge goes straight to "F" when the ignition is turned on. I'm thinking the sending unit went south, rather than a stuck float. Do I feel like pulling the tank to see? Not really. I'll have to see if the sending unit, or the float, is available before I even bother to pull the tank. If it's all a one piece fuel pump/sender/float, it's gonna read "F" forever.1986 Ford Country Squire LX 8-pass wagon 5.0L AODComment
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the float is available. The sending unit... not so much. Someone may have one squirreled away somewhere, but they're probably hoarding it for their own car.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
Originally posted by gadget73
... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
Originally posted by dmccaig
Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.Comment
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I had 2 of them for a '90-'91
One is now in my car... the other I offered here, before ebaying it for $140.Comment
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it's 2 pieces. Pump is separate (and easy to find).
Sending unit was impossible to find. I hunted for 2 years, just googling the ford part number, before someone came up with them on a NOS supply site.Comment
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Filled the tank up last week, and since then, the fuel gauge is working again. Don't have the slightest #&^%-ing idea why or how, but it is once again working as it should be.1986 Ford Country Squire LX 8-pass wagon 5.0L AODComment
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