Fuel tank level sending unit

Topic: Fuel tank level sending unit (Read 12134 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #30 – April 21, 2005, 11:04:15 AM

-sorry, armyguy, the phone # to that dealer is 317-838-3934....

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #31 – April 21, 2005, 01:29:42 PM

I hear what youre saying. What I am using for reference is this:

http://www.coolcats.net/tech/troubleshooting/gasgauge.html

Now that seems to be correct because when I purchased the car and found out the gauge wasnt working, I dropped the tank and replaced the fuel pump and it had junkyard markings on it that said 87 T-bird on it. What is happening is the fuel gauge goes up when I use the fuel in the tank. At full it says the tank is empty-at empty it says I have approx 6-7 gallons left in the tank. This totally coresponds with Eric's website. Did the 85 have a full digital dash? Could I possibly have one installed in my car? I believe the hard work and research you have done, I am just not sure which way to go on this.

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #32 – April 21, 2005, 03:58:19 PM

Mitchell OnDemand's advice:

1987-88 T-Bird/Cougar, buttstuffogue gauge (88 Sport/XR7, 87-88 TC, and base cluster):

Full: 8-12 ohms
Empty: 60-86 ohms

1987-88 Bird/Coug, digital gauge (full digital dash ONLY);

Full: 154-161 ohms
Empty: 9-12 ohms

1985-86 Bird/Coug buttstuffogue (base digital, TC, XR7):

Full: 8-12 ohms
Empty: 60-86 ohms

1985-86 Bird/Coug full digital:

Full: 143-161 ohms
Empty: 10-18 ohms

I checked, the specs are the same for 85-86. According to these numbers, an 85-88 sending unit should work for you, provided you get the proper one for your dash. If you install an buttstuffogue sender in a full digital dash you'll get opposite readings. If you install a digital sender in an buttstuffogue (or base digital) dash the same thing will happen.

Also according to these numbers, if you measured 14 ohms empty, 160 full you've got the correct sender for a full digital dash (the one with the built-in fuel computer on the right and multi-gauge on the left). If your dash has the buttstuffogue fuel gauge (either a sport/buttstuffogue cluster or the base digital cluster that has buttstuffogue fuel and temp gauges) this would be the wrong one for you.

Now where you say that when your tank is about empty your gauge is showing 6-7 gallons, it would seem that you have an buttstuffogue gauge sender in the car - the fact that the gauge only shows 6-7 gallons coincides with the fact that the buttstuffogue sender only goes up to 86 ohms resistance, not enough to trick your digital gauge into thinking that you've got a full (18+ gallon) tank.

Did you try the new sender in the car? Seems to me it should work...

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #33 – April 21, 2005, 09:29:53 PM

I am going to give it a try this weekend if I can...

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #34 – April 23, 2005, 10:16:30 AM

Hmmmm... we can rewire half an I-4 car to put in a V8, modify a speedo to show whatever we want, put sequential signals in a car that never had them, install GM alternators in Fords, run 10,000 watt stereos without blowing anything up, but we can't design a small circuit to take a downward-curve ground signal, and create an adjustable artificial upward-curve signal to drive a "wrong" gas gauge? Where's all the electrical engineers when you need one?

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #35 – April 23, 2005, 02:41:05 PM

LOL, I wish! I gonna try it when the gas tank is a little bit less full. SHoud be tommorrow (Sunday)

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #36 – April 24, 2005, 08:55:30 PM

UPDATE!

After wrestling with the tank (still had too much fuel in there) I finally got it installed. It immediately said I had 7 gallons. I was skeptical at first and then the sucker never moved, so I really got skeptical. I decided to fill 'er up and I'll be ed that sucker didn't say full for the first time since I owned it! Not to mention accurate too! Said I had 7 gallons in there and I put exactly 13.9 gallons in. Almost 22 gal. anyway.

So, kudos to shorangerbird, and ThunderChicken and Eric (CoolCats guy) thinking maybe coolcats.net needs to be updated? You guys helped me tons!

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #37 – April 26, 2005, 09:57:36 AM

Glad to hear y'all worked it out. I will definitely update my site with the new info. BTW Carm, do you have faith in the Mitchell's info about the resistance of all those sending units?

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #38 – April 26, 2005, 07:52:58 PM

My sending unit is on crack,
Its reading something but sure not the amount of gas thats in the tank LOL.

After seeing 4 pages on a sending unit i'm going to sump the tank and get a Auto Meter fuel gauge and sending unit from summit for less the 100 and ford can go stuff there sending unit were sun dont shine!

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #39 – April 26, 2005, 08:03:25 PM

Eric: Mitchell gets their info from Ford, so I'm quite confident. They can sometimes be wrong in wiring diagrams (wrong wire colors), but then again, so can Ford. Mitchell was right with this digital sender anyway...

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #40 – April 26, 2005, 08:11:36 PM

Chirpalot, that would be a fine idea, but for us folks who try to keep the car somewhat unmolested and unmodified, what you suggest was never an option for me.

I have a full digital dash, so throwing whatever up in there certainly wouldnt work either. Unless I hacked up my dashboard to install a new gauge.

To each his own... :hick:

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #41 – April 26, 2005, 08:39:01 PM

Quote from: armyguy298

Unless I hacked up my dashboard to install a new gauge.

That's what A-pillar pods are for. I see some of those in my own future. :D

Re: Fuel tank level sending unit

Reply #42 – April 27, 2005, 07:14:37 PM

Quote from: armyguy298

Chirpalot, that would be a fine idea, but for us folks who try to keep the car somewhat unmolested and unmodified

My car is not molested, Its just built the way FORD didn;t have the balls to do right the frist time.