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Topic: fuel sending unit (Read 2581 times) previous topic - next topic

fuel sending unit

Does anyone have a good condition fuel sending unit for an 88 thunderbird without electronic cluster? A TC one would work too!

All of the aftermarked ones don't specify whether or not they are for the electronic cluster or not, and the companies have no idea. Frustrating.

fuel sending unit

Reply #1
get the sender, it does not matter if its for an buttstuffog or digi cluster.

Once you have one, we can walk you through converting it if it needs to be convereted at all.

real simple to convert.

fuel sending unit

Reply #2
I have been told it can be converted, but no one has given me the instructions of how to.

I'm assuming that the only one that can be found is for a digital dash because its for the lincoln mark vii and stuff and I know those were all digital clusters.

Can you tell me the jist of the conversion, I would hate to buy one and find out I don't have the skills to convert it. I'm not dumb or inept just don't want to blow money.

fuel sending unit

Reply #3
only some of the lincolns had a digi gauge.
If you take the cover off the sender you have, and take a pic to verify which one you have, we can walk you through the rewire.
It should look like one of these 2 with the float cover off.
Telling you what to do before you know what it looks like inside could be a losing battle.
If you have a good digi sender, the reading should be in the range of 8-12 empty and anywhere from 143-161 full, depending on what year car it came out of.
The one on the right is the digi sender, buttstuffog on the left.
In a couple months I'll have another buttstuffog sender that will need a good home
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
***** Project "EVOLUTION" 1987 Cougar LS  & 1985 Cougar Convertible *****
[/COLOR]
5.0 HO 306 roller block, machined GT-40P heads, Wiseco dished forged pistons, Eagle forged floating I-beam connecting rods, Lunati pushrods, ARP bolts, Scorpion aluminum 1.6 rockers, Comp Cams Magnum 266HR, Explorer intake, 65mm TB, MAF Conversion, 19# injectors, Ford Racing stainless P-headers, 2-1/2" cat-less exhaust w/ Flowtech Afterburner lers , SC AOD with 2800 BDR torque converter, 3.73 T-Lok rear, CHE rear control arms, full 2-1/2" frame w/1" jacking rails & seat supports, Rear disk brakes, Turbine wheels, All original interior w/ floor shift upgrade .......
Pretty much every panel on my 87 is new, rebuilt, or re constructed. :D
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fuel sending unit

Reply #4
Are you sure the one on the right in your pic is the digi sender? Do you mean the one of the left? Ill attach a pic, but my pic came out of my 1987 full digital dash car. The reason I know they didn't get swapped when I had to put a new gas tank in is because the gauge worked fine before the motor swap, when I added gas the gauge did always go up fine. It appears not to jive with what your saying. Are the plugs different by chance?


fuel sending unit

Reply #5
When you put a meter on this unit, what does it read full and empty?

That's the same as my buttstuffog sender. as the pointer moves closer to the black wire, the ohm reading should increase.
The digi unit has the wire on the opposite end which would make it read in reverse
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
***** Project "EVOLUTION" 1987 Cougar LS  & 1985 Cougar Convertible *****
[/COLOR]
5.0 HO 306 roller block, machined GT-40P heads, Wiseco dished forged pistons, Eagle forged floating I-beam connecting rods, Lunati pushrods, ARP bolts, Scorpion aluminum 1.6 rockers, Comp Cams Magnum 266HR, Explorer intake, 65mm TB, MAF Conversion, 19# injectors, Ford Racing stainless P-headers, 2-1/2" cat-less exhaust w/ Flowtech Afterburner lers , SC AOD with 2800 BDR torque converter, 3.73 T-Lok rear, CHE rear control arms, full 2-1/2" frame w/1" jacking rails & seat supports, Rear disk brakes, Turbine wheels, All original interior w/ floor shift upgrade .......
Pretty much every panel on my 87 is new, rebuilt, or re constructed. :D
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fuel sending unit

Reply #6
Alright my meter is outside in the shed. Ill go check it asap.

fuel sending unit

Reply #7
Alright, the gauge i posted the pic of shows 91.2 at the very very bottom and 9.0 at the very top. I'm assuming the 8-86 testing amounts are with a very accurate testing unit, mines a blue point multi tester, but the amounts are pretty close. Now do keep in mind this is the digi sending unit I have. This came out of my white 87 parts car with the 5.0 and full digital cluster with the led light up tach and digi fuel gauge.

I know this because I few months ago I had t put a new gas tank in. At that time my car was a 3.8. I ended up using the fuel pump out of my 5.0 parts car because it was in better shape. The sending unit out of the buttstuffog gauge car was also used, I know this because the car was driven for a while and when I added gas the gauge went up and after driving it went down. I know the parts car sending unit(the one in the pic) worked correctly to becuase when I added gas last summer I remember it showing an 8 for the gallons when before I added the gas it showed 3.

What could be happening here? This is very strange.

fuel sending unit

Reply #8
OK, that's a buttstuffog sender then. and is working
the digi would read in the 140s- 160s range in the up position
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
***** Project "EVOLUTION" 1987 Cougar LS  & 1985 Cougar Convertible *****
[/COLOR]
5.0 HO 306 roller block, machined GT-40P heads, Wiseco dished forged pistons, Eagle forged floating I-beam connecting rods, Lunati pushrods, ARP bolts, Scorpion aluminum 1.6 rockers, Comp Cams Magnum 266HR, Explorer intake, 65mm TB, MAF Conversion, 19# injectors, Ford Racing stainless P-headers, 2-1/2" cat-less exhaust w/ Flowtech Afterburner lers , SC AOD with 2800 BDR torque converter, 3.73 T-Lok rear, CHE rear control arms, full 2-1/2" frame w/1" jacking rails & seat supports, Rear disk brakes, Turbine wheels, All original interior w/ floor shift upgrade .......
Pretty much every panel on my 87 is new, rebuilt, or re constructed. :D
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fuel sending unit

Reply #9
alright. I still can't figure out why or how the digit sender got in there or how it worked...

fuel sending unit

Reply #10
That sender in the pic was in a car with this digital cluster?
http://www.coolcats.net/tech/general/8588digital.html
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
***** Project "EVOLUTION" 1987 Cougar LS  & 1985 Cougar Convertible *****
[/COLOR]
5.0 HO 306 roller block, machined GT-40P heads, Wiseco dished forged pistons, Eagle forged floating I-beam connecting rods, Lunati pushrods, ARP bolts, Scorpion aluminum 1.6 rockers, Comp Cams Magnum 266HR, Explorer intake, 65mm TB, MAF Conversion, 19# injectors, Ford Racing stainless P-headers, 2-1/2" cat-less exhaust w/ Flowtech Afterburner lers , SC AOD with 2800 BDR torque converter, 3.73 T-Lok rear, CHE rear control arms, full 2-1/2" frame w/1" jacking rails & seat supports, Rear disk brakes, Turbine wheels, All original interior w/ floor shift upgrade .......
Pretty much every panel on my 87 is new, rebuilt, or re constructed. :D
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fuel sending unit

Reply #11
that is correct. And the fuel gauge worked just fine. I remember being very amazed on how cool the digital fuel level was. I added 5 gallons in my yard one day then started it and it went from 3 to 8. I remember telling my father how excited I was because I planned on converting it one day.... but yes the sender i attached the picture was in a car with the dash from that site.

fuel sending unit

Reply #12
Well , that changes the whole sender theory.
Anyway, you have a working buttstuffog sender.

What car and year did it come out of?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
***** Project "EVOLUTION" 1987 Cougar LS  & 1985 Cougar Convertible *****
[/COLOR]
5.0 HO 306 roller block, machined GT-40P heads, Wiseco dished forged pistons, Eagle forged floating I-beam connecting rods, Lunati pushrods, ARP bolts, Scorpion aluminum 1.6 rockers, Comp Cams Magnum 266HR, Explorer intake, 65mm TB, MAF Conversion, 19# injectors, Ford Racing stainless P-headers, 2-1/2" cat-less exhaust w/ Flowtech Afterburner lers , SC AOD with 2800 BDR torque converter, 3.73 T-Lok rear, CHE rear control arms, full 2-1/2" frame w/1" jacking rails & seat supports, Rear disk brakes, Turbine wheels, All original interior w/ floor shift upgrade .......
Pretty much every panel on my 87 is new, rebuilt, or re constructed. :D
Join us on Facebook

fuel sending unit

Reply #13
Thats why I am so confused. The sending unit in my picture came out of a 1987 full digital dash car. I'll swap the sending units tomorow and see what happens. Maybe they did get swapped when i did the tank but that doesn't make sense because the gas gauge worked, it was around half a tank when the car first started runing again, then all of a sudden went to full.... maybe the sender is just bad... ill let you guys know soon.

fuel sending unit

Reply #14
Alright well I dropped the tank today. I put the one you said was for the buttstuffog gauge.  I have added 10 gallons to the tank and it only went up to about 1/8 to 1/4. I tested the sending unit before going in again. The tank was just about bone dry when it was taken out. There might have been a gallon in the tank. Is this normal? I'm confused as to why it isn't around half. Is there a large reserve in the tank? The sending unit can only go in one way so its not in backwards. Are these gauges sort of innaccurate anyway?

I'm just curious..