I have a 96 Ranger XLT 3.0 and was having an issue with the fuel gauge always on empty (occasionally on full). I replaced the gauge with one from the junkyard with the same results. I tried 3 different anti-slosh modules including a by-passed one, same thing. I figured at that point it had to be the sending unit, so I removed the bed and saw that the filler hose was cracked badly. I replaced the hose and the pulled the old sending unit. The float was full of gas, so I replaced the entire unit. When I turned the key on, the gauge went to 3/4 full which I thought was probably an accurate reading. However, after driving around for a while I noticed that the gauge wasn’t moving at all. I went to the gas station and filled it up. It took almost 6 gallons. Turned it back on and the gauge still read 3/4 full. I tried another fuel gauge and got exactly the same reading. I’m going to pull the sending unit again to see if somehow the float got jammed, but does anyone on here have another idea of what would cause this?

 

What brand sending unit did you install do you have the part number still?

If this was my truck I would find the signal wire from the sending unit and ground it to see if the gauge reads full?

If grounded and the gauge still does not show full I would suspect an inaccurate gauge or a gauge needle that has been installed incorrectly from a face plate replacement or LED mod.

 

Thanks for your response. I fixed the issue. I took the bed off again and unplugged the connector from the sending unit and then turned the ignition on. The gauge went to last full. Then I turned it off and plugged it back in. This time the gauge went to about 7/8 full. I siphoned off 5 gallons of gas and tested it again, and it was down to about 5/8. So I unplugged the connector and packed it with dialectrric grease. Plugged it back in and now everything works like it should