Ford F-150 - 1997-2003 :: Fuel Gauge Doesn't Go Past Half Tank And Won't Start
Jun 26, 2015
So my truck felt gutless somtimes, wouldn't start Every couple days , and Fuel gauge stops at half tank won't show full, so I went n bought a new fuel pump..... Well shoot nothing changed . I guess my next move is pull the dash off n fix gauge? It used to be a reliable truck . Now Im not comfortable to let wife drive it . I also pulled the chip to see if that had to do with not starting, also theft light blinks normal. I'm going to get some connector grease n redo all of my wires to c if there's just connection issues.
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I've been having a very erratic fuel gauge issue as of about 2 months ago. My fuel level would register full, when in fact I knew it only had 1/2 a tank or so. Then 5 minutes later it would be pegged on full. Under a 1/2 tank the gauge would read any where from 1/2 to empty from 1 minute to the next. So last week I decided to drop my tank and take a look. I was thinking maybe my fuel sender was broken, maybe a loose wire in the tank, or even that my float had dropped off in to the tank.
After dropping the tank, I removed the PK-Up and sending unit and everything was intact. I placed my ohm meter on the sending unit and it checked out fine. So I took the Pk-up and rolled back up underneath the truck and plugged it back in. I had my son turn the key on and off while I moved the float to different levels in order that it would register. It registered empty, 1/4/, 1/2, 3/4 and full just fine as I moved the float to those levels. If you leave the key in the run position and move the float, it won't register or better said, the in cab gauge will not adjust with the movement.
You have to turn the key off move the float and hold it there, then have your assistant turn the key on and the gauge will show the position that you've moved and held it at. I simply removed the plastic cover from the sending unit, and sprayed it down real good with electrical contact cleaner. I didn't scrub the copper contact area at all.
I was concerned that scrubbing might remove more than I wanted to, and really mess things up. I attached an Ohm meter and checked resistance thru out the float travel. All checked out good and I reinstalled it. So now my fuel gauge is working as it should be. I did make a video while I ohmed the Sender Unit thru it's travel, but for some reason it won't load.
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I have a 2004 F150 XLT 5.4 L 79,000 miles. Yesterday i was driving home turned a corner and the low fuel light came on and the fuel gauge is well below empty. I had approx 1/2 tank of fuel when it happened. I have since filled tank all the way but the gauge will not move and low fuel light stays on. Everything else is working fine! I have never run the truck low enough on fuel to make the dummy light come on.....
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2003 F150 5.4l Super Crew. 40k miles. Current service.
About a year ago I ran out of gas on a hill, this is when my strange problem started. Since then I have ran out of gas at least two other times, but both times the tank was between 1/4 and 1/2 on the gauge and only took 8-10 gallons to fill up, so the tank was far from empty! Both times. after I put a gallon or two in, the truck started right up and ran fine. I have gone long trips and ran the tank down to near empty (light on not really empty) and the truck had no problems. But every now and then between 1/4 and 1/2 it just dies and will not start until I put a gallon or two in the tank.
So today, at about a half a tank, the truck dies. I call for the tow service and when the tow truck driver gets there I explain what has been going on. He jumps in the drivers seat and works his magic on the ignition. I don't know exactly what he did but he turned the key to on for like 10 seconds, removed the key, put it back in, turned it to AC.... and so on, obviously ran a clear code or something.... then he turns it over and it fires right up, this is without adding any fuel!
He said that there may have been an air bubble in the line when I ran out of gas before and the computer code needed to be cleared. Is the tow truck guy right? am i in the clear here or do i need to started checking fuel pressure, pumps, filters and so on?
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My fuel gauge acted pretty weird today. When I left my house today it was just above half a tank. I was sitting in traffic quite a bit and then looked down and it was below the e. I knew it wasn't empty so I kept going. Got to work. Went for lunch and it said full drove about 5 mins to eat and it went down to half a tank. What's going on? I am thinking of the fuel sender or wiring?
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I have a 2001 F150 Supercrew (5.4 V8, 2WD,Auto trans) and recently when we fill the gas tank, the fuel tank doesn't go all the way up to the "full" line. Don't know if this matters but: about a year 1/2 ago in a little town (while on vacation), we broke down and the trouble was the fuel pump. The little town did have a small auto-parts store, and luckily had the fuel pump we needed. Unfortunately we didn't have much as far as tools and we wound up tearing/cutting the filler hose and the vent line.
The little auto store did not have the correct rubber filler & vent hoses for my truck and would take a few days get in stock. We changed out the entire fuel pump and sender unit, and were able to modify some rubber hoses for a new filler & vent line hose. Everything worked great for a year 1/2 but in the last few weeks we have noticed that when we fill the tank, the gas gauge does not go all the way up to the "F" line to show full. With the price of gas, it is important to know exactly how much is really in the tank. Also, is there a battery in the ceiling console for the temperature and compass? Ours just stopped working yesterday.
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As I was driving to work yesterday I noticed my fuel gauge going from half tank all the way to full going down the highway. I started looking at the rest and they seem to be in there normal spots. I looked up and watched the outside temp go from 40 degrees to 5. This morning the fuel gauge goes straight to full and the outside temp bounces between 2 degrees and 10. What may be going on to cause this?
The truck is a 2000 F350 crew cab with a 7.3 Power Stroke
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My 01 sl2 wont start and the gauge says that the car is empty (before this problem, everything was working fine). I know that I have more than a half tank of gas, the car continuously turns over but wont start. I replaced the fuel pump and still it wont start (not to mention that the tank was more than half full at the time). I checked all the fuses and relays and everything seems fine. I am not even getting gas pumped to the filter.
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I just bought my 2012 Elantra Limited from the dealer today . The fuel gauge showed about two bars, a quarter tank I estimated. However when I went to fuel it, the pump clicked off after about 1 gallon, indicating the tank was full.
That was odd so I just figured there was some air in the tank or in the hose, so I tried adding some more fuel. I got about a half gallon more added when it clicked off again. Well, I know you're not supposed to top off the tank so I tried to add more. Got about two gallons added when it clicked off. I stopped fueling at that point for fear of causing damage.
My fuel gauge now shows a little less than half full. How can that be? Is there something I can do to fix this?
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I recently bought a 2005 Ford F250 Super Duty, diesel 6.0.
As I was driving to work this morning I noticed that the fuel gauge read almost full when it should have only had a half tank. A little while later I heard a beep and saw that the gauge was now on empty with a "Low Fuel" message displayed. Then I noticed the heater was suddenly blowing cold air.
I've only had the truck for a few weeks, but haven't had any other problems. I did replace the CD receiver and all of the instrument cluster lights a couple weeks ago, but everything seemed to be working fine after.
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1/4 tank just kept cranking. Added some diesel and started right up thought it was bad fuel gauge. Went about a mile and shut down just off. coasted went got more diesel but this time cranked but no start. anti theft light was flashing too.
Towed home started right up after tow... Starting now... Tomorrow was going to change the fuel filter....
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I drive a 1989 Toyota Camry LE with a V6 Engine. When I fill my gas tank, start the car, the fuel gauge pointer doesn't go completely into the "F" mark, see picture; I'll even wait after driving a few miles if the pointer will try to go past the "F" mark, but it won't. Could it be the gauge be faulty or the sending unit in the gas tank that's causing the gauge to read inaccurately?
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I have 03 F-250 with a 5.4 in it. Recently noticed the gas gauge is not moving much and seems like it will not go below half a tank. The gauge will go up however when i put gas in it. I just put techtron in it last night to see if this might work. Wasn't to sure if i did a battery reset on the truck if that may work as well.
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I have a 2004 F-150 and the gas gauge seems to be stuck on a half tank, sometimes it will go to full tank. How do I fix this.
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My launch scanner reported a bad oil pressure switch, but I've replaced that, and when I did the oil pressure light went away, but my gauge still didn't work. Could it be a faulty switch? Or is it common for gauges to stop working on these fords seeing how there's a resistor to trick the gauge from the factory anyway? If I smack my dash the gauge will raise and lower. But I think that's normal.
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Its been happening often where it shows empty (when i really have half a tank) and my avg mpg resets itself. As I am driving it will go back to normal.
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2.0T's having problems with fuel rails or fuel pump at 30,000 miles using GIAC chip. Just got back from induktion motorsports with a friend. He was having problems with fuel cut at about 4500 rpms. Holds boost up to 22lbs for some reason and then just drops down holding no boost at certain rpms between 5th and 6th gear getting on it. Car doesn't go past 80 mph until the turbo comes back (When it wants to) guys up at induktion said its prob the fuel rail or pump. They ran three different tests on the car and car still ran the same using the chip program (93 octane) and stock mode.
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1996 F-150 5.0... So I bought this truck a couple months ago for a really good price and its my regular vehicle that I use daily. While driving I switched tanks from the front to rear and when i reached my destination i noticed that fuel spilled from the cap, I opened the cap and fuel overflowed. I've read in forums saying that its the Fuel Pressure Regulator or the Fuel Tank Selector Valve . It still drives and runs fine, but I would like to know which part its specifically causing the problem?
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My '97 truck has over 315,000 miles on it, original fuel tank, 30.1 gallons, replaced fuel pump maybe a 9 months ago. No gas gauge problems until today. Bought gas this AM and had about 3/4 of a tank. During my drive home (56 miles round trip), noticed the gauge was read about an 1/8. Had monsoon rains today, so I wouldn't have noticed any gas pooling under the truck or a smell if it was suddenly leaking. On the was to fuel up, low fuel light came on. Bought only 5 gals of gas in case tank was leaking and I have to drop the tank. Low fuel light out after restarting the engine but the gauge reads the same, about an eighth? Diagnostic ideas? Won't really be able to examine the tank for leaks until things dry off, probably tomorrow. Diagnostics??
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I have a 1997 Ford Explorer with 5.0, I have replaced the thermostat and the radiator cap, I drive the truck to work in the mornings (12miles) and it is fine. We live on a mountain and on the way home after getting to the top of the mountain the temperature gauge goes past middle and nears the red but does not overheat completely. Once home I open the hood and the overflow is steaming or sometimes boiling, and I have checked thermostat again to make sure and it is operating normal, I have been told fan clutch, water pump, and I don't want to just throw money at guesses.
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I bought a '98 F150. 4.2 powered, 2WD, automatic. About 140k on it. The truck runs well and is in remarkable shape other than a few dings.
The fuel filler does have the "collar" with the little flapper door on it. So the gas cap doesn't latch and fuel nozzles won't stay put. How would this be repaired?
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