Fuel Gauge - Does Not Read FULL After Filling Tank

83ford18

Article No. 83-8-6

FUEL SYSTEM - GAUGE DOES NOT READ "FULL" AFTER REFILLING THE TANK - WITH EXTENDED RANGE FUEL TANK/ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENT CLUSTER


FORD 1983 LTD - FAIRMONT

LINCOLN-MERCURY 1983 MARQUIS - ZEPHYR

Inaccuracy in fuel gauge reading after tank fill up, or insufficient fuel tank capacity may be due to incorrect fuel filler pipe/fuel tank sender unit, or faulty tank sender instrument cluster fuel gauge.

1. Verify fuel filler pipe and related components are correct for the vehicle code.

Check for correct usage before removing components from the vehicle. The filler pipe usage is controlled by the option orders for the vehicle. The F6C option (Extended Range Fuel Tank, 20 gallon capacity) and also the A2B option (Electronic Instrument Cluster, and requires the F6C option) have a special fuel filler pipe. The extended range is controlled by the fuel filler pipe which is identified by a blue paint daub. To inspect for the blue paint daub, open the fuel filler door, unscrew the fuel filler cap and look for the paint daub in the 2 o'clock position on the filler pipe flange. (The flange is part of the filler pipe and has three screws to attach the pipe to the plastic housing.) If the vehicle has the F6C or the A2B option and the blue paint daub is not on the flange, replace the filler pipe with E3DZ-9034-B fuel filler pipe (with blue paint daub). Check for correct sender usage. Drain the tank as described in the 1983 Car Shop Manual - Powertrain Section 24.50; the dash board gage should read empty. Refill the tank with 15 gallons of fuel. If the gage reads 3/4, the gage is satisfactory. If the gage reads full, the sender usage may be incorrect. (For proper sender usage, see the following list.)

E3DZ-9275-A 20 Gal., Electronic, W/O Tripminder E3DZ-9275-B 20 Gal., Electronic, W/Tripminder E2BZ-9275-A 16 Gal., Bi-Metal, W/Tripminder E2BZ-9275-B 20 Gal., Bi-Metal, W/Tripminder E2BZ-9275-C 16 Gal., Bi-Metal, W/O Tripminder E2BZ-9275-D 20 Gal., Bi-Metal, W/O Tripminder
2. Check for gage and sender operation:

Refer to the 1983 Car Shop Manual - Body, Chassis, Electrical, Sections 33-20 and 33-80-3 of the shop manual to further diagnose gage and sender operation.

OTHER APPLICABLE ARTICLES: None
WARRANTY STATUS: "INFORMATION ONLY"