Ok well I got a 96 f150 with 5.0l longbed and it has 2 tanks. Well the back tank read fine but the front tank wont read how much gas I got. But a couple of months ago my battery cable came off and the truck wouldn't start so I put the cable back on and all of a sudden the front tank read how much gas I had so I was like wow that was easy... But when I got home I turned the truck off and back on and it wouldn't read no more so then I was like ****... So what I'm asking is do I have a short or do I need the whole sending unit for the front tank?

 

if it points to "0" - it's a short. If it reads beyond "full" - sending unit is not connected with a gauge. IMHO tracing wires is a bit more easy than dropping the tank, so i'd start with it.

 

град с запада!
(I think my translation software needs an upgrade)

 

Could the short be in the dash or should just start under the truck from the gas tank forward

 

Also what color wire should I be lookin for?

 

This fuel level indicating system consists of a sending unit attached to the fuel reservoir and a fuel gauge mounted on the instrument panel. The magnetic fuel indicator gauge creates a polarity in the wire windings which, depending on the resistance at the sender, controls the degree of pointer rotation. This gauge operates on battery voltage. The fuel sender consists of a variable resistor, controlled by the action of an attached float in the fuel tank(s). Resistance should be 160 ohms (full tank) and 15 ohms (empty tank). This would lead me to believe that less ohm's (or 0 ohms/ as in a broken wire) is most likely to cause an E denotation at the gauge.

However, a close second in older trucks is a hole the the level float. The way you can tell the difference is, w/ a compromised float, after you run the tank dry & refill, it will work for a short time (although more erratic w/ time) until the float refills w/ gas again. Then it's back to "E".

It could just as easily be the ground, as the power supply wire.

 

After looking at the diagram, the float to gauge circuit goes through the "Fuel Tank Selector Switch". So fiddle w/ that before you go wire diving! The wires out of the switch may help you ID the wire color your looking for. I "think" your looking for "Dark Brown/ Violet stripe going to the sender to the front. The ground will be "Road Grunge Black" wherever you find it.

 

Well fiddled with the tank selector switch and I ended up takin the whole cluster out... Don't see any bad wires but I can't see where the wires go and can't reach them so I can't check them out.... So I'm stumped...

 

got a multi meter ??

 

Could the switch be bad?