I have 30-40 mi. of gas left in either tank I'm running on, after the gauge shows empty in my 87' 302. I alternate tank use religiously (as religious as I get anyway). So I'm warming up to the idea of dropping both tanks & replacing the senders. I Don't expect pinpoint accuracy out of the new ones, but tired of playing "truth or dare" w/ the "E" on the gauge. Does it matter which sender manufacturer I use as far as accuracy? I'd rather spend an extra $50-$100 bucks now if I need to, than be pissed off by only slightly improved accuracy after I get the tank back in.

 

If both gauges work and you are only worried about having 2 to 3 gallons left after the gauge reads empty simply bend the float rod. Doing this allows one to pinpoint the empty mark to running out of gas. Be careful as if you bend the float lever to much you can start to run out of fuel before the gauge hits empty, most auto makers do leave some fuel after it hits empty so you will not starve the engine while going up hills or around corners before the gauge hits empty. This starvation will quickly melt the cats and cause costly repairs.

 

its not the sender as much as how the arm is bent...you should feel glad you got 2-3 gallon reserve once it hits empty...

my rear tank hit empty and I drove another 50 miles...its below the E and I havent ran out yet...

you can however drop the tank and rebend the arm so its actuallt epty when its on E...though you'll need gas when it hits the E...

 

Starvation on a hill/corner is a good point. For bending fine tuning, would it be better to pull off the bed instead, as the angle of the tanks may change while sitting in the ground?

 

if thats what you want to do....

on my 88 GM it used to run out right on the E...

when I replaced the fuel pump I tweaked the arm a little (1/16th of an inch) so it wouldnt do that anymore...

E means empty so just fill it up...it just takes less to fill it up from empty...if you do the math you know how many miles you can go until you're walking...

I got a 19 gallon front tank I know I can go 400 miles of highway driving and I got about 30-40 before i need to shine up the shoes...

 

That's my method at the moment. Plus leaving a tad in the other tank.

 

I'd put in the new sending unit and see how it does. You haven't had a working gauge in quite a while and you don't really know how a good one will read.

 

If you already know you have 30-40 miles left when it's on E then isn't the problem already solved?

(simple math while driving shouldn't be to complicated or distracting. Is your truck sooo reliable now, that your LOOKING for things to fix, even if they're not broken! )

Don't be a cheap skate, fill er' up when she hits E....


EDIT: I can run 60+ miles when mine hits E, I'm not looking to change anything though, I consider that my "lazy fudge factor" or "no fuel station around" factor. I'd bet that's what Ford had in mind too.

 

I always ran mine until it started sputtering, then switched tanks. But then I killed the front tank pump doing that so now I'm stuck counting miles.

 

I confess! Spose maybe I should just keep saving for a MAF conversion. It is kinda hard to run out of gas w/ 2 working tanks!