Gas Gauge Stuck/Broken

[Pete]

My gas gauge is stuck at max full. Any ideas what the issue might be, and how to fix it?

2001 Ford E350 extended body. Not sure what size gas tank it has, previous buyer told me it was a 50 gallon tank, but I've never been able to get more than 39 gallons in it.

[Ford_6L_E350]

Any idea what kind of van we are talking about?

Year, Make, Model?

Mike

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350

Any idea what kind of van we are talking about?

Year, Make, Model?

Mike

Edited to include. That would help!

[Ford_6L_E350]

Is that a rear tank, or a side tank?

Mike

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350

Is that a rear tank, or a side tank?

Mike

Not sure I know the answer to that. The filler tube is between the drivers door and the rear wheel, does that help? How do I tell the difference, and how does this make a difference figuring out what is causing the guage to stick?

[Ford_6L_E350]

Probably doesn't make any difference, I was just curious. A ~50 gallon tank was rear mounted at least on cutaway vans. When you added 39 gallons, was it empty (engine quit from no fuel) or just running low? Just curious.

Does the gauge drop when you turn the key off? If not, the gauge is probably bad. And that may mean an instrument cluster from a wrecking yard.

If it drops when the key is off, then either the sender or the wiring is the culprit. And usually that means you have to drop the tank to get to the sender.

Mike

[dhally]

The sending unit has a mechanical float. The float can be bent which will cause it to stick in one position. Our new van had this issue.

[AndrewST]

If the wiring would be damaged, it would be on empty and not go up, at least like on my 2009.

[moorefc]

Generally it is a float or pickup issue. Could be a wiring short which should be checked first. General fix is run the tank fuel down, lower tank (google or look it up), replace sensor/fuel pump assy. For gas the part runs ~$400.....You might get lucky and find wiring issue or a stuck float that is fixable.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350

Probably doesn't make any difference, I was just curious. A ~50 gallon tank was rear mounted at least on cutaway vans. When you added 39 gallons, was it empty (engine quit from no fuel) or just running low? Just curious.

Does the gauge drop when you turn the key off? If not, the gauge is probably bad. And that may mean an instrument cluster from a wrecking yard.

If it drops when the key is off, then either the sender or the wiring is the culprit. And usually that means you have to drop the tank to get to the sender.

Mike

The gauge drops when I turn off the key, so I guess it must be the wiring or the sender.