Expert: Sean Halliday - 7/27/2007

Question
QUESTION: I have a 93 Ford Tempo GL w/a 6 cylender engine. I've been noticing lately that the fuel gauge doesn't read correctly. In other words, I can start out w/it reading 1/4 tank but after 1 or 2 miles of driving, it'll read empty. Then I'll shut off the car for a bit & when I restart, it goes back to 1/4 full, then it may go down to 1/8 full & stay that way till I shut her off again & then when I start up again it'll go back to 1/4 full & it goes back down to empty again after driving a bit. Since this thing doesn't have a low fuel light, I've almost ran out of gas a few times. So how do I check the gauge to see if it's reading right??

ANSWER: Its not reading correctly so you will need to replace the sender unit which is in the tank.If you dont want to go to that much trouble,then simply fill the car and read the mileage then use your trip/mileage and work it that way,see how many miles you get until its almost empty and have some gas with you in case.The sender unit/fuel pump is one unit and as its a 93,might be a good time to replace both.

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QUESTION: Any idea on what that entails & how much it might cost to replace? Can I get a junkyard fuel pump to do the fix as long as there's a guarantee on it?

Answer
To replace the fuel pump usually talking about 3/4 hrs labor so depends on the shop.Thats removing the tank,draining fuel etc.I wouldnt recommend a used pump because they are a sealed unit and who knows how long it is going to last.Ford pumps are not that expensive.