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Fuel Level: My 73-10ohm gauge isn't working properly with my replacement sender?

The short sweep electric fuel gauge manufactured by Auto Meter for the Ford 73-10ohm range is calibrated for the original Ford factory supplied, non-linear, fuel level sender design. If you view the gauge dial itself, you will notice that the halfway point in the gauge is in fact not centered in the field in order for the calibration to match this special sender.

The Ford Fuel Level sensor with a 73-10ohm range operates with the following ohm ranges for Full, Half, Empty, and Below Empty:

Full: 10ohms
Half Tank: 25ohms
Empty: 50ohms
Pointer Width Below E: 73ohms

If you have replaced the original equipment Ford sending unit in your vehicle with an aftermarket sending unit, you may notice that the gauge will match the sending unit at the Full and Empty portions of the scale, but that the readings in between will not match up. The reason for this is that some aftermarket senders operating with the 73-10ohm range now utilize a linear movement instead of the original non-linear scale. The comparative ohm reading difference for Full, Half, and Empty have been supplied below for your reference.

Full: 10ohms
Half Tank: 41ohms
Empty: 73ohms

As you can see these numbers differ radically from those of the factory Ford sending units and have a drastic effect upon the gauge readings.

In the event that you have this situation, we recommend one of two options. The first would be to seek an original equipment fuel level sending unit from Ford directly for your vehicle. The other would be to purchase one of our 240-33ohm scaled gauges and the matching #3262 sending unit, or if this unit will not fit your specific tank type, a similar 240-33ohm fuel level sending unit from your tank manufacturer. We recommend the 240-33ohm units because they are a broad linear scale and provide a very accurate reading of the fuel level in the tank.

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