I have a 2006 Ford F-250 gas truck. I went a little too far looking for cheaper gas and my low fuel light came on. I stopped and filled the tank up full but now the light stays on and the gauge is stuck on empty.
When I turn off the engine the needle on the gauge drops slightly. When I turn on the key it moves up a hair and then stays there. On this model Ford the "low fuel" indicator is where the odometer is displayed. I can push a selector button and see my milage but every time I turn off the engine and restart the "low fuel" shows up again.
Where I used to work, I drove a 99 Ford F150. If I stopped to fuel and left the truck running while fueling (I know I shouldn't do this but sometimes it happened) the guage would stay on Empty, or whatever level it was before I started fueling until I shut the truck off and restarted it. I never understood this, but it would do it every time.
I see you have tried shutting off the truck and restarting, so I don't have any other suggestions except perhaps disconnecting the battery for several minutes and the reconnecting and see what happens.
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1995 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie SLT 4x4 5.9L V8 low miles, It ain't pretty, but it's paid for!
Might be worth a try to 're-boot' by disconnecting the negative lead on the battery for about 5 minutes. When you re-connect it has to re-learn everything and this MAY solve the problem.
I tired the "reboot" by taking off the negative cable for a while then reconnecting. No luck with the fuel gauge but I will have to re-program all the stations on my radio(LOL).
As for the wacking, I did that too but I was skeptical as I've driven Louisiana roads for about two hours and if something is not wacked by now, it sure missed a good chance.
Does anyone know if there is a "float" sending unit in the tank or is it all sensors?
You might want to try hitting a speed bump at a pretty good clip...of course, you may have to have to see a Chiropractor after it, but it might really knock the sensor float loose.....or your teeth! I don't know if a mallet will do much? You commented that the roads you were on, were pretty bumpy....it may just be a coincidence, and the sensor crapped out at the this particular time??
Good Luck
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