XF-ZL Fuel Guage Wiring - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

ZC-Cruiser · 10-20-2005, 03:18

Does anyone have detailed info on the wiring for the Fuel Guage sender in an XF Falcon?

The manual wiring diagram just shows 3 wires going into the sender.

I need to work out what the three wires do so I can adapt them onto the sender in a ZD Fairlane that has only 1 wire...

fordboy98 · 10-20-2005, 03:28

I'm not 100% sure, but it is likely the two are not compatible. The old ZD probably had a float and arm type fuel sender which only uses one wire to the gauge. The XF certainly used the "floatless" sender that has no moving parts at all. It is just a printed circuit board with two (three??) tinned solder strips on it that is immersed in the fuel and has the three wires conncted to it. I've always wonderd how they work, I think it is on capacitance which means there is some electronic intelligence up in the dash.

I'm prepared to be proved wrong, but I think you're stuffed, so to speak. Good luck!

BTW, can anyone tell us how the XF (and later) senders sense the fuel level?

oldwagon · 10-20-2005, 03:31

It cannot be easily done without a lot of buggerising around! The ZL gauge puts out about 0volts empty, about 4.5volts full : its gauge is a voltmeter. The older stuff uses an ammeter type gauge with the sender in series with the gauge.

I would adapt the guts out of an analogue xf or xe or xd gauge to your old dash. So, the connexions on the zl sender are :
red +12v
black GND
yellow / green OUTPUT.

PM for more info.

ZC-Cruiser · 10-20-2005, 03:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldwagon

It cannot be easily done without a lot of buggerising around! The ZL gauge puts out about 0volts empty, about 4.5volts full : its gauge is a voltmeter. The older stuff uses an ammeter type gauge with the sender in series with the gauge.

I would adapt the guts out of an analogue xf or xe or xd gauge to your old dash. So, the connexions on the zl sender are :
red +12v
black GND
yellow / green OUTPUT.

I am wanting to use the electronic dash from the ZL in the ZD, so I need to get the fuel guage working as per the ZL.

The trip computer probably relies on the guage too I guess

I wonder if it is possible to fit the sender from the ZL into the ZD tank...

smally351 · 10-20-2005, 04:38

the XF senders use a capillary tube inside them to sense the fuel level

oldwagon · 10-20-2005, 14:22

I see no reason you can't use the ZL dash and sender! You will need to make sure the donor and transplant tanks are about the same depth, or you will have big accuracy problems! Just wire up the sender how I said and put the output into the relevant pin on the instrument module harness!

Yes, they do work by sensing the capacitance of the fuel.

AND they come in different lengths (eg the wagon ones are quite short).

They all produce the same output and hook up the same - the only real difference is the depth of the tank they are designed for.

Enjoy!

Kendall.

ZC-Cruiser · 10-20-2005, 15:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldwagon

I see no reason you can't use the ZL dash and sender! You will need to make sure the donor and transplant tanks are about the same depth, or you will have big accuracy problems! Just wire up the sender how I said and put the output into the relevant pin on the instrument module harness!

I've done a quick check and it looks as though there is enough depth in the ZD tank to take the sender.
There is the small issue of having to cut a hole in the top of the tank to take the sender - I'm reluctant to do that - danger of explosion while cutting the tank and also it may make the car unroadworthy...

Maybe I could make up some sort of electronic trickery to take the varying resistance of the ZD sender and convert it into a voltage output that the ZL dash needs - that should be possible I guess...

ZC-Cruiser · 10-20-2005, 15:45

I think the electronic solution will be the winner - does anyone know the range of resistance from empty to full of the XY/ZD fuel tank sender??

ZC-Cruiser · 10-20-2005, 17:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZC-Cruiser

I think the electronic solution will be the winner - does anyone know the range of resistance from empty to full of the XY/ZD fuel tank sender??

Never mind, I found a spare here and measured it at 13 ohms when full and about 100 ohms when empty

Now I just need an electronics guru to come up with a circuit that can convert that to 0 volts empty to 4.5 volts full - doesn't sound too hard...

smally351 · 10-20-2005, 23:49

Don't XF wagon senders go in the side of the tank like the ZD ones? Im not sure