'99 Taurus fuel gauge

On a’99 Taurus, the fuel gauge works sometimes. I am quite sure it is the sender unit. Is there possibly a way to replace it without removing the fuel tank. Like thru the trunk floor?

Nope. The fuel tank has to come out from under the vehicle.

Tester

Yeah, not one of Ford’s better ideas, but Ford isn’t alone on that one. AFAIK, all modern fuel injected cars have their fuel pumps in their tanks. It’s far easier to push fuel than it is to pull it. Unfortunately the sender comes as a unit with the pump. You’ll have to replace both. Once you’ve dropped the tank, you won’t want to have to do it again just for the pump.

Thanks for the info, but I don’t like it.

Dropping the fuel tank isn’t as hard as one might think. Just make sure that it isn’t full of gas when you do it. Get it as low on gas as you can then pull it. The hardest part is dealing with the weight of the gas. The tank itself is fairly light. Usually two bolts, a wire harness and a couple of hose clamps and out it comes. I had to do mine twice, had a faulty fuel pump both times. The first time I had a full tank of gas (a royal pain in the…) and the second time the tank was almost empty. Needless to say the second time was easier than the first. I don’t know if it was the weight difference or from previous experience. Put the car on some stands and use a floor jack with a 2x4 attached for stability and you can lower the tank down and raise it back up again pretty easily.

Thanks, that’s what I was afraid of. I will probably just watch my miles.