56 Customline. Started the car to go run an errand and noticed the gas gauge is showing a bit above full. Was working fine the last time I drove the car. Where do I start looking?
Does the gauge go to empty when the key is off? If so, the gauge is probably ok. Then go to the sending unit. First, get a separate wire and ground the sending unit it to a good metal spot. Maybe it is just a round problem. If that does not help, pull it and work it manually (remember to ground it while out). See if the gauge will work. If no dice, you might try a wire from the gauge to the sender to see if there is a break in the old wire.
Pull the sender and see if it sticking in the full position. Work it back and forth to loosen it a bit.
Tanks Inc has a really good troubleshooting guide on gauges not working correctly. Probably a grounding issue.
Here is the link,good info. https://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=results/category_id=159/mode=cat/cat159.htm
Full indicates the sending unit is grounded. Either the sender is bad or the wire to it is touching the frame. Pull the wire off the sender and see if it goes to empty. If it does your sender is faulty. If not then pull it off the gauge and see if it will go to empty. If not the gauge is shorted. If so the wire is shorted. .
Since you have a 1956 you may have a problem solving this, Ford went back to using Six volt gauges in 1957 up till the early 1980s by using a gauge regulator. Tracking down a 1956 one year only gauge or sender might not be fun, good luck.
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