# 72 Ford 4000



## Con_4000man (Jul 1, 2012)

Hi, I have a 72 3cyl diesal 4000 I am trying to get the fuel sender to work. I earthed the wire and the hand swept to the full position. No problems. I put a new fuel sender unit into the tank, but the gauge will always show full on the dash. Even when empty. Also when I disconnect the sender unit from the tank and dash when i turn the ignition on the hand will rise to half full. I am baffled by this. Could anyone give sum advice on what Cud b wrong. Thanks.


----------



## Big_T (Dec 1, 2011)

QUOTE: "I earthed the wire and the hand swept to the full position. No problems. I put a new fuel sender unit into the tank, but the gauge will always show full on the dash. Even when empty. Also when I disconnect the sender unit from the tank and dash when i turn the ignition on the hand will rise to half full."

You have a short to ground somewhere. Possibly the sending unit is shorted to ground. If you have an ohmmeter, start checking circuits. 

Since the gauge reads halfscale with nothing attached to it, I would search for a circuit with the gauge. 

These old Fords have a long history of short circuits and fires. Check out all of the wires that run over the tank - look for insulation worn off, exposing wires to ground, or each other.


----------



## Hacke (Feb 22, 2011)

Con_4000man said:


> ...Also when I disconnect the sender unit from the tank and dash when i turn the ignition on the hand will rise to half full...


Check the back of the instrument cluster, the lugs have fibre washers to insulate them from ground. Are the washers OK and clean?
A thread with a picture (large picture, better to open in a new window) explaining what goes where: http://www.fordsontractorpages.nl/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1923
The mentioned wire colours may be different on your tractor.

All sender units do not have a lug for earth/ground. If yours do not have it, better to fabricate some kind of connection from top of sender unit to ground lug on instrument cluster. This because it is not certain you will get a good ground connection through sender mounting-tank-chassie.


----------



## Con_4000man (Jul 1, 2012)

Hi. Thanks for info. I searched for bare wired etc and can't see any. Could you explain what you mean by checking for a circuit with the sender unit?


----------



## Big_T (Dec 1, 2011)

I was referring to using an ohmmeter to check for a circuit from the sending unit to ground (short circuit). A simple circuit checker is good enough to check open/closed circuits.

Maybe you have the sending unit wire hooked to the ground lug instead of the sending lug??


----------



## Con_4000man (Jul 1, 2012)

I understand, I see there is 2 female spades on the back of the cluster for the fuel gauge. The outside one is connected to the sender unit. But the inner one has nothing, should it b connected to anything. Thanks.,


----------



## Big_T (Dec 1, 2011)

I checked my 3600 cluster (which may be different from yours). My fuel gauge has 3 spades (1) Power, 2) Ground & 3) Sending unit). 

1) The power comes across on a short red wire from the temperature gauge.
2) The ground also comes across to the temperature gauge on a short black wire.
3) The third wire goes to the sending unit.

I you only have two spades, one must connect to power. Probably a short red wire from the temperature gauge power. The other spade connects to the sending unit. 

If your sending unit has two spades, one goes to the gauge, and one to ground.

There is a post entitled "Ford 3000 Instrument Panel" just a few posts down from this post. There is a picture of a 4610 cluster on that post that looks very similar to mine.


----------



## Hacke (Feb 22, 2011)

Looks like I am just wasting time trying to help here...


----------



## Con_4000man (Jul 1, 2012)

Hacke said:


> Looks like I am just wasting time trying to help here...


Hi. Thanks for your info. I will look at the thing you have pointed out tomorro to see how I fair out. Cheers.


----------



## Con_4000man (Jul 1, 2012)

Big_T said:


> I checked my 3600 cluster (which may be different from yours). My fuel gauge has 3 spades (1) Power, 2) Ground & 3) Sending unit).
> 
> 1) The power comes across on a short red wire from the temperature gauge.
> 2) The ground also comes across to the temperature gauge on a short black wire.
> ...


Hi. Thanks for your info. You are right. There is 3. The power cums across from the temp sender. It's a green wire. One of the spades on the fuel gauge there is a letter b beside it. Goes of to the sender. And the other one I presume to b the ground has no wire. What shud I ground this to. Tractor body? Or shud I splice into the dash cluster ground? I think it's the black wire in the centre of the dash. Cheers.


----------



## Big_T (Dec 1, 2011)

The spade with no wire should be connected to the instrument panel ground system. Mine is connected with a short black wire to ground near the temperature gauge.

Attached is a photo and written instructions from Hacke's recommended site. Should be EXTREMELY USEFUL to you.

http://www.fordsontractorpages.nl/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1923

This writeup and photo are compliments of Ben Phillips, Ben26, and Brian, on the Fordson Tractor Forum:

1 .. Temperature Gauge sender. .. Green Blue
2 .. Link from 6.
3 .. Fuel sender/instrument cluster earth wire. .. Black
4 .. Voltage stabaliser to fuel gauge (6 link).
5 .. Fuel tank sender to fuel gauge. .. Green Black.
6 .. Voltage stabaliser output to gauges.
7 .. Power to voltage stabaliser and link to ignition and oil pressure lights. .. White.

Voltage stabaliser is a dropping resistor to drop the voltage from 12V to 10V for the gauges.

My manual gives Green Blue for 4 and 6 but I seem to remember this was Brown.


----------



## Con_4000man (Jul 1, 2012)

Big_T said:


> The spade with no wire should be connected to the instrument panel ground system. Mine is connected with a short black wire to ground near the temperature gauge.


 Ok I will connect it up tomorro them to see whAt happens. The cluster ground on mines is the same as pic. Number 3. Thanks for info.


----------



## Con_4000man (Jul 1, 2012)

Big_T said:


> The spade with no wire should be connected to the instrument panel ground system. Mine is connected with a short black wire to ground near the temperature gauge.


Ok. I will connect it up to the dash ground tomorro to see what happens. Thanks for the info.


----------



## Tippmann98 (Oct 12, 2011)

I am trying to figure out why the hour meter isn't working on my '65 Ford 4000. The cluster is the same as the one pictured above ^ ^ where is the hour meter getting it's power from? Could it be possible that a tooth or two broke off the gears for the hour meter? It's right at 1400 hours and hasn't worked in at least 15 years. Seems like the gears should've lasted longer than 1400 hours. 

I ordered a service manual yesterday but it will be a week until it is in. Just thought I'd ask here first. Thanks


----------



## Big_T (Dec 1, 2011)

The hour meter (proofmeter) and the tachometer are driven by a cable in a sheath called a "proofmeter cable". This cable is normally connected between the rear of the generator and the tachometer. 

When the tachometer/hour meter get worn badly they start binding up and break the cable. I doubt that you can fix the tachometer/hour meter, but if you can it probably will not last long before it breaks the cable again. The solution - install a new instrument cluster and cable.


----------

