1987 cougar 3.8 where can I find the right fuel gage sending unit

June 05, 2015, 05:19:32 PM

Hi I just joined and I have a 87 cougar 3.8 it has 66000 mile on it and sat for ten years I replaced the tank and sending unit. The sending unit I put in it was for a mustang and dont work. It could not find one for this car anywhere

1987 cougar 3.8 where can I find the right fuel gage sending unit

Reply #1 – June 05, 2015, 08:36:11 PM

Amazon have one for $107....

1987 cougar 3.8 where can I find the right fuel gage sending unit

Reply #2 – June 26, 2015, 09:16:34 PM

also depends on which dash package you have. The full digital panels use a different sending unit than the buttstuffog gauge.
The full digital senders are not available.

1987 cougar 3.8 where can I find the right fuel gage sending unit

Reply #3 – June 27, 2015, 09:22:27 AM

If you search the forums, you'll find multiple posts which basically say this:

Quote from: EricCoolCats;400059

There are several different sized tanks for our cars, and also a change in resistance for the fuel level senders. BE SURE you get the correct sender for your year/gauge/engine!

1983-86: 75 Ohms empty, 10 Ohms full
1987-88: 16 Ohms empty, 158 Ohms full

Then you can search through this page to find the sending unit that has the same readings as what you need:

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/products/79-93-Mustang-Gas-Fuel-Tank-Sending-Unit

Finally, when you get your mustang one, make sure you bend the bracket to match the bottom and top of your tank.

If yours isn't a rusty piece of like mine was, you can likely just clean and adjust your contacts (they are simple devices) and reinstall. Again, instructions are on the board with a little search power.