[jrmunn]

Jagarra,

And I should have read more closely. The new fuel pickup and fuel level mechanism I installed came with the float attached, so I didn't check on the direction it should be facing. But it does seem to "stick" after filling and needs some bumps to come down as the fuel level drops.

Checking for a short sounds reasonable, but I can't remember whether there is supposed to be low resistance with the tank full or empty. The connection at the tank is supposed to be insulated, so (assuming that you are correct about low resistance when the tank is full) I would start there to make sure the float mechanism itself isn't shorted out. I think this would involve disconnecting the wire to the gauge, then measuring the resistance between the tank wire post and a clean ground.

I can also imagine a short in the wire from the tank to the gauge. In my truck, this wire runs under the threshold on the drivers side and then under the mat next to the side panel, so there are numerous opportunities for wear and weathering.

Good luck. I know it doesn't help you, but it is good to know that I am not the only one to discover new problems when trying to fix the obvious ones. It seems that these trucks were built to withstand rough treatment in the short term with most problems coming from time and exposure.

JRMunn