revisit the fuel gauge and sending unit issue

After ignoring it for a few years I worked on the fuel gauge problem. I am using an after market gauge but this has all the same issues as the OEM gauge.
What is interesting is the sending unit is measuring 53Ω at the sending unit and also at the wire at the back of the gauge (not plugged in). But the gauge will not register properly.
I hooked up a resistor box, I made, to the fuel gauge and it works properly with the resistor box but not the wire to the sending unit.
Thinking the problem may be in the wiring connections, I ran a dedicated conductor from the sending unit to the gauge and there was no change. problem still exists.
I am using 16 awg wire where the OEM was 18 awg. So there is no voltage drop. The reading is exactly the same at either end of the wire.

Some how the sending unit is registering a resistance to the multi meter I am using. ( a Fluke-true rms meter). I have heard of phantom voltages and have seen them, but I have never seen or even heard of a phantom resistance.

I am dumbfounded at this point. This is the 2nd or 3rd sending unit I have bought so I am not very interested to buy another. It must be something about the resistance/conductivity of the gasoline shunting the signal to ground but that is a guess at best