B757-200 CAPT DETERMINED AN MEL'ED INOP FUEL QUANTITY SYS WAS NOT CORRECTLY PLACARDED BY ACR CONTRACT MAINT.

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DEP DELAY DUE TO IMPROPER MAINT PLACARDING. DURING REVIEW OF ACFT LOGBOOK PRIOR TO FLT; AND CONFIRMING WITH THE MEL; I FOUND A PREVIOUS WRITE-UP WAS INCORRECTLY SIGNED OFF AND REQUIRED PLACARDS WERE ABSENT. THESE WERE 3 PLACARDS WITH SPECIFIC WORDING REGARDING PROCS TO BE FOLLOWED WITH AN INOP FUEL QUANTITY INDICATION. I NOTIFIED CONTRACT MAINT THAT THE CORRECT PLACARDING WOULD HAVE TO BE ACCOMPLISHED BEFORE I WOULD ACCEPT THE ACFT FOR FLT. ZZZ MAINT PERSONNEL DID NOT SEEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS REQUIRED -- EVEN WITH THE MEL AVAILABLE FOR REF. WE THEN CALLED ACR MECHS. I DISCUSSED THE ITEM WITH THEM AND THEY AGREED WITH MY CONSENSUS. THE CORRECT PLACARDS WERE NOT AVAILABLE IN OUR ACFT OR AT THE STATION; SO MAINT PROCEEDED TO WRITE THE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE ON THE WRONG PLACARDS. I THEN ASKED MAINT IF HE HAD ACR MAINT APPROVAL TO USE THESE PLACARDS. THE MECH SAID 'YES.' I CALLED ACR MAINT ONCE AGAIN AND FOUND OUT HE DID NOT HAVE APPROVAL TO USE THEM. THEY WERE THE WRONG PLACARDS -- HE SAID HE DID NOT HAVE ANY CORRECT ONES. I WENT TO ANOTHER OUTBOUND ACFT; FOUND THE CORRECT PLACARDS AND BROUGHT THEM TO THE MECH. AT THAT POINT HE COPIED THE WORDING ONTO THE PLACARDS. WE PLACED THEM CORRECTLY ON THE PANELS; AND PROCEEDED TO DEST INCURRING A 38 MIN MAINT DELAY. I FEEL HAD I NOT BEEN DILIGENT IN THIS MATTER; I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN VIOLATION OF FARS.