AN MD80 HAD THE INCORRECT FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR INSTALLED IN THE L TANK. TECHNICIAN USED AS PART REF A TEMPORARY REVISION IN THE IPC. FORMAT OF TEMPORARY REVISION WAS CONFUSING.

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THE INDICATOR ORIGINALLY INSTALLED ON THE ACFT; THE MANUFACTURER'S PART NUMBER OF WHICH CROSSED OVER TO COMPANY PART NUMBER (IND X) WAS RPTED AS HAVING A BLANKING INDICATION FOR THE L MAIN TANK ON THE 'A' CHANNEL. WHEN I CHKED STOCK ON THIS COMPANY PART NUMBER; IT SHOWED ZERO ON HAND AT THE STATION; AND ZERO SYS OWNERSHIP OF THE PART. THAT COMPANY WOULD NOT OWN A SINGLE UNIT OF A PART THAT WAS INSTALLED ON SOME NUMBER OF THEIR ACFT MADE NO SENSE TO ME; SO I REFERRED TO THE IPC FOR GUIDANCE. THE IPC CONTAINED A TEMPORARY REVISION; THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH IT STATED WAS TO CLARIFY THE PART NUMBERS FOR AIRPLANES. I FOUND THE TEMPORARY REVISION AS PRESENTED TO BE SOMEWHAT CONFUSING BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT WAS FORMATTED; AND DETERMINED THAT THE IND Y; WHICH THE TEMPORARY REVISION LISTED; MUST BE THE PROPER PART FOR THAT ACFT; BECAUSE THERE WAS A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF 'DELETED' NOTATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH IND X AND OUR SUPPLY SYS SHOWED ZERO STOCK AND ZERO OWNERSHIP OF THAT PART NUMBER. TO CHK MYSELF; I RAN A MAINT OPS INQUIRY ON IND Y AND THAT SCREEN SHOWED THAT PART NUMBER AS COVERING EFFECTIVITIES. I BELIEVED THAT THIS WAS AN ACCEPTABLE XCHK THAT THE IND Y WAS THE PROPER PART FOR THIS AIRPLANE; EVEN AS I NOW ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I AM AWARE OF THE CAVEAT ON THE SUPPLY COMPUTER SCREEN ABOUT NOT USING THEM AS AN AUTHORITATIVE SOURCE. REVIEWED THE IPC; REALIZED MY READING ERROR. WILL HAVE ANOTHER MECH CHK MY REASONING PROCESS AND MANUAL INTERP WHEN WORKING ON ACFT IN FUTURE.