Fuel Gauge problems
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King of Pigskin Knowledge
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 602
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From: Ohio
Fuel Gauge problems My fuel gauge is really messed up. Everytime I start my car, it reads full. Then it slowly goes down. It never goes down to where it should be, but it goes down as if I really started the car with a full tank and it is being consumed.
For example. Let's say I really have 1/2 tank. Then I start the car and the guage reads full. I drive the car far enough that I use a 1/4 tank, so I now in reality have 1/4 tank left. But my guage will read 3/4. Then I shut the car off. Now I restart it, and it reads full again.
Any ideas?!?!
For example. Let's say I really have 1/2 tank. Then I start the car and the guage reads full. I drive the car far enough that I use a 1/4 tank, so I now in reality have 1/4 tank left. But my guage will read 3/4. Then I shut the car off. Now I restart it, and it reads full again.
Any ideas?!?!
Re: Fuel Gauge problems I have similar symtoms also. My fuel pump started to make a whistling sound around the exact time the gauge started to read like that. Any relation between the two? Its definitely not the hissing sound they usually make. I think the sender might be the cause. I dread having to pull the tank out. I'm relying on my fuel pressure gauge for now.
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 329
Likes: 0
From: Northern CA.
Re: Fuel Gauge problems mine is all jacked up also....
the only thing I have figured out is when the voltage coming off the sender is below 1.99v the gauge will work.... when it is above that it just pegs out the needle.
the system is a 5v setup and when the PCM sees 5.0v the reading is supposed to be full and obivously when it's 0.0v its emtpy.
my sender seems to be working properly, the very shade tree way i tested it(worked pretty well) was to put my volt meter on the wire @pin 54 RED side PPL wire and read the voltage let it settle and then jack the car up... when i jack the back of the car up the voltage would go up and down when the front was lifted.
so if you think its your sender maybe just try that simple test... or is your fortunate enough to know someone with a techII or similar device hook it up and read the volatege coming off the sender at various fill points I.E. after you fill up, after 100 miles etc. thats what I did.
I have determined its my gauge as of the tests.
so I'm in the process of getting a new gauge cluster right now.
on a side note i've been told that the 98 fual gauge does not have anything to do with the PCM, in other words the PCM doesn't know about the fual level in the tank... thats what I'm told, don't know for sure.
the only thing I have figured out is when the voltage coming off the sender is below 1.99v the gauge will work.... when it is above that it just pegs out the needle.
the system is a 5v setup and when the PCM sees 5.0v the reading is supposed to be full and obivously when it's 0.0v its emtpy.
my sender seems to be working properly, the very shade tree way i tested it(worked pretty well) was to put my volt meter on the wire @pin 54 RED side PPL wire and read the voltage let it settle and then jack the car up... when i jack the back of the car up the voltage would go up and down when the front was lifted.
so if you think its your sender maybe just try that simple test... or is your fortunate enough to know someone with a techII or similar device hook it up and read the volatege coming off the sender at various fill points I.E. after you fill up, after 100 miles etc. thats what I did.
I have determined its my gauge as of the tests.
so I'm in the process of getting a new gauge cluster right now.
on a side note i've been told that the 98 fual gauge does not have anything to do with the PCM, in other words the PCM doesn't know about the fual level in the tank... thats what I'm told, don't know for sure.
