FUEL GAUGE

[hotrod]

LOOKING TO BUY 99 GMC 2500 .IDROVE IT HOME TO LET WIFE

AND KIDS CHECK IT OUT. WHILE IDLEING IN PK. FUEL GAUGE

DROPS TO EMPTY AND LOW FUEL LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED

ON TILL I MOVED TRUCK AND GAUGE WENT BACK TO HALF TANK

COULD THIS BE SENDING UNIT? TRUCK RUNS GREAT! HAS 6.0

ENGINE GOOD PRICE ! ANY HELP ON THIS PROBLEM?

 

DAVID.

[tmf6902]

I don't know why it does that but I have a question for someone what might read this post.....How low do you have to get on gas before the low gas light comes on? I have only got mine to come on once, and I think it was at 3 gallons remaining, but I am just curious if anyone knows the exact amount.

[Likarok]

I don't know about you folks down in the US but up here in Alberta several types of GM vehicles were having problems with Shell gas making the sending unit not work properly. The company I work for actually got a payment from Shell for work we did on changing sending units on our company trucks.

 

On my own truck I solved the problem a lot easier way. I switch brands of gas and the problem went away.

[frdfandc]

I was told by the dealer that on my 03 when the gas light comes on, I have approx 5 gallons left.

[stlmaj]

I had a 00' ext cab with the 5.3l fuel gauge did same thing I used QT never used shell! I don't believe it has any thing to do with brand of fuel, just a poorly designed sending unit. A guy at work just picked up a 01' Tahoe same exact problem and if you search on this forum you will find lots of people with this problem. I don't think theirs been a recall on it but definitely think their should be!!!

[AZ-Z71]

I don't know if this is the start of a problem but on mine I noticed that the fuel guage swings between 1/2 and 3/4 while at idle and in park. If the tank is full it reads correctly but once it gets some where between 3/4 and 1/2 it moves. In drive it supposedly reads correctly and does not swing anymore. I dont recall seeing it bouncing around when I'm under 1/2 thank. Sending unit?

[c5vetteman]

I had the same problem start at about 57,000 miles on my truck. So far I have let it go, since it is no use to take to the dealer until it completely fails.

[holderp]

I was sitting at a stop light the other day and I shifted into N to see what my oil pressure is at idle. Well the fuel light came on from about a 1/4 tank. Put it back in drive and drove off, fuel back up to 1/4 tank.

 

I hate it when you shut down at a half tank and restart the next morning and you now have a 1/4 tank. Makes you think you are getting really awesome mileage until the next morning.

[elk_hunter]

Had that same problem on my truck when I first got it from dealership. was a used truck. The had to replace the fuel sending unit in the tank. Was not under warrenty, but i wouldn't take it unless they fixed it. And they did. No probs since.

 

What happend was there was a short in the unit that when I hit the 3/4 full mark it would go all the way to empty and kick off the light. took them about 3 hrs to fix it.

[hotrod]

i appreciate all the responses i have recieved about the fuel gauge. I really dont think brands of fuel make a difference but it's worth a try. I still think its a good deal on the truck i may just live with it for a while.

Thanks, David

[stlmaj]

i appreciate all the responses i have recieved about the fuel gauge.  I really dont think brands of fuel make a difference but it's worth a try.  I still think its a good deal on the truck i may just live with it for a while.

Thanks, David

You are right this has nothing to do with brands of gas. Get the truck and use your trip set to track your mileage in between fill ups. That's what I did with the old 00' Sierra. Also I rarely had a problem while driving, it only happen when I was not moving. If you shake the truck when the light comes on it should go back to reading correct. At least this worked for me. Enjoy your new truck!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dex857]

You will need a sending unit. My '99 Silverado 1500 did the same thing.

 

No big deal. I have the part number if you decide to d o it.

 

Good Luck

[Tucson_02Silverado]

AZ-Z71 and the others where you're gauge reads 3/4 to full at Park or in Neutral and fine when in gear. It's the fuel level sender. When in P or N the BCM does not use the buffer output to send to the gauge thus the erratic readings. In gear a buffer is used for an average due to sloshing fuel. But if you use your trip odometer, like I always do zeroed at each tank fill, when the trip odometer mileage was about where a 1/2 tank normally is the gauge still was at 3/4.

 

Can't tell you the cost because mine was fixed without any questions under warranty. I even had a Denali Cluster, but I mentioned that to the service writer. My cluster was not the problem and under diagnois procedures is a simple test under the TECHII (cluster gauge sweep test) and it's done first. So if you have an Escalade/Denali cluster it should be treated as any aftermarket addon part for warranty continuation. The warranty won't cover the cluster itself anymore, but it has to be proven bad or the cause of the problem to deny warranty on the other componets like BCM, fuel level sender, etc.

 

Part number they used on my '02 was 25345176 Sensor Kit 3.107

 

Don't know the cost of the kit nor how long it takes, it's all $0.00 warranty on my invoice. PartsZoneOnline.com shows it list for $121.94 after discount $83.97. Also can't say if the kit works on other than '02 26 gallon tank. I took my truck in at 11:00 and by 15:30 was called saying it was finished. And it had a 1/2 tank of fuel in it.

[GDN]

As stated - GM has a cheap sending unit for the guage - my 2000 had the problem - I just used the odometer to know when to fill up - didn't like it, but knew the truck was ready to be traded - so it went with the non working guage. On another board there were a few threads about this and the non working guage. My low fuel light usually came on with about an 1/8 of a tank of gas.

 

I'll have to say I don't know if the quality of the sending unit is any better on the 2003 - but its accuracy seems to be quite incredible. F means full - it doesn't go beyond that and E means empty. The low level light and chime comes on with about 40 miles to go - and the DTE milage indicator is quite accurate - when it is down to less than 10 miles to empty - I can put a little over 25 gallons of gas in the tank (26 gal capacity). Getting about 14 to 14.5 MPG in town 5.3 L engine.

[Boones]

My 2000 has a bad unit... staybetween full and 3/4 then drops to empty when there is less then 1 gal left... (filled it up and I had only 3/10 of a gallon left.)

 

Its no wonder people are buying Fords and Dodges as fast as they are when GM puts out a truck with so many small problems...

 

I am a diehard Chevy fan but it still pisses me off...