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Why is the gas guage so %*&!^ Up?!

DayUSeX

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DayUSeX Enthusiast

DayUSeX

Posted
Posted

So here is something maybe someone can help me with. I can drive 100 miles, and be just below the full notch. then at 150 miles im halfway between full and 3/4. Then at 200 miles im just below the halfway mark. Its not like it slowly decends either. Its just stays at the above till it drops dramatically. Can somone help me out?!

MrLM7 Enthusiast

MrLM7

Posted
Posted

Mine does the same thing. The reason why is you can fill the tank up past the point of detection. So it appears as full until the fuel level drops to the point of detection.

  • 4 weeks later...
john morris Enthusiast

john morris

Posted
Posted

mine sort of does that, but much more dramatically. it does not matter how much fuel i have, i'll still get a reading of low fuel even right after i fill up, drive down the road and itll hop up to a different level. sometimes it reads acurately, sometimes not. with the engine idling i listened to the sender pump which sounded a little confused; the pitch changed every so often, but i am still at a loss as to how i go about fixing the guage. does it get its reading from the sender (does the sender also contain the detection sensor?)? kinda tough to drive the milage when im in and out of 4 wheel and snowplow...

brainpause Enthusiast

brainpause

Posted
Posted

Never had a problem with any of my GM vehicles (even the $%^&* LUV pickup), but I had a weird gas gauge on my Nissan Frontier that I just sold. It hardly ever showed higher than 7/8 tank.

 

Larry

gunnerboy29 Enthusiast

gunnerboy29

Posted
Posted

My trucks guage reads low fuel all the time but about once a month to will work correctly for a couple days if i'm lucky then quit again. Any idea on how to fix it. Thanks

asepgrad98 Senior Enthusiast

asepgrad98

Posted
Posted
My trucks guage reads low fuel all the time but about once a month to will work correctly for a couple days if i'm lucky then quit again. Any idea on how to fix it. Thanks

 

replace the sending unit.

jhm Senior Enthusiast

jhm

Posted
Posted

mine works normally. dont top off. after the pump shuts off thats it, dont add more fuel to get an even dollar amount or whatever.

Koinz Enthusiast

Koinz

Posted
Posted

It's the Shape of the Tank that causes the Guage to drop relatively fast at the beginning, then seems to hold out for awhile around the half mark.

 

The volume of fuel at the top and bottom of the tank is less because the tanks are rounded there. Some are even sloped to fit into a cavity in the body. Car's to that alot.

 

Other discussions in this thread about the guage not showing correctly are definitely related to the Sending unit.

jhm Senior Enthusiast

jhm

Posted
Posted
It's the Shape of the Tank that causes the Guage to drop relatively fast at the beginning, then seems to hold out for awhile around the half mark.

 

The volume of fuel at the top and bottom of the tank is less because the tanks are rounded there. Some are even sloped to fit into a cavity in the body. Car's to that alot.

 

Other discussions in this thread about the guage not showing correctly are definitely related to the Sending unit.

Rounded edges of a tank have no effect on the guage. The sending unit measures total volume present. My gauge moves linearally, no fast drop at the full mark. If your guage is really off, you would need to replace the sending unit. Don't "top off" the tank.

IMFLYN Enthusiast

IMFLYN

Posted
Posted

Don't top off my ars. Both my previous car's fuel gauges worked flawlessly and I always topped off. It may not be good for the environment or nozzle, but won't hurt the sending unit. Think about it, when the gas is sloshing around over bumps and what not, the float would be all over the place. It being held all the way up by a topped tank isn't going to hurt a darned thing. Besides, with gas at 2.50 a gallon topping off only adds 1/4 to 1/3 a gallon anyway.

Just my .02

Dans Denali Enthusiast

Dans Denali

Posted
Posted

Hows this for &^%$##@$ed up, the fuel pump symbol on my wives 2003 YD gas gauge is on the wrong side and every time she pulls up to the pump wrong (we have several cars). All my other vehicles have the symbol on the same side as the filler.

 

Dan

Justification Enthusiast

Justification

Posted
Posted

In my opinion this is one thing that GM engineers have never been able to figure out. I've owned 9 different GM cars or trucks and all have done this. Gauge shows full until 150 miles or so, then a slow movement to 1/2 tank of gas by 300 miles, then a rapid drop to empty in the next 25-40 miles. I've gotten to where I ignore the gauge and just fill up at 300 miles +/- 25 miles.

What is so frustrating is that the gas gauge in my boat is dead to rights from full to empty. 61 gallon tank that is V-shaped due to the hull of the boat, but I've been able to estimate how much gas I need within 1 gallon at each fill up.

midasman Enthusiast

midasman

Posted
Posted

all them gm trucks in that year did that. mines an 00 and i have the same exact problem does the same thing. don't worry about it unless it bothers you

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