fuel gauge intermitent

[gsXmitsu]

my fuel gauge is soooo freaking screwy. when i fill up the gauge goes up just as its supposed to, but after a half a tank closer to a quarter it drops down way past empty. then sometimes it will come back up but a good bit lower than it was. then it drops down again. then after quite some time the low fuel light comes on. when i fill it back up it goes right back to full. anyone know what the problem is and how to fix it? any help is appreciated. thanks



Trey

 

[Jetrosr]

Sounds like the fuel sender in the tank has an open circuit. Sometimes you can buy just the gauge sender, but most times you will have to buy the entire unit (sender, fuel pump, fixture and wires) Visual Frequently Answered Questions - Home Page If you have a volt/ohm meter you can check it for a dead spot once you pull it.

 

[luv2rallye]

Or the fuel sender has broken partway or completely off. If you short the yellow wire (back at the fuel tank) to ground the gauge should read full with key on (so you can test if it's not the sender).

 

[gsXmitsu]

it reads full then drops down.

 

[luv2rallye]

If it stays on full while the wire is grounded the gauge is ok. If it drops down from full while you still have the wire grounded, it's faulty or you have a bad connection.