Fuel gauge problem
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Gunz, first off, there is part of the fuel level circuit that stabilizes the level. This is called the anti-sloshing circuit. So, if you fill the vehicle with the key left in the RUN position (motor running or not), you will see what you are experiencing. Whenever filling the vehicle, make sure the ignition key is in the OFF position. This resets the anti-sloshing circuit and will give you an accurate indication upon starting the vehicle.
If you are turning the car completely off when refilling the vehicle, then odds are you have either a circuit fault with the anti-sloshing circuit or your float in the gas tank is sticking, leading to the problem. To check the anti-sloshing circuit, you need a 256 ohm, 128 ohm, and a 10 ohm resistor. You will then need to unplug the cable going to the fuel tank. Then, you plug the resistors into the plug one at a time and when you connect the 256 ohm resistor the level should read full, the 128 ohm resistor will make it read 1/2, and the 10 ohm resistor will make it read E. As for checking the float for smooth operation, this is going to involve dropping the fuel tank and then pulling the fuel level float out and checking it for smooth operation. Not a hard job, but not a simple 5 minute fix either.
If you are turning the car completely off when refilling the vehicle, then odds are you have either a circuit fault with the anti-sloshing circuit or your float in the gas tank is sticking, leading to the problem. To check the anti-sloshing circuit, you need a 256 ohm, 128 ohm, and a 10 ohm resistor. You will then need to unplug the cable going to the fuel tank. Then, you plug the resistors into the plug one at a time and when you connect the 256 ohm resistor the level should read full, the 128 ohm resistor will make it read 1/2, and the 10 ohm resistor will make it read E. As for checking the float for smooth operation, this is going to involve dropping the fuel tank and then pulling the fuel level float out and checking it for smooth operation. Not a hard job, but not a simple 5 minute fix either.
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Join Date: May 2008
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Tracus, if your gas gauge is reading low, then it is almost always a problem with the level sending unit in the gas tank. Unfortunately, the only fix for that is dropping the fuel tank and putting in a new sending unit. Sounds like it isn't off by too much. So, you can either live with it for the moment or spend an afternoon putting in a new one. Not a tough job, but I would highly recommend running the car as low as you dare on gas and then change it. The less gas in the tank, the easier the job is. It can be a pain trying to keep a tank fairly level when you have liquid moving around inside of it. Not to mention much lighter.
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for some unknown reason mine has repaired itself. for those of you experiencing problems i would recommend tolerating it for as long as you can. and see if it eventually fixes itsef. i think mine behaved badly only for a few months. perghaps something imechanical in the fuel sensing mechanism is prone to 'sticking'?
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