Diagnosis of Stuck Fuel Gauge- Is it Gauge or Sending Unit?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ม.ค. 2025
- If your fuel gauge is stuck full or empty this video may help to see if the problem is with the gauge itself, the wiring, or the sending unit. This video will show how to do this without dropping the tank or removing the IP cluster- if you can find a connector for the gauge and sending unit. NOTE: The techniques and data shown may not be applicable to your make and model!! This car is a 1989 Honda Accord.
We need more people like you to help us who is on a fixed income. May you receive many good blessings 🙌.
This world needs kind, compassionate, generous mechanics like you, despite the work involved.
We need more honest compassionate mechanics like you !
I believe your efforts to help others has eternal rewards.
+Jim Buford Even if the are temporary rewards it's still worth it!
If i remove the plug above diesel filter... It shows correct reading... When pluged in it shows wrong guage reading in skoda octavia 2...what is the problem...
The fact that you wanted to surprise this guy with a bonus fix.. shows your brilliant colors of goodness and brotherly love. You set a fantastic example for all those who are fortunate enough to witness. I for one, am proud of that example. May you be blessed in many ways. High five!
Very well done bit of trouble shooting. As a retired US Navy Diesel Engine Inspector my job was mostly the trouble shooting. Your methods both of step by step 1 thing at a time and the clear easy to understand way you presented it we're excellent. Love the resistor and will probably use one when I get to testing my stuck on 1/4 fuel guage.
That you go the extra mile to help others is to me a sign of a good person with heart. As one of to those seniors I Thank you.
You got it fixed?
@MrHernanliom unfortunately no- the repair only lasted a few weeks and then it started failing again. More unfortunately, the car owner died within a year after. He had terminal cancer the whole time.
Wow, what an honor being called "home mechanic" forget Engineering, this is a more prestigious award, feel like I am now somebody, thank you.
Matt your are so darn Awesome... most Mechanics would have swapped out the sending unit .. but you are a true Pro... your not a part swapper ... Your a Parts FIXER.. you know your stuff my friend. 2 thumbs up !!
>put,new,wireing,new,gage,,new,sendet,put,ground,wires,still,read,empty
Thank you for helping out someone on a fixed income and just being a good person. Hard to find in this day and age. I too am disabled now from a bad accident involving getting run over by a forklift at work..I was a truck driver..I used to do all my own maintenance and luckily had a father who went to school for auto mechanics way back in the 50's. He owned and operated a 10 bay repair garage and machine shop for 25yrs. His training to me has been invaluable over the years. Even in my current condition I still help all my retiree neighbors with their vehicle and other mechanical issues with what I am able to physically do. Makes me feel better about myself, and I don't even care if I get paid or not. Just feeling useful in society and good self esteem is better than any pay...you know what I mean.
I do know what you mean ;-)
True words my brother. Keep on keeping on...
Bless you
After not having a working gauge over 7 years, likely because he was afraid to see what it would cost to repair, to now a fixed gauge, I bet this guy is a customer for life and will be sending everyone he knows your way. This sort of fix will repeatedly be appreciated because we are usually looking at our gauges every time we drive. Molecular biologist? Chemistry major here.
exactly my thought
i am hoping you can help me. 98 mustang 3.8L i keep going through fuel pumps. A friend told me it's cause i buy the cheap ones. the last one i installed the gas guage slowly goes to full and stays there. it sounds like from your video that perhaps i have a short. it takes 3-5 minutes to get to full but it is consistent.
@@jaredhopkins5642 did you get the mustang repaired? I am just wondering
This may not have been for my vehicle, but of course I needed to say how awesome that you are helping this man. This is a true example of human kindness. May you receive many Blessings in return.
Outstanding video. Very helpful. I just had a new fuel pump and filter installed on my 2008 Tacoma, and the fuel gauge is now stuck on full. Here's hoping they honor their 3-year warranty on their repairs! Thanks for the great video.
Thank you for your video. When you removed the sending unit and opened the box containing the variable resister, I was inspired to do the same thing. I was worried about contamination, so I sprayed the resistor block and contact point with carburetor cleaner to remove any varnish. Then, I sprayed the resistor block with the spray can electronic contact cleaner. After I did this, the resistance reading were perfect.
Unfortunately, this was not the cause of my fuel gauge failure. My neighbor and I discovered that the brass float had developed a hole and was filled with gas. No matter what level of gas I had, the gauge would always show empty. Now, I know why. Found a replacement float. Installed it and the fuel gauge works now. Life is good!!
Dude.. you are a gentleman and a scholar. Very wise format. I have absolutely subscribed. I appreciate your in depth presentation of the issues that we sooner or later face. Thank you very much.
Just tuned in, and after you said you were going to just replace the fuel sending unit I thought to myself "no way" that's not Matt. Right about then you scooted back into the picture... I knew better... Matt, thanks! You're in a class of your own...
Ha I fooled everyone on that!!!
Excellent video! Even 8 years later. I was going to just replace a fuel pump / sending unit *knowing* that it would be the idiot's approach - and one that would cost around $400 just for the unit. But after watching your clear explanation and sensible diagnosis, I don't have anything to lose by copying your technique. Thanks for making this video!
You present the best videos for the DIYer. Keeping explanations simple and coming up with cool ways to test components.
Thank you very much!
You really had me fooled by the intro! I could hardly believe my ears that you were about to change the sending unit right off the bat! And good job on helping the fellow out, I'm sure that was quite satisfying.
Hahahaha Got ya! I really, really appreciate my regular viewers so i wanted to do something that only they would get and appreciate. Thanks for watching enough of my channel to get the beginning!!
i want to thank you soooo much for this video, my tractor ( Zetor proxima 7441) fuel gauge was showing more than full, with and without sender plugged in. i noticed you testing with a resistor and i remembered that i have a bunch of resistors from an arduino kit. I tried your method and yup! fuel gauge moved as i connected and disconnected a 100ohm resistor!
I thought it was a bad gauge but you my friend have proven me wrong!
now ill take out the sender and hope that the rest of your instructions can save me from spending any money on it!
This is great! I'm a "try and fix it myself" kind of girl and my fuel gauge is giving me strange readings so I'm going to have a go at diagnosing the problem. Thanks so much for sharing the knowledge!
Matt, you are much like myself. If I run across something that I can do as an aside in the course of a repair, I find it very satisfying to go back to the customer and say "oh, by the way, I fixed the problem you were having with your fuel gauge" just as you got the satisfaction of doing.
At first I was surprised to see very experienced technicians go right for the sending unit, rather than testing first. Then I realized how hard it is to get there. They don't want to waste time searching for wires under the hood, and of course they argue that the culprit is usually not the gauge. Watching your videos is a refreshing look at what you can do when you have more time. Those guys never try to fix, or rarely even test a sending unit near open gasoline. Having the customer pay to replacing the unit is done to avoid conflict that may damage the shop's reputation.... Great video!
Thanks Dave, and yes you are absolutely right. I know shops get a bad rap for replacing parts that can be "repaired" like in this video but, had I been paid to do this repair, I would have installed a new part to prevent a come-back. It's better business in the long run and the shop is simply trying to prevent comebacks, not rip people off by selling new parts. My problem is when shops replace parts without diagnosing them, make the wrong call, and still charge the customer under the guise of "well, that part we changed was bad but now that we replaced it we can see the real problem better..."
Indeed my biggest advantage over a professional mechanic is I have time. I had the whole weekend to do the work on this one car so I can afford to be thorough. My methods would be dramatically different where I paid on hours booked. In that case I'd have immediately called the sending unit when the gauge went to zero after unplugging it, replaced the unit, done a couple manual tests to ensure it works and I'm done in under an hour.
We're damned if we do and damned if we don't.
***** Very true, Thomas. And there are legitimate reasons you could get damned with a comeback even with the right diagnosis and repair. I once had an easy one- O2 sensor circuit code and find dead B1 S1 O2 sensor with a trace at dead zero. Replaced, worked fine with normal waveform. Week later, customer says MIL back on. No way, I'm thinking. I read code and now it's an 0420 cat code. Of course, there was no way the 0420 would have shown with the dead sensor, so fixing the sensor "revealed" the cat code. Of course explaining this to a customer is not so easy- to them the same check engine light came back on and they want the O2 sensor money back!!
Schrodingers Box Great story, worth remembering. You could make a video of 'top 10' examples like this, where the computer's perspective is distorted by how it sees the world.
I've been trying to fix my sending unit/fuel gauge/something else for two months. I got some new tests to do in this excellent video, and tomorrow is saturday! Now that's a good time to be alive!
"Sorry, I couldn't RESIST" LOL
Hey Matt, I know I'm a nobody, but thanks for doing what you did for the young gentleman and his gauge. For someone who's on a limited budget, it sure is a nice hand up ! ......awesome work dude !
Lol why would you be a nobody? You sound like a nice guy that you would notice that and take time to comment! Welcome to the channel!
Thanks for the welcome.
I figured, there's so much poop in this world, stinky stuff, and filthy scenes, crappy scenarios. So I might as well point out some of the good things that are happening, so it wont be such a sickening place to live in. And those people who are now fed up living, gets their back scratched, and have a little hope, .....of goodness.
I actually learned three things.
1. How a sending unit works.
2. Some molecular biologists are vehicular psychologists.
3. You're pretty cool.
YEAH MELANIE SUCKS AND MAULKS
a video so full of love , thank you for helping your brother. Life will pay you with happiness ,thanks for for the video and for helping all your brothers. you a good bro.
+Derpy Hooves Thanks bro. Sadly, the guy I did this for died last year from cancer. I never even knew he was ill-- no one did, not even his family!! He was a great guy, I am glad I had a chance to cross paths with him as a result of this channel!
Schrodingers Box my fuel pump works has 4 wirings but fuel gauge stuck on empty on full tank.How to test sending unit wiring.
very good and nice to know that you spent time helping someone who was short of money its really good of you
Thanks a lot for your intelligence, your method and your wish to get to the roots of everything. You're not only a good mechanic, you're also a clever and well balanced mind.
That first line has me rolling. Great video. I am diagnosing a 2012 BMW with a similar problem and I want to make sure I've tested the systems independently, and now I can, thanks for sharing this!!!
I have the same issue with the 89 Accord I just bought tonight. Going to try this fix as soon as I get the chance. Thanks for the help.
If I haven't seen this video I wouldn't be able to know how to test and do check my fuel sending unit properly, I do try and fix my own cars to save money and I do appreciate your help sir. I have this 1998 lexus gs300 that it has a lump on the gas tank due to their gas tank design and my gas won't hit full even though I have a full tank of gas. I hope this will work now since both sending units works properly thanks to your guidance. I really appreciate you sir and hope you're doing well and still wrenching till today 🙏🏼🙌🏼
You're a hell of a good guy ... congrat's & thanks for this video.
I've, pretty clearly, a gauge problem: ('82 Mercedes 240D)--
1. I opened instrument panel (for bulbs/oil gauge line, etc., work)...
2. after reassembly, gauge goes up only 2/3s. 3. It DOES decrease, appropriately, down to empty; i.e., when filling tank, gauge goes up to 2/3s, as if obstructed.
Mystery = how'd I screw it up by just having back opened?
I can't recall, nor see, where I'd hit or otherwise damaged gauge.
Thanks again. It's a privilege to enjoy your "vibe" & good wit, brains & heart.
Have a hip holiday.
Did u ever fix ur gauge? I have an issue on my 98 Camry where the gauge works from full down to about half and then stops working. I already swapped sending unit and problem persists so it must be the gas gauge. I wonder if u fixed urs.
Hello Matt, I realize this is a bit of an old thread but still relevant. Love your Video's and I just came across this one.
I'd like to share a bit of info with you and your viewers that may be of help in the future. I used to do a lot of electrical and electronic service and repairs. With variable resisters / brush contacts that were faulty and giving erroneous or no readings, I found that by using an electronic contact cleaner, an old used and soft green scrub pad and also 2000 grit wet and dry sandpaper will do a remarkable renewal of the contact surfaces.
First make sure the rotating part is moving freely. Trim the sandpaper so it fits and slides under the brushes, wet it with cleaner and gently slide it back and forth to renew the contact surface being sure not to lift or bend the brushes. Then wet the fixed carbon surface and gently use the green pad to rub it down. Finish off by spraying off all residues with the cleaner and test for smoothness and variable resistance. Q-Tips also work good on small brush contacts.
Cheers
Wow i have been to mechanics and dont bother testing to this extent. This is great workmanship
You're a good man for doing things like this for people, and I can only imagine his reaction when his car was returned. Always a good thing to have that kind of positive karma.
Hey, if you're in the 5 boro's of NY, let me know. I'm having the same issue the fuel gauge not indicating the correct level. Shame too, because I purchased a 2005 Kia Sorrento last week as a surprise for my daughter to take back with her to Texas for collage. Unfortunately, I didn't noticed the gauge issue until the gas light came on and almost ran out of gas.So now the car has to stay here with me until I get it fixed, and then another thousand dollars to have it transported to Texas afterwards.
You seems like a nice guy. Really taking care of your customers. I have the same problem with my 1999 civic. And thanks for your video
nivlem131303 mines is same but reading empty, did you diagnose the problem?
Nice video, I hope the old guy was happy with your efforts! well done.
Thanks Ruski- he was absolutely thrilled! And just as it should be, the good karma move caused him to tell his friends about me, meaning more videos will be coming soon!! It also means, of course, the fix is still working.
Nice result! keep up the good work.
I don't usually enjoy videos this much, good work, VERY GOOD work, you are very entertaining and much appreciated here.
+Monkey Bones Thanks man! You should comment more often lol
if ur not really a aiutomotive enthusiast, then ur just guessing throwing parts in, etc.... a person that really wants to learn the right way takes time to learn the basic principle on how things work etc.. like basic elcctricity etc..., so u can grasp an idea of whats goin on with ur car, like ur videos keep them coming,
100% agree!!!
Yes it was very help full. Yes I'm a home mechanic, mostly on cars from 1988 to 2005.
If only I would of known this information when installing a new sending unit in my 77 ford
f-150. there was nothing wrong with the old sending unit and the gauge worked. Now with the new tank and new sending unit. I have a non working gas gauge. so obviously the new sending
unit, not doing something. It's just installed in the truck now. I wish I would of tested it before installing. Next time I'll do what you did, and know what I have before installing tank. thks
You're a good guy! I am the same. There are not many out there that get a kick out of just helping people in need sometimes. Good job. You just took all of the guessing out for this old guy that could end up on the side of the road empty.
Miles S. Thanks, he was definitely appreciative. Unfortunately the owner of this vehicle passed away a couple months ago. I never even knew he was dying of cancer- and in fact no one else knew, not even his family.
Great and interesting video (and intro of course)! I like your trick with the resistor, trying to emulate the sending unit. If you have a resistor lying on the bench and do not know the resistance value of it, you can always use your multimeter and measure it (no need to learn the color coding schemes). Then it is convenient with autorange function of the meter.
Besides being a top notch mechanic, you are also a good guy.
Thanks man!!
Best video on this topic I've found been searching for 3 days love it love it love it thank you so much
God bless you for fixing the fuel Gage for the older gentlemen.
I am glad I did. unfortunately he died about a year after I did this video.
Glad I stumbled across this video! My '96 F250 has the same problems but I've had a glad time narrowing the problem but I'll try all these tests soon. Thanks a lot!
Zach Plank Yep - you are smart to do the testing first. See other comment just before yours of someone who just changed the sending unit and pump without diagnosis first- and it didn't fix the problem. Probably $180 wasted and no fix. In fact, most likely the cause is going to be a free fix- just short to ground on the gauge signal explains his problem perfectly. A little electrical tape is probably all he needed instead of a fuel pump and sending unit. Hopefully thats the case for you and you can fix it the first time for free.
Hi Matt, Thank you for sharing this video. I'm from India and I've got a very peculiar problem with my 1993 built Toyota Carina E. The gauge was erratic when we got the car a few years ago, and it seemed to be stuck at half-tank. After my mechanic took the sending unit out, cleaned the variable resistor contacts and put it back, it was stuck at E. The bizarre part is that when we took the unit out while it was connected to the gauge and moved the float, the reading changed perfectly - all three positions, E , half tank and full tank perfectly corresponded to the float positions but the moment we put the unit inside the tank, it wouldn't budge from E or at best, hovered a little above E. He did this whole routine of taking the unit out and putting it back inside a few times, finally gave up and told me the sender unit was shot. So I painstakingly searched for a replacement and actually got the same unit from Toyota UK and had it shipped to India (very expensive!). Today we changed the sender unit, and voila..the same problem continues! It's enough to make me tear my hair out..why on earth does the unit not work when it's immersed into the tank? Oh and I have another question for you - what is the little extension on the sender unit, the one with the wire wound around the connecting rod? I would really appreciate any ideas you could throw at me. Thanks!
Prashanth Raju Sounds to me like you have an intermittent poor ground.
Schrodingers Box Thank you for responding. Could you explain what you mean by poor grounding and how I could rectify it?
Prashanth Raju Sounds like loose wiring that grounds the pump. Usually the ground for the pump is on the frame of the vehicle.
Schrodingers Box I just found the electrical diagram for this car here: www.slideshare.net/fahimhyder1/toyotacarinae1992-1997haynesserviceandrepair Page 220, grid A6
Looks like there's an earth wire running from the fuel sender to the LH Kick Panel..got to check this tomorrow. Thanks!
Yep the tank to sender unit earth socket must have been loose. Disconnected and reconnected it and the gauge is working great! Thanks
Hey Jesus Shuttlesworth I replaced the fuel pump and sending unit in my daughters truck. I removed the 6 bolts holding the bed on and disconnected the rear light wiring harness. Then slid the bed back about 2 feet. way easier than dropping the tank.
i have an 87 honda accord, looks the be the same layout as the car in the video, accept my gauge reads empty, i just replaced the fuel pump and brought this car back to life, wondered how i should go about this, i remember at around 5:17 you said something about the circuit being open, wondered what fuse you are talking about, the main relay?
I was referring to the fact that the circuit to the gauge itself from the sending unit may be open. The video shows how to test for that.
Great video I'm about to test my honda's sending unit now. Well demonstrated, again great informative video.
Great video. My son's older Toyota vehicle has a non-responsive gas gauge. Looking forward to diagnosing it now that I have a better understanding how it all works. Thank you so much!
good will.thats why you're a good mechanic and people come back to ya brother.good man.
Excellent, excellent video on this topic! The easiest of troubleshooting methods explained here. Thank you!
do u have to disconnect battery when changing fuel pump or sending unit ???
Thanks.... loved the way you broke everything down step by step.. certainly opened up my awareness...
+Samuel Olujimni Thanks man!
Great video, can only add a small safety tip: no smoking whyle opening a fuel tank!
You're a rare breed of molecular biologist/mechanic to help a vulnerable person instead of cheating them.
I can't access the wires on the fuel pump to my 05 Impala to see if that's why my gas gauge stopped working because I have no access panel.
Is there any other place I can access the connection between the gas gauge and the fuel pump to diagnose it besides the fuel pump?
I can't find a wiring diagram and for all I know there's a loose connection under the body of the car that I could reach if I could just find the wires.
My gauge stopped working while at a shop for transmission work and rear brakes.
It began clunking and grinding like I've never heard a car do before I even left the parking lot.
They said they forgot to remove the parking brake clips and they fell off. They said they had to disconnect the parking brake and gave me a free oil change.
I'm a widow with kids and these people have no soul. For all I know they damaged my fuel gauge (and parking brakes) but don't want to admit it.
That's why I want to diagnose it myself before trusting another mechanic.
it’s easiest to drop the gas tank slightly later on most chevy models and others without the access panel.
Schrodingers Box It sounds like you're saying the only way to diagnose it is to drop the tank, but it's even harder because it's an older model.
If that's the case then I assume I'd need a mechanic to do it, except that it would cost so much that they'd say it needs a fuel/sender unit even if it doesn't because they had to drop the tank.
I've read comments from people with access panels who replaced the pump & sender unit only to find it didn't fix the problem with the gas gauge.
Some have replaced stepper motors or instrument clusters too when it ended up being a "harness plug" or some loose connection somewhere between the fuel tank, pump/sender and gas gauge.
How would you handle this problem?
Thanks
The way I would do it if there was no access panel is very simply drop the tank a couple inches, access the wiring I need, and do my voltage tests. I find this easiest by far and i do it all the time. If I find the issue is not at the sending unit or wiring and inducing variable resistance had no effect on gauge movement, I would then test the gauge at the dashboard directly to identify the open or failed component. I have a video doing this on a speedometer on a Yukon or Bravado or similar in fact.
thanks for sharing. I am actually having an issue with my GL1800 fuel gauge. based on this presentation, I have a better understanding of the mechanics behind this and how to trouble shoot my issue. I think in my case, I will have to pull my fuel sending unit as well and see if its stuck etc. by disconnecting my wires, the gauge did drop to E. based on your information, that pegs it more to the sending unit than the gauge.. Thanks again...
Plenty of sources for proper diagrams, gravity einstien and newton had it covered. but thanks to you and the Prussian society of polytecnics
Nice diagnostics Matt. Just a tip when you can't get to the sending unit easily is that I look for a connector which is usually under the hood that goes out to the sending unit. There at the connector I'll put a rheostat or you can use a resistor as you did to simulate the sending unit.
Thanks Terry, I would do that if I didn't have an access at the sending unit connector at the tank. My thinking was the closer to the tank I am, the more wiring I am checking as well as the gauge and unit. By checking at the tank, if I get the gauge to respond the problem must be in the tank and cannot possibly be wiring from my test site to the tank, right?
Exactly Matt. I would do exactly as you've said. If you can get access to the sending unit, then by all means check it there first as you've mentioned, you're checking all the wiring too. It was only if you had to drop a tank to get to the sending unit would I look for a connector else where. I would hate to drop a tank only to find outer later that it was inside the instrument cluster. Take care Matt...
Great video very helpful. I am now suffering from the same thing in my 2002 Toyota Tacoma. Also when I open my doors the red door lights dont display in the dash. I will try your methods first.
God you are a godsend why can’t there be more mechanics like you
How nice of you!
Thank you. followed your video and managed to fix my Kia Venga fuel gauge problem.
Excellent! nice job!!
Excellent and concise explanation. La pièce de resistance was delicious Mr Bond. LoL
great video matt, I'm my way to diagnose a same problem except this reads empty, it has a new pump, and it was reading perfect, but few days later didn't read , 1996 cherokee
laredo 4.0, thank you again matt, cheers from ontario california.
Im facing this problem right now, the gauge is stuck at 1/4. Im not sure how to access the sending unit so im taking it to the dealer to evaluate. I replaced the sending unit a few years ago so this time it might be the gauge but lets check the sending unit for dirt, corrosion, etc. and then do the manual test with the gauge before ripping the dashboard out.
What about the contacts in the plug and the fuel sensor socket . Did you clean those.
Thank you for such an informative video! I just bought a used Infiniti i30 and notice the gas gauge hasn't moved in over a week so wanted to see what I could find online. This gives me a good starting point. Thank you. :)
so grateful for this video!! I have a Pontiac Aztek, so it probably doesn't apply, but the frame of reference is amazing!! Thank you!!
+Robert Moore II This applies to most every car using potentiometric fuel level sensing.
Great news again!! Thank you!!
You helped me find a way to diagnose my problem. Thank You.
Most welcome!
My Santa Fe has two sending units. Gauge would slowly drop as the tank emptied, then at about 1 quarter tank it would start the other way. Also it would never read full. Found one float sitting at the bottom of the tank. Access ports made this all easy to fix.
I would first check resistors with an ohm meter if you can't read the color codes. Very low value resistors might cause things to burn out in some situations.
+Chris Gonzales Never heard of that design before. Interesting!
Okay, so I watched this but I don't know if it pertains to my vehicle. 2005 Pontiac Montana Base. The fuel gauge stuck way past the full mark after I filled up my tank. I had reset the trip meter when I filled up as well and at about 320 miles the Low Fuel Light went on. (horrible gas mileage driving in town) Anyway, since the low fuel light works it seems to me that the sending unit and float are working. What other issue could it be? Also, all other gauges on dashboard are working fine.
I had my fuel pump replaced about 2 yrs ago. After about 8 months into the pricey repair job the gas gauge reflected empty tank once I near or go under a half tank of gas. What could be possible points to look at? This is frustrating as I depend on 99 honda odyssey van to transport myself and son who is severely disabled and in a wheelchair.
Help greatly appreciated, thank you
Sounds like a faulty sending unit to me.
Apologies for my comment. It wasn't aimed at honest mechanics.
In my experience they're like unicorns but I'm sure this man isn't the only one.
I actually think the issue isn’t with honesty in most cases- it’s with competence.
Hi there I hope you can help me,I bring my 2010 ford escape to ford dealer because of fuel pump recall after 1 day I notice the reading of my fuel,fuel gauge and mileage goes higher,the next day on my way home from work it stop on the freeway without warning,ford towed and fix it for me because part of it is there fault n my fault is the car doesn't have gas which is I didn't know since the reading is not correct,when I pick up my car for the second time on ford and put 30$ gas the fuel gauge is still stuck on empty,what do I have to do,tired of calling ford and I'm searching on website how much to change it nd it cost 2 weeks of my paycheck,can u help me
Sounds to me like your new fuel pump was not installed properly and sending unit was either damaged or is obstructed.
Schrodingers Box how much do you think it will cost me for repair
Depends- if there was defect from the installation it should cost nothing. Otherwise upwards of $500 nor even $700-$800.
If I fixed it, probably $400 total.
Your awesome for doing this for the elderly man and showing how to test. my car 98 mercury grand mrqs was parked and hit, since then the gauge is stuck between half a tank and 1/4 tank. do u think it would be the sending unit as well? there was minimal damage when the druggie hit my car cracked my rear bumper on the passenger side, I have a tow bar installed so that's prob what saved me from more damage. he hit that right rear corner and pushed the car over sideways about 4 feet.
until this happened I had no problems with my car.
could be. could also not be. What is your voltage variance on the sensor sweep as shown in the video?
that is a good question....im just a girly girl ....hopefully I can find someone that can test it for me. thanks for replying.
That was a nice thing you did for your customer, God bless you my friend.
Thanks for the ideas!Yes I have a good idea how the sender works for all cars, including my 1954 willys.I will try to imitate your tests on my sender unit and try to determine if it works or not.
Fantastic diagnostics Matt. The coding of the resistor is very similar to cellular and molecular biology of signal transduction and understanding of how eukaryotic cells receive, transmit and respond to environmental signals. Hope this helps. :)
Hi Steve, when I went to electrical school they taught us the phrase that "Bad Boys Rape Our Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly". The first letter of each word would give the color of the resistor. For example, the numbering goes from 0-9. When you see orange, that would 3.
stuzman52 I would guess today the schools have rephrased their teaching somewhat, today a teacher would receive at least 30 lashes for disparaging Violet . LOL
LOL...yeah Steve, I was thinking of that when I was typing it in whether schools still taught that phrase. I remember when we had girls taking the electronics classes and it didn't matter then. They got the same phrase too. It's funny how people change their views as time passes on.
Ha thanks Steve but I somehow find cellular transduction much easier than electrical!!
Zombie Apocalypse - Sounds like my car! Thank you for showing us this!!
What are as did you clean, the point of signal touches the ground?
To help answer Raju problem. I had to change my boats sending unit. Same issue. OK out of the tank and empty in the tank. Believe it or not, but the float stopped floating!? replaced it and it works now.
I have a 2003 Buick Rendezvous that is notorious for fuel gauge problems. Mine works, but I get the low fuel light on the first start up. Even with a full tank of gas! The light remains for a few minutes and then the needle slowly moves back to the correct amount of fuel in the tank. And then if I start it up again it goes back to normal. Not a big problem, but I'd rather go ahead and fix it. Any help is appreciated.
What were the results when you did the diagnostic tests as shown in the video and what help do you need interpreting them?
Awesome video!! I have a different problem. My 91 Wrangler : Key on - Needle goes way past full. Key off - needle drops to empty. Key on - connector to tank (sending unit) unplugged - stays on full. Short on wire from gauge to connector ??
I have a question. if you unplug the gage and the level drops to empty, wouldn't that automatically rule out the guage and wires as the cause?
I have a 95 Accord with the guage stuck at full, and am at work away from my multimeter.
Ok...thank u for the info. An another question for the accord.... It sometimes hesitates to start what might be the problem?
+Temo Leon A million Things. what data do you have? what is the LTFT and STFT at static vs idle? what is the static vs load fuel pressure? what is the desired vs actual IAC position? what ignition tests have you done? What is the EGR desired vs actual position?
Need data to make any determination.
I have an 88' crx with the same exact issue. Two questions. How did you open the inside of the sending unit? How did you apply the electrical contact solution? Thank you much!!
open it by removing the bolts. Just spray the cleaner over the variable resistor.
So you think the variable resistor just needed a good clean in order to properly work? I'll bet rust/corrosion causes issues. I am helping a friend with an 89 Honda Prelude and it had a seized fuel pump from sitting too many years and the whole assembly was rusted over. I had to sand off the rust and install a new pump. Now it works great. But the sender is separate and I haven't pulled it out. Gauge always reads empty, so must be because it's really rusty = high corrosion and therefore showing empty. I was gonna replace the sender, but this has inspired me to fix it and see if I can clean the rust / crap off it and get it working again.
it worked for me. Usually it’s a temporary fix at best though. If the customer had the money I would have recommended a new sending unit.
@@SchrodingersBox problem might be that getting a new sending unit for an 89 model might be difficult now.
You are a good man. I love you. May our father in heaven bless you
I have a '97 lesabre and it (fuel gauge) barely moves,from the full position to 3/4 mark,maybe I can clean the sending unit connection?and it will work,i hope so,thanks for the video.
+roger b I don't know if that will work- what did you diagnose as the cause of the problem- sending unit, wiring, or gauge?
What might be the problem on my 2001 Honda Accord EX with no problem with the gas gauge but the empty gas light stayed on even on full tank?
+Temo Leon There is a separate circuit for indicator that is independent of the gauge. same diagnosis Procedure but for the indicator instead of the gauge.
I have a 2001 Ford Taurus, the fuel gauge has not worked for a few years now, today I replaced the fuel pump and sending unit module due to fuel pump failure and was hoping the new sending unit would correct the failing gauge ( always stuck on full) but it didn't help. Now I need to check elsewhere. :(
hi I like look in your works as I think you are good . So I want to you ask my Honda civic 2006 auto reverse sometime engage in and then not ? the car engage D and the car move forward before press on th gas panel .? I change transmission fluid a few day ago and check sensor all . but the car still have the reverse jerk when engage the reverse? please help me..... many thanks
Check the shift solenoids. Both need to operate for reverse
My problem is different. My gauge works but my low fuel light stopped working. My sending unit is together with my pump in the same assembly. The assembly is expensive. What should i do?
sounds like a simple bulb replacement. check for voltage at the bulb to confirm.
@@SchrodingersBox . Took out bulb and checked it. The bulb is fine
and what is the voltage at the socket showing when gauge is at empty (open circuit on sender)?
@@SchrodingersBox . I have no idea what the voltage was because the mechanic checked it not me.
well that would be the first he should have done regardless of if the bulb is good or not. can’t speak to that but I cannot imagine checking the bulb and not the voltage. time for a new mechanic!!
Very great informative video. Helped me figure out what’s going with my fuel gauge. Thanks a lot.
Per the slow response of the fuel gage….is there a 'muting' circuit that dampens the
movement. If not it would seem the rheostat should provide instant gage change ? ? ?
+berkmanyt I think it just nature of the mechanical gauge vs a digital gauge. I am not sure the actual mechanism behind the slow change.
Hi, I hope this reaches you.
I have a problem with my fuel gauge.
And here's what I did.
Changed the faulty sending unit.
Tested the unit and the gauge, it worked properly, by imitating empty, half, and full tank.
But once I place it back inside the tank, the reading becomes unreliable. One of the main reason. It does not move when feuling up, or when I tried to deplete all fuel.
Didn't move. It's stuck on the quarter position.
My car is a KIA Sportage 1997-98.
Just trying to restore it, since it's just passed down to me.
one thing that can cause that is a voltage drop on the wiring. I would definitely check for that.
Thanks but Why did you cut off the part where you are cleaning the variable resistor?
because I did not want to get spray on the camera
@@SchrodingersBox that’s where the most important information lies. at least tell us how you cleaned the variable resistant and what spray or liquid you used all in all the rest of the video is well done
just a regular electrical cleaner.
The most important information lies in the diagnosis. cleaning the resistor is nothing special. you could do it with alcohol and a Q-tip if you wanted.
@@SchrodingersBox fair enough
Awesome, dude!
I like your intellect, and even more your good heart.
You give "Automotive Technicians" a good name. ;)
Thanks man but i’m actually a DIY- not a technician. but if i give a demographic a good name that’s fine by me!!
Hi there…
Mine showed signs of failure some month ago.I took it out and saw there was a cut wire on the sending unit.soldered it and thought it was it.seemed it works fine for some Klms but suddenly fell on empty again.thought it did break again but when took it out again soldered wires where ok…cleaned it , changed the plastic damaged cover of the upper plug tried it 2-3 times and it does the same thing.when I put key on it seems fine but after a few mins drops bit by bit to empty.wtf??anyone any ideas?