Fuel Gauge Not Accurate

[Connors33]

Well I was coming home from Purdue after visiting some friends for the weekend and the last time I remember looking at my fuel gauge I was a little under a 1/4 of a tank and when I looked at it again my fuel gauge is all the way at empty and it's telling me that I have low fuel when I know have 1/4 of a tank.

Any idea on what it might be and how much it might cost to fix it?

 

[bigmeadersGTP]

Mine does the same thing, would like to know if it is common.....BOILER UP!!

 

[Will5600]

you need a new fuel pump that is were the sensor is.

 

[matt5112]

I have heard that these cars tend to read in a way so that you almost can't run out of fuel.

 

[SuperSport]

The fuel gauge sending unit is bad. No need to change the fuel pump, just the float and sensor that is clipped onto the side of the pump. I got one from GMPartsDirect.com for about 90 dollars. Took about a half hour to change, and the fuel pump comes right out of the trunk.

 

[Connors33]

Ok, thanks for the replies, i figured i'd put in $5 in gas to see if that would fix it and it worked just fine, and it said i had a range of 70 miles left, so could it still be the sensor or whatever?

 

[QwikGT]

all w-bodies read like that.

 

[Connors33]

So basically they just drop it all the way to empty to make you get some gas?

 

[GMPUNK]

if i park on an incline me gauge goes all the way to empty. Decline goes to full. the dealer looked into to it and told me it was a fuel level sensor and gave me an estimate of $430 installed, damn crooks.

 

[Connors33]

if i park on an incline me gauge goes all the way to empty. Decline goes to full. the dealer looked into to it and told me it was a fuel level sensor and gave me an estimate of $430 installed, damn crooks.

i believe just about all cars do that since when you're on a hill the gas moves around in the tank. it did that in my 97 bonneville.

 

[matt5112]

i believe just about all cars do that since when you're on a hill the gas moves around in the tank. it did that in my 97 bonneville.

Not as much anymore... some "other" cars average their readings over much longer periods of time so that effect is much less noticeable.