Fuel Gauge strangeness

[DLTARNU]

My fuel gauge never shows itself to be completely full. The furthest it goes to the right is about 3/4 full, even when the tank is topped off. And yes, I'm absolutely positive it was topped off because gas was coming out of the filler neck and spilling out the overflow. (the automatic shut-off was not working on the particular gas pump I was using)

Also, I've never been able to put more than 13 gallons in, even when the needle is on 0, all the way to the left. I thought the gas tank was 19 gallons?

Anyone ever have this problem?


Thanks!

 

[Wild Bill]

I have the exact same problem. Full tank=3/4 in gauge. Empty=1/4 left I get to nervous and go ahead and fill up at that point. It seems to be getting worse. Anybody with any ideas of what (if anything) we should do?

Bill

 

[rcdice]

Wasn't there some big news story recently re: Shell gas in the South having too much of something(?) in it? The result was fuel gauges not reading correctly. I know FL was one of the states, AR might have been too.

 

[BruceW]

My gas gauge has done that since I've owned the car.

 

[AviP]

I usually fill 15-16 gallons in my tank at every fill. The needle goes beyond the full mark when I do that.

 

[venomblue550]

that problem is becuase the gas itself... some state got stuff in the gas, so the computer doesn't read as good, becuase my friend's car was out of state and it happened, and now he is back in town, the gauge back to normal....

 

[YouWish]

I've never had that problem mine reads full.

 

[ByteMe]

Here's a troubleshooting guide, albeit for chevy trucks. Check out the paragraph on low reading fuel gauges, about 4 paragraphs from the bottom.

 

[Viper99]

Mine too, very quirky on my 1999 RT/10.
I usually put about $10 when I reach 1/2 tank. It's never been accurate since day one.

 

[Silver Snake]

that problem is becuase the gas itself... some state got stuff in the gas, so the computer doesn't read as good, becuase my friend's car was out of state and it happened, and now he is back in town, the gauge back to normal....

How could that even be possible?! I believe the gauge works this way to protect the fuel pump and because there is no "low fuel" light.

Mark

 

[99 R/T 10]

Wasn't there some big news story recently re: Shell gas in the South having too much of something(?) in it? The result was fuel gauges not reading correctly. I know FL was one of the states, AR might have been too.

I have been using Shell for the last two tanks because I wanted to see if there was a benefit to their new "V power" gas. My gauge just started to read low. Are the gauges read off of a float in the tanks or is it done by specific gravity? I would love to hear Tom "the oil and gas guru" put in his $.02! Hey Tom, it this new gas any good and is it causing the low read problem?

Mike

 

[Silver Snake]

Are the gauges read off of a float in the tanks or is it done by specific gravity?

Mike

That sounds way too high tech for these cars.

 

[Jack B]

There is a variable resistor float switch. For the gas to alter the reading it would have to change the resistance, which it could do if the gas contains some conductive additive.

 

[rcdice]

Apparently the "bad" gas contained excessive amounts of sulfur in it. Here is one of many articles on the story.

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/29/Tampabay/Tainted_gas_gums_up_f.shtml

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

The EPA's push to low sulfur gasolines for better emissions has actually stressed the refining system and upset the balance for making gasoline/diesel/heating oil/kerosene to supply the US demand. Becuase of the demand for more gasoline than "middle distillates" the refineries are far more complicated to operate and run than in Europe, where passenger car diesel demand keeps the product slate much closer to what you can more easily extract from crude.

Occasional hiccups at a refinery produce a form of sulfur compound that is aggressive to silver contacts on the fuel gauge sending unit. There isn't a source of sulfur that can "leak into" gasoline as the article implies.

Typically, Japanese and European sending units are gold plated and don't have this problem. The sulfur forms a coating on the windings and the electrical contact is lost. The needle will begin by jumping - as if the wire was being momentarily disconnected, but then reconnected, which is exactly what is happening. When it's bad enough, the needle will read zero, which is the default postion. (OEMs would want the sytem to fail to empty, otherwise a bad gauge or sending unit would fool the customer to thinking they could keep driving. I don't think there is a US OEM that designed their gauges this way!)

Unfortunately, if this happens, there isn't a fix other than removing or physically cleaning the windings. In theory, alcohols might reverse the chemical reaction, but many gasolines already contain 10% ethanol.

I'm also surprised to see the issue with premium. The problems occur with regular, since that is the huge majority of the volume, and it's trying to maximize the volume that leads to things like this.

It costs about a penny per octane number to produce higher octane gasoline. Roughly, 91 octane costs 4 cents more than 87 octane, but is sold for 20 cents more? Selling premium for regular prices should still cover the service station's costs, and if the producer (Shell) told the stations to do so, you can bet they are paying the difference. I don't think the service stations suffered at all, especially since they didn't even have to clean out or pump down their tanks.

 

[DLTARNU]

Thanks for the tips on the bad gas issue. I filed a claim with Shell for reimbursement for the repair.

(I use Shell gas almost exclusively, but have also put in Sunoco and Texaco gas, both of which had the same problem)

If you want to file a claim with Shell to cover the costs of having your fuel gauge repaired, here is the number:

1-888-502-7323

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Search the news for Shell Canada, circa spring 2002, and they also had a huge field problem and paid lots of bills. There was also a beginning of a class action suit, don't know where that went.

Texaco stations in the US were Shell-supplied. This year the brand goes to Chevron. Therefore you've seen Shell cherry-pick as many Texaco stations as they could to convert to Shell stations.

 

[Roadster99]

I have the same problem with my 99 RT/10 in Sweden. The pump stops at 3/4. I can then almost fill it up by just giving it a little portion at a time and wait for 5 seconds. It will take me 5 minutes extra to almost fill it up. I do not think it is a fuel problem. Maybe a restriction in the filler neck hose to the tank or some air trapped in the tank.
It´s an irritating problem. And I do not trust the fuel gauge when showing "low fuel". I have not dared to drive it empty to see what the fuel gauge will show.
Lars...

 

[DLTARNU]

Re: Fuel Gauge strangeness - POSSIBLE FIX

I tried something goofy to fix my fuel gauge, and it actually worked.

My fuel gauge would only go a hair beyond the 3/4 mark even when topped off. So, I assumed that 0 actually meant 1/4 full and kept driving on my last tank when it got to 0. I had to guess how much fuel was left and what type of mileage I was getting once it hit 0 so I didn't run out on the highway.

Anyway, the first time I did it, I ran below 0 for probably 1/16 of a tank. Lo and behold, when I refueled, the gauge went about 1/4 past 3/4 (or 13/16). Thinking I was onto something, on the next tank, I ran the car for about 3/16 of a tank past 0, and sure enough, next time I refueled, the gauge went to about 15/16, just shy of FULL.

Since it is now to the point where my fuel burning guessing takes me uncomfortably close to actual 0 gas, the next thing I'm going to do is stick a 5 gallon gas can in the trunk and run the tank dry. I'll use the 5 gallons to get me to a gas station and refill. Hopefully the gauge wil finally read FULL.

I do not understand the logic behind this nor can I posit an explanation, but for me, it works. If you try it yourself, just be careful once the gauge gets to 0, as it's all guesswork from that point.

 

[Achilles99]

I have the same problem with my 99 RT/10 in Sweden. The pump stops at 3/4. I can then almost fill it up by just giving it a little portion at a time and wait for 5 seconds. It will take me 5 minutes extra to almost fill it up. I do not think it is a fuel problem. Maybe a restriction in the filler neck hose to the tank or some air trapped in the tank.
It´s an irritating problem. And I do not trust the fuel gauge when showing "low fuel". I have not dared to drive it empty to see what the fuel gauge will show.
Lars...

If you can't fill it up but a little at a time, try putting the nozzle just barely into the fill hole, instead of all the way in. Sometimes, if you stick the nozzle too far in, the safety valving on the pump kicks in unnecessarily...

 

[Silver Snake]

Re: Fuel Gauge strangeness - POSSIBLE FIX

Since it is now to the point where my fuel burning guessing takes me uncomfortably close to actual 0 gas, the next thing I'm going to do is stick a 5 gallon gas can in the trunk and run the tank dry. I'll use the 5 gallons to get me to a gas station and refill. Hopefully the gauge wil finally read FULL.

I would be careful with this. I have heard that running the tank dry or even below 1/4 you run the risk of burning out the fuel pump. I look at it like this...When the gauge says empty, there is actually 1/4 tank left. Since a lot of people wait until the gauge reads empty to fill up that is to protect the pump.

Mark

 

[ViperRichRT10]

I sure am glad to see this post. I have the same problem with my 2001 RT10 and I have talked to 3 dealers in Atlanta who have said they have never heard of this and think I am crazy! Someone tell us a better way of fixing this rather than playing gasoline roulette once we find a "cure".

Thanks,

Rich