Gas gauge tango
#1
Gas gauge tango
When I bought my RAM the previous owner told me that every once in a blue moon the gas gauge goes off the farm and reads empty even though there is plenty of gas left in the tank. Well, it did it twice just this week. It isn't a problem because I always track my mileage with the tripmeter and know when I need to fillup, but it is still annoying because the little gas pump light comes on and the bell dings to alert me to it. Anyone else have this issue with their gas gauge? Anything that can be done to correct it? As I posted a few weeks ago, the gauge isn't all that accurate to begin with. It starts telling me I'm near empty when there's still 7-8 gallons left in the tank. From full, it takes 110 miles to get it down to 3/4, but only about 50 more miles to get it down to a 1/4. Bad enough I have to be aware of my fuel consumption with a V10, but it'd be nice if I had a gas gauge I could trust a little more.
#2
The float in the tank could be slowly dying. Someone here once posted an additive you could put in your gas once or twice that has been known to clean the float up and sometimes fix the issue. Hopefully they will post here, as I can't recall what it was they added to fix the issue.
Another option is to replace it. But its in the tank, so a bit of labor involved. To hire someone to do it, it'll cost you about $250 (labor and parts) at a decent shop. (I know because I had my gas gauge on my 1995 Dakota start going berserk once, and thats what the issue was.)
Another option is to replace it. But its in the tank, so a bit of labor involved. To hire someone to do it, it'll cost you about $250 (labor and parts) at a decent shop. (I know because I had my gas gauge on my 1995 Dakota start going berserk once, and thats what the issue was.)
#3
the sending unit for the gas gauge is a resistor on the arm of the float. It can get gunked up over time. Putting a can of Chevron Techron Plus in your gas can help clean off the connection. Just make sure its the plus version.
I replaced the fuel pump on my truck last week and it wasnt that hard at all. and that was with 20 gallons of fuel still in it. Theres a diy on here for replacing the pump.
I replaced the fuel pump on my truck last week and it wasnt that hard at all. and that was with 20 gallons of fuel still in it. Theres a diy on here for replacing the pump.
#4
the sending unit for the gas gauge is a resistor on the arm of the float. It can get gunked up over time. Putting a can of Chevron Techron Plus in your gas can help clean off the connection. Just make sure its the plus version.
I replaced the fuel pump on my truck last week and it wasnt that hard at all. and that was with 20 gallons of fuel still in it. Theres a diy on here for replacing the pump.
I replaced the fuel pump on my truck last week and it wasnt that hard at all. and that was with 20 gallons of fuel still in it. Theres a diy on here for replacing the pump.
#6
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#8
Thanks, I'm gonna try that. I drove 200 miles today to go moto and it worked fine. Also saw my mileage get up to 11 since putting the K&N CAI in last week. If not for some stop-and-go traffic coming home it might have gone higher.
#9
#10
My truck did the same thing when I bought it from the owner. The problem was the float in the tank was all corroded.. bad news: cant clean it; needs replacing...
I bought the part ($300.00) It's the actual whole sending unit/flat filter assembly cause thats all you can get...you cant just buy a float...
What I did was
-get a 2x10 board and a motorcycle jack under the tank
-Undue the two straps that hold it up
-open the gas cap and remove the screws that hold the fill hose on
-** BE CAREFUL NOT TO LET THE TANK DOWN TO FAR!!!**
THERES HOSES ATTACHED AND A WIRE CONNECTOR ATTACHED TO THE TOP AND THEY DONT GIVE YOU A HOLE LOT OF PLAY ROOM(AND THEY COULD SNAP)
-disconnect the hoses and wires
-pull out tank and unscrew the ring that holds the unit on
-replace unit and put back in
I also cleaned the tank while it was out...
****ALSO ITS EASIER TO DO ON AN EMPTY TANK****
start to finish: 3hrs??
Fixed all problems!!!
I bought the part ($300.00) It's the actual whole sending unit/flat filter assembly cause thats all you can get...you cant just buy a float...
What I did was
-get a 2x10 board and a motorcycle jack under the tank
-Undue the two straps that hold it up
-open the gas cap and remove the screws that hold the fill hose on
-** BE CAREFUL NOT TO LET THE TANK DOWN TO FAR!!!**
THERES HOSES ATTACHED AND A WIRE CONNECTOR ATTACHED TO THE TOP AND THEY DONT GIVE YOU A HOLE LOT OF PLAY ROOM(AND THEY COULD SNAP)
-disconnect the hoses and wires
-pull out tank and unscrew the ring that holds the unit on
-replace unit and put back in
I also cleaned the tank while it was out...
****ALSO ITS EASIER TO DO ON AN EMPTY TANK****
start to finish: 3hrs??
Fixed all problems!!!