hello once again. I have a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9 2wd 195K

i have a issue with my gas gauge. Iv searched for about two days and no one is really have the same problem I have. I drive about 42.5 miles round trip to work and back five days a week. But lately I filled up on Wednesday last week and didn’t drive this weekend at all. Just a start up after and before the oil change.

anyways. On Friday last week I went to pick up my daughter from my moms house and her drive way is kinda steep and I parked my truck got my daughter and started the truck up and it showed haft a tank. No big deal it always fixes itself after I drive on a straight away for a couple of mins. But this time it did not fix itself. My mom lives around 13 miles from me up hill to my house and down hill to her house. Anyways since my gas gauge didn’t fix itself like ussally. I parked my truck and today ( Monday ) I went to work and I started up the truck and it showed slightly under haft a tank. And drive to work 22.25 miles alway and drove home. And now I have less then a quarter tank?

i know I am not running rich. Don’t smell fuel. No black or blue smoke. No oil in the plenum, spark plugs look good. Wires routed correctly and cap and rotor are brand new. Oil just changed. Air filter clean. No CEL I drive normal, not heavily footed. No jack rabbited

anyways long story short. Could this be my fuel pump float? Or something wrong in my instrumental panel?

 

You saying it was full and parking on an incline showed half a tank? That's bad.

The gauges are weird on these trucks but it seems like yours is bad for sure. I think its a sensor on the pump assy in the tank. Never had to tear into it yet.

Mine takes 4 gallons before the needle moves and light comes on at 5 left. Each hash is 2 gallons. When I park on a hill, it usually moves half a hash mark.

 

Yea I parked on a incline and I have 3/4 of a tank before I parked there and then I had haft. And the whole way home is a incline. I firgure it probably is the fuel
pump float. I don’t want to spend money on one, if someone else has a idea I can check first

 

Its likely the mechanism in the tank itself. All part of the fuel pump module. Don't know if you can get just the gauge part separately.......

 

if I buy a fuel pump with everything on it? It should come with everything correct?

 

Yep. Take out the old one, slap in the new one.

 

Darn hahaha I was hoping for a better answer. Hahaha thank you guys. I will kept this form updated as I change out the fuel pump and see if that fixes it

 

Drive it til the tank is almost empty so you don't have to work with 20 some gallons! And get a good pump like from the dealer. You won't want to do this again!

 

That’s the plan! I filled up yesterday with a little over 19 gallons. With under a quarter tank? So that still means my float is bad correct?

 

My 96 has the 26 gallon tank, and even on empty, there is still six gallons of gas in the tank.... It was actually designed that way... so you have a bit of a reserve when the gauge shows empty.