I've got an 06 Stratus sedan 2.7L V6. I just bought the vehicle and having a hard time figuring this one out >>>

1. while driving car began to idle extremely rough. As it was dying i pressed the accelerator, it made a noise but no go...like it was in neutral. then more violent shaking, then no power steering. then the car eventually lost all power. except for that everything seemed to run as normal. before this i was driving a little fast but nothing too extreme. I noticed the gas gauge was showing 3/8 of a tank left as it rolled to a stop. and it didnt fluctuate during the incident.

2. went to the place i bought the vehicle since i thought it was tranny issues and it had been 41 days since i bought it. they reluctantly had a tech look at it....they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it, but they put gas in it and now its doing fine. umm. okay. i figured they fixed whatever and just made the 'out of gas' thing up since i'm a chick and they could get away with it and not have to assume responsibility. whatever, i dont care as long as its working. well...

3. again the car did the exact same thing, except i had just pulled away from a teller window (long idle-they take forever) as i had JUST MADE THE FIRST PAYMENT....and not 5 seconds later i was stuck there, and very very pissed. It was on 3/8 AGAIN. WTF.

oh and when my brother finally arrived and we put some gas in it and...all was well. im tired of looking like a retarded beeotch that runs her car out of gas!

any help here?? i cant figure this one out, and my brother is a dumbass stoner. i have read all the older posts and they seem to be unresolved. I know others have had this happen! just tell me wtf i need to do to fix it. its hard being a chick. lol.

its like the gauge needs to be calibrated or something. like 3/8 is zero and full is full. i put what would be half a tank and the needle fell exactly in between (11/16) it does just as it should when filling and depleting gas. its readings seem to be fine any other time...except when it gets to 3/8, i run out of gas.

p.s.i have a 4cyl strat too and never had this happen... (its called the Stratasaurus Wrex..because it wrecks... alot... i know... stupid right. dont lie you love it.

 

come on now, wheres all the know it alls that are always talkin smack on here....lets see some answers.... STAT!

 

OK. so you KNOW where the fuel gauge is when you are actually empty (3/8). How about how many miles from full you drive before you get that far... and how many gallons it takes to fill it back up, will tell you if it's just calibrated wrong, or if there is something else wrong, such as the pump sitting high in the tank or whatnot. Give it a few runs (may well take a few days), grab a gas can and fill it and keep it in the trunk so if you do run out again, you can be back on the road within a few minutes. You'll have a couple choices. First is to make the dealer repair the fuel pump, gauge. OR, adapt to the gauge being at 3/8 and know it means that you're empty.

 

good job guy....thanks anyway

 

damn you people suck

 

Now... What about answering the questions I posed to you... Is 3/8 a full tanks worth of gas, or is it not able to pull once it really hits 3/8 of a tank. This is important information to know, if you want US to help YOU.

 

Yeagh I'm wit Ratsttam there. You need to answer that question before anyone can help you. What happens to the needle when you fill it? Does it go to the full line? Have you ever seen it drop below the 3/8 marker? Next time you fill the car with gas make sure you notice how many gallons you have inserted. I think your car may have a 16 gallon fuel tank but someone else here may know for sure. Also most importantly once full with gas reset your trip gauge on your dashboard to zero. This way when you run out of gas you will know how many miles you have traveled per gallon. Then at least you'll have more data to work with. Let us know... Oh and go buy your self a small gas tank to keep in the trunk till you figure this one out. It may turn out to be something else. One more thing. Do you have a check engine light on? Good Luck!!! And let us know!!!

 

reading 3/8 = zero gas
full = full


I just get gas after about 250 miles everytime

when i fill it the needle does as normal and pops right up there to the highest it can go...

no i have never seen it below 3/8 marker...

UPDATE!! now it seems to run out with the gauge reading a little higher each time.

so each time the reading would be more when i ran out.
now its up to 3/4

so its like my whole gauge is between 3/4 and full.

let me know if i need to clarify anything. this can get confusing

 

Could be the float in your fuel sending unit is stuck or your gauge is defective. What does anybody else think? Other than removing the fuel sending unit and checking it, you may have to do some electrical diagnosis on the wiring to and from your fuel gauge and fuel sending unit. Let us know..

 

Try this first, Calibrate the gauges and then go after the float.
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
As a quick diagnosis, the cluster will perform a functional check of the odometer display, transmission range display and warning indicators after the ignition is switched to RUN/START. If the cluster is not receiving any PCI bus messages, the cluster will appear non functional and “no bus” will appear in the odometer display.

A self-test of the cluster can also be initiated by pressing and holding the odometer reset button and switching the ignition from lock to unlock. The cluster will then step through several displays for functional verification. By pressing the trip odometer reset button while going through the self-test, you can temporarily freeze the test. Pressing the bottom again will continue sequence. The cluster will store bus communication faults with other modules. It will also store faults for the AIRBAG and ABS lamps. During the self-diagnostics, the AIRBAG and ABS lamps are tested.

If the cluster is not functioning properly, refer to the proper Body Diagnostic Procedures manual.

If the cluster is not receiving PCI bus messages, refer to the pre-diagnostic test described in Body Diagnostic Procedures manual.

In order to diagnose the instrument cluster functions, a DRB lllŽ scan tool and the proper Body Diagnostic Procedures Manual are required.

If the diagnostic procedure determines that a replacement of an instrument cluster component is required.