Fuel Tank Gauge Not Working

Let s diagnose the issue before you run out of gas.

Fuel tank gauge not working.

The resistance wire in the sender is broken. Conversely the gauge might show full even when you ve driven 300 miles. Check the grounding wire on the fuel gauge. Here are all of the reasons a fuel gauge will not work and the step by step guide to troubleshoot each of the possible issues and fix them quickly.

Install the new gauge reconnect the wiring and turn on the power. For a simplified overview of how the fuel gauge works think of the float arm in the tank of a toilet. The tricky thing is. The fuel gauge should now show the correct fuel level in.

Touch the two wires together while looking at the fuel gauge. The most common gauge problems are either a bad ground at the tank or a sender problem. This system is the fuel tank sending unit. Gauge reads full at all times.

These systems will need to be tested individually to fix the gauge. The wire between the sender and gauge is broken and or the connections are not good. If the gauge does not move then it needs replacement. The fuel gauge sender also commonly referred to as the fuel sending unit is the component responsible for sending the signal that operates the fuel level gauge in the instrument cluster.

To do so connect the negative jumper cable to the vehicle s frame and the positive cable to the fuel gauge s grounding terminal. The fuel gauge sender is a component that is found in the gas tank of most road going vehicles. Fuel gauge troubleshooting begins with isolating the problem either to the gauge sending unit fuse or wiring. If your gas gauge is not working the inaccurate information it provides may cause you to run out of gas unexpectedly.

As your gas tank is drained of fuel the float drops and an electrical current is sent to the gauge to tell the driver what s going on with the supply. That would be nice but it s a sign that something is wrong. The fuel sending unit is made up of an arm float and a resistor that changes according the position of the float. The sender is not grounded and or the tank is not grounded to the chassis.

Pull the wires far enough away from the fuel tank so that if they were to arc you would not ignite the fuel. If the fuel gauge reads full at all times the probable causes are. If the gauge moves then your problem is with the fuel level indicator in the fuel tank and it will need to be replaced. It s not necessarily the fuel gauge.

The fuel gauge itself the power to the gauge the fuel sender the ground to the system or the fuel sending wire. Inside the gas tank is a float which is connected to a rod and is connected to an electrical resistor. Check the wiring diagram that comes with the kit and mark the back of the new fuel gauge with symbols for each post. Turn the ignition to the on position and look at the fuel gauge.

And while that may seem like a relatively minor inconvenience running out of gas has several long term consequences for your vehicle including increased fuel pump wear and fuel pump overheating.