Fuel gauge problems

[NVERL8]

Alright everyone, i need some help. i have searched the forums and found fuel gauge problems but none with the exact same description as mine. My 05 GT sits in the winter except for nice days, in the past month it has been driven 3 times. Each time it sits for a period and then I start it the fuel gauge stays planted on empty, however the digital readout on how many miles to empty works perfectly. Then after i drive the car for a little while then shut it back off and start it again the gauge works perfectly until the next time I leave the car sit. Anybody have this happen?????????

 

[J.Cagle]

Mine would do that too. Then it started hanging up around 1/4-1/2 tank after i'd start it. You could hear it clicking in there trying to go up past that point. Then, it decided to quit all together. It just sets on empty now but the digital milage thing still works. It really bugs me to not have the gas guage not working.

 

[NVERL8]

My wife drives it more than I do so it doesnt bug mee too much, but i do not like to have things that do not work. If you figure it out let me know. Seems like mine only started doing it after I let it sit for a while though.

 

[J.Cagle]

I read on another forum to run a bottle of lucas fuel injector cleaner thru the gas tank and it will usually get the guage to working again. I havent tried it yet, but plan to.

 

[kooldawg6]

My "Miles To Empty" and "Gallons Used" work correctly, but the needle does not. The needle will stay on full until the "gallons used" gets to about 11 or so then it starts to drop. It's been like that since March, but I've gotten used to it and as long as the car runs right, I won't pursue having it fixed. "Gallons Used" is fairly accurate as it never varies by more than .5 gals and usually only misses it by .2 or .3 gals.
I've done some research and also read to run good fuel injector cleaner through it, but it never worked for me! I've done it on 3 or 4 occasions to no avail

 

['08GTcaRED]

Are the guages mechanical or electric? Does anyone know?

 

[shane84]

The fuel level gauge is technically both mechanical and electric if that makes sense. After pulling my gauge cluster out yesterday, there is a stepper motor which is what makes the needle move, and also a circuit board which supplies the electricity to it to make it happen. My needle floats all over the place (right now it's at the 7 o'clock position lol) but luckily the low fuel warning light still comes on which means the level sensor and sending unit are still working. In my case the stepper motor has taken a dump, and if you have the same problem then the good news is you can buy a replacement stepper motor for $7.50 on Fleabay, or you can send it off and let the guy repair it for about $125 with a warranty (it sounds legit to me). Either route is a heckuva lot better than buying a whole new $330 gauge cluster.

 

[J.Cagle]

Is the stepper motor hard to replace? This sounds like what is wrong with mine

 

[shane84]

I just attempted to see how easy it would be to get the stepper motor off of mine a few mins ago, but found out that you need a special tool to remove the gauge needles in order to get to the inside of the circuit board. Once you have all the needles off, then it should just be a matter of removing the motor's solder joints and then soldering the new motor on. I also found some helpful instructions for taking the gauge cluster apart from americanmuscle.com. The fleabay guy is supposedly selling an improved version of the motors and he recommends replacing them all at the same time since the others are likely to dump out too.

 

[bradleyem]

I haven't had any problems with my fuel gauge (yet), but I have had problems with the speedo, which also uses a stepper motor. The speedo sometimes sticks... either at 0, or sometimes it will say that I'm doing 90 when I'm only doing 65. Also, at rest, it reads about 5MPH. It mainly sticks when it is cold out.

 

[NVERL8]

Mines the same, only sticks when its cold out and the car has sat for a while.

 

[Lifter583]

Probably have Sulfur buildup on the tank sensor, a common problem. Run a couple of tanks with a bottle of Techron added.

 

[NVERL8]

Anyone have any detailed instructions on how to get the gauges out so that you can attempt to replace the stepper motor. I searched and didnt find anything.

 

[Defiance GT]

I also have that problem too. Every now and then ill get gas and it will stay at the same place and same electronic readout of low gas or where ever it is. After a while it will go back up tho. Sometimes it would take a day or two or 10 mins.

 

[greydave]

Probably have Sulfur buildup on the tank sensor, a common problem. Run a couple of tanks with a bottle of Techron added.

I agree with the tank sensor problem. My 2 tank sensor assemblys were replaced under warrenty because of the fuel gage eratic reading. I only use fuel with techron now with no further problems.