This is connected to your car’s fuel tank. Test the grounding wire on the sending unit of the fuel tank. Refer to your car owner’s manual to find out where your fuse box is located. The fuse box can either be found on the driver’s side dash or in the engine compartment. If the needle does not move, it most likely means you have a blown fuse and it is due for replacement. Turn the ignition on and off a few times, and observe if the needle on the fuel gauge moves. The good news is, you can troubleshoot the problem yourself and avoid an expensive repair. A fuel gauge functions using a series of electrical connections from the sending unit to the gauge cluster, and when one of these connections fails, so does your fuel gauge. How do you fix an inaccurate fuel gauge?Ī stuck fuel gauge on your car is not only annoying, it is also a hassle as you need to keep track of the number of miles you have driven since your last fill-up to prevent you from running out of fuel. If you start noticing signs of a failing fuel gauge, or you suspect there is a problem with the sending unit, have it inspected by a professional technician to determine if you need to replace your fuel gauge sending unit. Nonetheless, it plays an important role in the proper operation of your car. Usually, it is only serviced when the fuel pump fails. The fuel gauge sender is not a regularly serviced part. ![]() This poses a problem since the driver must know the correct fuel level of the car so he or she won’t run out of fuel. A bad fuel gauge resistor can transmit a bad signal to the instrument cluster, causing the gauge to permanently read full. This condition is a less common sign of an issue with the fuel gauge sending unit. A broken resistor can also cause the fuel gauge to read empty. When the float becomes separated or somehow breaks from the arm, it may lead to a malfunctioning fuel gauge and cause it to be stuck on empty. Another typical sign of a faulty sending unit is a fuel gauge that is stuck on empty. For instance, the gauge appears at three quarters, and then only a few minutes after it will change to half full, or vice versa. A bad sending unit may cause the fuel gauge to suddenly shift positions, or give an erroneous reading. One of the first signs that you have a problem with your fuel gauge sender is when it behaves erratically. A bad or failing fuel gauge sender will show a few signs that can alert you of a potential problem. This can put your car at risk of running out of fuel. When there is an issue on the sending unit, the car will experience issues with fuel gauge like a fuel gauge reading incorrectly. How can you tell if your gas gauge is broken? This is why there is a demand for a safe, non contact method for fuel level. It also has a periodic signal that is sent to detect fuel level decreasing the potential of corrosion. Alcohol speeds up the corrosion rate at the potentiometer since it can carry current like water.Ī pulse-and-hold methodology is being utilized by potentiometer applications for alcohol fuel. These resistance sensors also indicate an increased failure rate with the dynamic additions of alcohol in car gasoline fuel. Transmission of current through such a resistor has a risk of explosion and a fire hazard. In most fuel gauges in cars these resistors are on the inward part of the gauge, for example, inside the fuel tank. But this system has a risk attached to it.Īn electric current is transmitted via the variable resistor to which a float is connected, so that the value of resistance depends on the level of the fuel. Wear or corrosion of the potentiometer will give false readings of fuel level. When an electrical fault opens, the electrical circuit makes the indicator show that the tank is empty (in theory, telling the driver to refill the tank) instead of full (which would make the driver run out of fuel with no prior warning). Some cars use other indicators like “1” for full tank and “0” or “R” for an empty tank. The needle points to “E” meaning an empty tank when the least current is flowing and the tank is empty. The needle points to “F” meaning a full tank when there’s a high tank level. Meanwhile, the indicator unit, which is usually placed on the dashboard, measures and displays the amount of electric current flowing through the sending unit. ![]() Also, when the resistance reaches a particular point, it will also make the “low fuel” light to turn on on some cars. As the tank empties, this float drops and slides a moving contact along the resistor which increases its resistance. It is common for a sending unit to use a float connected to a potentiometer.
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