Two years+ no fuel gauge problems, then...
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,732
Likes: 21
From: Napa Ca
Two years+ no fuel gauge problems, then...
Its been over two years since my last fuel gauge problem (needle flopping down to empty when there was at least 1/2 tank left) but it came back and hit me last week. Had not driven it much the last couple momths and last time I drove it put it away with less than full tank. I've been trying my best to always have a full tank since I think that keeps fuel gauge problems to a minimum. Anyway have been using Unocal 76 almost exclusively since the station is more convenient and usual 2-5 cents a gallon cheaper. So this a.m. went to a Chevron station, bought some Techron in a bottle and added that to the 12 gallons or so of 91 octane Chevron that I pumped in. Cured the gauge for now
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,386
Likes: 689
From: Boise ID
Concerning my gas gauge, I got to feel pretty silly today. I just started driving the C5 a little bit again (nice weather) and my gas gauge has always screwed up on occasion. Well, the same thing was happening after it sat a couple months but I just knew the tank was full but thought what the heck, I’ll buy a bottle of techron and top off the tank even though it would be near full anyway. Near 19 gallons later the tank was topped off. Like an idiot I believed my memory when in fact the tank was empty! 
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,664
Likes: 0
From: Sonoran Desert of Arizona
From the Chevron website:
Chevron TECHRON® Concentrate Plus Fuel System Cleaner
Clean Your Engine While You Drive
When added to a tankful of gasoline, TECHRON® Concentrate Plus Fuel System Cleaner, with its exclusive synthetic formula, provides a burst of cleaning power that has proven unbeatable at cleaning deposits from fuel injectors, carburetors, ports, valves and combustion chambers. One tankful helps clean your fuel system while you drive. A second treatment may give additional benefits.
The Problem:
According to Motor Trend magazine: "The buildup of deposits in an engine can be like a slow growing cancer. If left unattended, it can gradually rob an engine of its power, fuel efficiency and ultimately, its drivability."
Lower quality gasolines (under-additized), currently sold to an estimated 50% of the market, are usually formulated with less effective, less expensive additives and often employ the minimum additive level legally required. If you occasionally use these gasolines, carbon deposits can build up and gradually rob your engine of its power, performance and fuel efficiency.
How Deposit Buildup Affects Your Engine:
* Depicts engines that are sensitive or in severe service.
Fuel Injector deposits can impact fuel flow, upsetting the fuel/air mixture. You may experience hesitation or stumble during acceleration, even loss of power, increased emission of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide.
Intake Valvedeposits can absorb fuel during engine warm-up, leaning out the fuel/air mixture, and leading to poor driveability, even loss of power and increased emissions.
Combustion Chamber deposits can lead to auto-ignition of the fuel/air mixture which causes knocking, pinging, run-on, poor acceleration, and increased emissions of nitrogen oxides.
The Solution:
According to Motor Trend magazine:
If the loss of power and performance is due to combustion chamber deposits buildup... "The current state-of-the-art treatment is an additive called polyether amine (PEA). Developed by Chevron and originally introduced in 1980, today it carries the company's trade name TECHRON."
TECHRON® Concentrate Plus is one of the most advanced fuel system cleaning technologies available in today's market. TECHRON® Technology is routinely prescribed by many carmakers as their solution to fuel deposit related driveability problems.
One treatment with TECHRON® Concentrate Plus has been shown to remove harmful fuel system deposits caused by lower quality (under-additized) gasolines. Its use may help:
Clean and protect against sulfurs that can harm fuel gauge sensors
Improve driveability and restore lost power and performance while you drive
Prevent spark plug fouling & help solve cold start problems
Reduce your car's octane requirement to help eliminate the need to purchase higher octane gasoline.
Improve acceleration in knock-sensored engines
Reduce deposit buildup to help lower exhaust emissions
Improve performance for up to 3,000 miles
New 'clean' gasolines can cause fuel gauge malfunction
The Problem:
Certain residual sulfur species found at very low levels in many of todays highly refined gasolines can form corrosive deposits on reactive silver-based fuel sending unit (FSU) components used in many makes of automobiles. The FSU, located inside the fuel tank, reads the fuel level and electronically sends a signal to the fuel gauge.
How sulfur corrosion can cause your vehicle's fuel gauge to malfunction (false reading).
This corrosive deposit can disrupt the electrical performance of the FSU and lead to either erratic operation or complete failure of the FSU, often resulting in artificially low or high (empty or full) fuel level readings on the fuel gauge seen by the driver. An erroneous high (or full) fuel gauge reading could lead to the motorist inadvertently running out of fuel and create a potentially dangerous situation.
The problem is best viewed in medical terms: acute and chronic in nature
Acute: problems occur when the occasional batch of off-specification, high sulfur refinery gasoline leads to extensive erratic FSU operation across a region. The problem can occur in a single tank of gas.
Examples: Louisiana, Florida, Memorial Day, 2004; Erie, PA, Louisville, KY, Canada
Chronic: problems occur after long-term exposure to low-grade sulfur contamination in a fuel, which frequently leads to premature erratic behavior of the FSU at some point.
Examples: New Mexico and Arizona, 2004 and 2005
Higher temperatures play a vital roll in how severely an FSU is damaged by a harmful sulfur-containing gasoline.
FSU failures typically require the complete replacement of the sending unit at considerable expense to either the vehicle manufacturer or the vehicle owner. This repair can cost from $400 to over $1000.
There is strong automaker awareness, as virtually all automakers have been impacted: recalls, warranty repairs, safety concerns and product reputation. Some automakers are beginning to phase out reactive silver-based FSU components at significant expense. However, reactive silver-based FSU components have been used since the late 80's, so a 15 year-plus vehicle population is still exposed.
The Solution:
TECHRON® Concentrate Plus is one of the most advanced fuel system cleaning technologies available in today's market, and many automakers prescribe it routinely as their solution to all fuel deposit-related driveability problems.
One treatment with TECHRON® Concentrate Plus can help:
Clean corrosive sulfur deposits from fuel gauge sensors
Restore operation of sulfur contaminated fuel gauge sensors
Prevent harmful sulfur species from attacking sensitive electronic fuel sending units
Protect the FSU against malfunction by coating all metal surfaces of the fuel system
Chevron TECHRON® Concentrate Plus Fuel System Cleaner
Clean Your Engine While You Drive
When added to a tankful of gasoline, TECHRON® Concentrate Plus Fuel System Cleaner, with its exclusive synthetic formula, provides a burst of cleaning power that has proven unbeatable at cleaning deposits from fuel injectors, carburetors, ports, valves and combustion chambers. One tankful helps clean your fuel system while you drive. A second treatment may give additional benefits.
The Problem:
According to Motor Trend magazine: "The buildup of deposits in an engine can be like a slow growing cancer. If left unattended, it can gradually rob an engine of its power, fuel efficiency and ultimately, its drivability."
Lower quality gasolines (under-additized), currently sold to an estimated 50% of the market, are usually formulated with less effective, less expensive additives and often employ the minimum additive level legally required. If you occasionally use these gasolines, carbon deposits can build up and gradually rob your engine of its power, performance and fuel efficiency.
How Deposit Buildup Affects Your Engine:
* Depicts engines that are sensitive or in severe service.
Fuel Injector deposits can impact fuel flow, upsetting the fuel/air mixture. You may experience hesitation or stumble during acceleration, even loss of power, increased emission of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide.
Intake Valvedeposits can absorb fuel during engine warm-up, leaning out the fuel/air mixture, and leading to poor driveability, even loss of power and increased emissions.
Combustion Chamber deposits can lead to auto-ignition of the fuel/air mixture which causes knocking, pinging, run-on, poor acceleration, and increased emissions of nitrogen oxides.
The Solution:
According to Motor Trend magazine:
If the loss of power and performance is due to combustion chamber deposits buildup... "The current state-of-the-art treatment is an additive called polyether amine (PEA). Developed by Chevron and originally introduced in 1980, today it carries the company's trade name TECHRON."
TECHRON® Concentrate Plus is one of the most advanced fuel system cleaning technologies available in today's market. TECHRON® Technology is routinely prescribed by many carmakers as their solution to fuel deposit related driveability problems.
One treatment with TECHRON® Concentrate Plus has been shown to remove harmful fuel system deposits caused by lower quality (under-additized) gasolines. Its use may help:
Clean and protect against sulfurs that can harm fuel gauge sensors
Improve driveability and restore lost power and performance while you drive
Prevent spark plug fouling & help solve cold start problems
Reduce your car's octane requirement to help eliminate the need to purchase higher octane gasoline.
Improve acceleration in knock-sensored engines
Reduce deposit buildup to help lower exhaust emissions
Improve performance for up to 3,000 miles
New 'clean' gasolines can cause fuel gauge malfunction
The Problem:
Certain residual sulfur species found at very low levels in many of todays highly refined gasolines can form corrosive deposits on reactive silver-based fuel sending unit (FSU) components used in many makes of automobiles. The FSU, located inside the fuel tank, reads the fuel level and electronically sends a signal to the fuel gauge.
How sulfur corrosion can cause your vehicle's fuel gauge to malfunction (false reading).
This corrosive deposit can disrupt the electrical performance of the FSU and lead to either erratic operation or complete failure of the FSU, often resulting in artificially low or high (empty or full) fuel level readings on the fuel gauge seen by the driver. An erroneous high (or full) fuel gauge reading could lead to the motorist inadvertently running out of fuel and create a potentially dangerous situation.
The problem is best viewed in medical terms: acute and chronic in nature
Acute: problems occur when the occasional batch of off-specification, high sulfur refinery gasoline leads to extensive erratic FSU operation across a region. The problem can occur in a single tank of gas.
Examples: Louisiana, Florida, Memorial Day, 2004; Erie, PA, Louisville, KY, Canada
Chronic: problems occur after long-term exposure to low-grade sulfur contamination in a fuel, which frequently leads to premature erratic behavior of the FSU at some point.
Examples: New Mexico and Arizona, 2004 and 2005
Higher temperatures play a vital roll in how severely an FSU is damaged by a harmful sulfur-containing gasoline.
FSU failures typically require the complete replacement of the sending unit at considerable expense to either the vehicle manufacturer or the vehicle owner. This repair can cost from $400 to over $1000.
There is strong automaker awareness, as virtually all automakers have been impacted: recalls, warranty repairs, safety concerns and product reputation. Some automakers are beginning to phase out reactive silver-based FSU components at significant expense. However, reactive silver-based FSU components have been used since the late 80's, so a 15 year-plus vehicle population is still exposed.
The Solution:
TECHRON® Concentrate Plus is one of the most advanced fuel system cleaning technologies available in today's market, and many automakers prescribe it routinely as their solution to all fuel deposit-related driveability problems.
One treatment with TECHRON® Concentrate Plus can help:
Clean corrosive sulfur deposits from fuel gauge sensors
Restore operation of sulfur contaminated fuel gauge sensors
Prevent harmful sulfur species from attacking sensitive electronic fuel sending units
Protect the FSU against malfunction by coating all metal surfaces of the fuel system
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 367,656
Likes: 24,661
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '25
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Hopefully just some sulfur deposit on the gauge. Might want to run Techron in the tank every now and then.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,856
Likes: 55
From: Largo Misfit, Florida
St. Jude Contributor
Cruise-In III Veteran
Gas gauge problems
I've had this problem hit a few times, and it's a pain! Early on after getting my 2001, there was a warranty replacement of the sensor and I had it done. After a year or so, it came back. I always used Amoco fuel, and since hearing that Techron helps fix this, I've been using Chevron gas, and it rarely happens now.
