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When the gas gage on my '02 gets to almost 1/4 it will drop like a rock to empty and stay there until the tank is filled. The dealer just called and said it is OK now after being re-programmed. This sounds fishy to me. Anyone ever heard of this? It sounds like a bad spot on the rheostat but nowadays who knows how they do it.
Bull Sh@@ reprograming does not work on the gage for very long, the problem will return again and again. They have to replace the part that is malfunctioning in the tank, I have had mine done twice since I have had it and the last time the Teh explained to me that the reprograming does not work.
When the gas gage on my '02 gets to almost 1/4 it will drop like a rock to empty and stay there until the tank is filled. The dealer just called and said it is OK now after being re-programmed. This sounds fishy to me. Anyone ever heard of this? It sounds like a bad spot on the rheostat but nowadays who knows how they do it.
GM may have issued a new calibration that allows the gage to respond slower to the fuel reading from the fuel level senders. Not sure if they have, but it is possible if a new calibration has been issued. They did the same for certain Saturn vehicles a few years ago.
I just found some good info using search. As soon as I get the car back, I'll give it a dose of Redline Fuel injector cleaner. I only gas up at BJ's so I doubt if there is very much cleaner in their Premium.
I was just going to recommend that you get some good fuel system cleaner (not cheap stuff) and see if that doesn't fix it up. There are many posts on this subject...
Mine has been in for the reprogram, dash cluster replacement, and finally, the fuel sending unit. My symptoms were slow return to full after fill up and indicating between 2/3 and 3/4 alternately with same amount of fuel.
Replacement of the sending unit has pretty well fixed it. I say pretty well because it seemed to be back to the 2/3 to 3/4 again after 2 tanks. Only time will tell...but....
why does GM has this issue when my Lexus, Nissan, and Honda motorcycles don't....seems to be lousy design.
When mine was under warranty, I had the sending unit replaced because it would suddenly drop to empty. Now, EVERY time I gas up, the gauge goes to zero, and a LOW FUEL warning on the DIC. After a couple miles, it will suddenly go up to full. It's a pain in the booty! I think I might try the fuel system cleaner approach and see what that does.
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You may want to try some Techron in your gas tank. Sometimes the problem with the guage is related to the sulfur content. May want to switch brands of gas also. Good luck. Hopefully you will not have to replace the sending units.
When the gas gage on my '02 gets to almost 1/4 it will drop like a rock to empty and stay there until the tank is filled. The dealer just called and said it is OK now after being re-programmed. This sounds fishy to me. Anyone ever heard of this? It sounds like a bad spot on the rheostat but nowadays who knows how they do it.
The PCM reprogram makes the PCM less sensitive to voltage spikes caused by sulfur contaminants on the fuel senders resistors(rheostats)
Though it helps it is not a guaranteed fix,and neither is replacing the senders...
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Originally Posted by JDs00PewterCoupe
You may want to try some Techron in your gas tank. Sometimes the problem with the guage is related to the sulfur content. May want to switch brands of gas also. Good luck. Hopefully you will not have to replace the sending units.
Since I've been using Chevron with Techron, my fuel gauge issues have gone away. Certainly worth a try in my opinion....
When the gas gage on my '02 gets to almost 1/4 it will drop like a rock to empty and stay there until the tank is filled. The dealer just called and said it is OK now after being re-programmed. This sounds fishy to me. Anyone ever heard of this? It sounds like a bad spot on the rheostat but nowadays who knows how they do it.
Yes they can fix the problem that way. All the automakers have this problem with certain types of fuel. I haven't had it happen on my Z but earlier this year I was in NW PA on family business when the gauge in my 03 Tahoe started acting wierd. When I got home the dealer did a reprogram on it and it was working again. It wasn't quite the way I had been used to it working before but it did work. A couple of weeks later I was back in NW PA and the newspaper was full of stories of people with all different makes of cars having problems with their gas gauges. The State Atty General had opened an investigation. It turned out it was a bunch of bad gas from one refinery. Just luck of the draw.
I had the reprogram done the same time they did the column lock recall. They wanted to charge me $85.00 for the fuel gauge since it wasn't a recall. When I picked it up, they decided not to charge me. On the way home the fuel gauge dropped to empty same as before. I think I'll wait and see if GM issues a recall before I pay to have it repaired.
You must be new to the Forum if you haven't seen all the threads on gas guage problems. I have an '02 and I have never experienced any problems with my gas guage. However, the only fuel I ever use in my car are Chevron Supreme or the Shell premium. These fuels have techroline in them and they supposedly keep the sulfer deposits off the metal contacts in your fuel gauge sending unit. You can also purchase small bottles of Techron at Chevron stations and pour directly into your tank.
I have seen posts from many on the forum who have had the guage problem and it went away after they started using Chevron Supreme or the Techron.
By the way I meant to ask if your problem had cleared up Gunn It...
I have not had a reoccurrence of the gas problem although the car has not been driven much since the last time the gage malfunctioned. I'm sure that it happen again and probably more frequently as the car ages.
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