I got this e-mail from a buddy this morning........

Have you had any problems with your fuel gauge? Mine has done a odd thing twice. The first time Deb and I were riding around and the gauge was showing a quarter of a tank of gas and then with no warning it when to empty and the low fuel light came on. The second time was Tuesday and I took my niece for a ride, came home with a quarter of a tank and 15 minutes later took my nephew for a ride and the low fuel light was on and the gauge on E. Has yours done anything like this?
Randy

Any idea as to what is going on here? :confused:
It's a 2000 coupe 6 speed.

 

Take it to the dealer and they will replace the sensor in your tank for free. I can't believe this still happening on 2001-2002 model. Good luck.

Mav

 

I don't have the owners manual in front of me, but I remember it saying something to the effect of not trusting the fuel gauge 100%. It also mentions not "topping off" the tank when you're at the gas station and the pump stops. This was in the '97 manual.

I would also go to http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/index.cfm and look up any TSB's for your year that could be related.

Mark

 

Lots of threads on this topic. Your friend should consider changing gasoline brands (search on "gasoline" and read several threads) and run fuel system cleaner through at least once - Chevron Techron, Amsoil, Redline, etc. Get a new sender from the dealer under warranty and keep the system as clean as possible. Lots of folks have gone through this. Some report no troubles after getting the new sending unit, some report having the same problems come right back. Mine started screwing with me and I ran cleaner though the system and changed from Citgo to Amoco/BP gas - haven't had the problem since. Good luck!

 

That just happened to me the first time 3 days ago.. :cry . Mine's a 2001. Dealer bound.

Steve

 

With due respect, there have been at least thirty threads about this over the past two years. You need new sending units and fuel sensor kits for both sides. And you'll need them again. My car was fixed a year ago, and last week mine started dropping to empty from a half tank. I suspect next year I'll have to bring my car in again...SHEESH!

 

Just run A can of "STP" total fuel system cleaner about every 4 or 5 thousand miles and all of the problems will go away and not return. Also stick with Name brand Gas. Shell is good because they never use any Alchol in their gas. Texaco, Amoco, Exxon.are all ok. Just stay away from those discount pumps and the 7/11 type places that sell gas. They buy gas thru the back door that could be real dirty and have a high Sulfer Content. One of the GM engineers that spoke at the Cruise in lll in Bowling Green spoke about the problem and it turned out to be the Gas. It is not only Corvettes that have this problem. All of the cars that have A Slide type Electronic Fuel sender have this problem. Yes, Even the high price *** and German Auto's are having this problem.(EVEN VOLVO'S) I use the "STP" Total Fuel system cleaner and have no problems at all with 42,000 miles on my 1998 Coupe. I'm sure there are other products out there ,But I have not used anything else. :cheers: :confused: :chevy :) :cheers:

 

I just took my 2001, with 6500 mi, in for this problem. Below references a current TSB described on a previous thread requiring a PCM reprogram. This is exactly what my dealer performed. Just before I drove into the dealers driveway, the guage began working again. Murphy's Law. It's too early to tell if this really fixes the problem. I've used shell gas exclusively, but no more. Actually I've had the same problem with my BMW which was also fed shell gas. If this fix works, great. It's the least invasive thing they could do, Hopefully they didn't reflash my PCM with the version that retards the timing due to the pinging issues others have reported.

It's interesting that mines a 2001 and the TSB is reportedly for 2002's.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Erratic Fuel Gauge Reading (Reprogram the PCM) #02-06-04-010
Erratic Fuel Gauge Reading (Reprogram the PCM)
2002 Chevrolet Corvette

Condition
Some owners may comment about the fuel gauge intermittently indicating an empty reading and then return to the correct fuel level indication.

Cause
This condition may result when fuel blends containing aggressive sulphur compounds react with the fuel sender assembly, which may result in voltage spikes being induced on the fuel level signal to the PCM. Use of another fuel blend may reverse this reaction and return the system to normal operation.

Correction
Reprogram the PCM with the new service calibration which is available in the January 2002, Techline TIS 2000 release. Use the TIS 01/2002 or later data update.

Warranty Information
For vehicles repaired under warranty, use:

Labor Operation
Description
Labor Time

J6355
Powertrain Controller - Reprogram
0.4 hr


_______