Fuel gauge wrong?

My VIN is in the affected range. It is still a little unnerving when the fuel gauge shows Empty and the light is on and your UltraGauge shows 2 gallons and you have it set to 16.5 max level because you read here the there are 2 unreachable gallons in the 18.5 tank.......

I don't let it get that low because of the nagging concern......
 
q
FD7683 said:
No wonder why my fuel gauge is erratic at times. I hope this TSB was performed to my truck years ago.
Click to expand...

The tsb is dated August 4 2020 so you might want to check against your vin
Edit: My bad it's August 4 2000.
 
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Endlessblockades said:
My VIN is in the affected range. It is still a little unnerving when the fuel gauge shows Empty and the light is on and your UltraGauge shows 2 gallons and you have it set to 16.5 max level because you read here the there are 2 unreachable gallons in the 18.5 tank.......

I don't let it get that low because of the nagging concern......
Click to expand...

Dude, my 4Runner completely faked me out once because of this. Mine does the same thing, light on means I have about 4-5 gallons left. I started getting too complacent about it and let it run past E on the gauge knowing that I had about 100 mile range left in the tank. One day as I was thinking about getting gas soon the needle drops, and I mean DROPS and pegs at the bottom all the way as far as it goes. I immediately exit the highway and head for the closest gas station. As I enter the driveway the engine shuts off and I roll up to the pump with absolutely no gas left!

Ever since then I reset the trip odometer after every fill up to make sure I never do that again. I use the odometer to tell me when I need gas, not the gauge.
 
spartacus said:
q

The tsb is dated August 4 2020 so you might want to check against your vin
Edit: My bad it's August 4 2000.
Click to expand...

Just checked, my VIN is in. I think I might have to tackle it soon although it's now working fine...... ughhhh.
 
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Researching my VIN and fix, it looks like I just have to replace the Fuel Sender Unit and the Suction Tube Assembly. Seems like a terrible job but i'm not sure and I am glad that I don't have to touch the circuit board on the cluster but I hope I don't have to do this job soon.
 
I followed "phorunners" utube video. Added a ground to the sender. Cost less than $1.00 and I haven't had a problem since.
 
calicojax said:
I followed "phorunners" utube video. Added a ground to the sender. Cost less than $1.00 and I haven't had a problem since.
Click to expand...

Here is that video, I believe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNbMq7VvpdI

I found it after a search, and I am going to try it, as I would have only about 15 minutes and maybe $1 to lose, if it didn't solve the problem. I can't say how utterly pissed I would be, if I removed my fuel tank and replaced the sender and the problem still persisted.

Twice in the last 2 weeks, my gauge showed 3/8 tank, and it was nearly empty. One of those times, it did die on an interstate exit ramp. Fortunately, I was able to restart and limp it to a gas station that was within sight at that time. My gauge goes full retard about once a month. Sometimes showing full when empty. Sometimes showing empty when full. I have learned to watch my tripodometer, and start looking for a gas station at 300 miles, because I know that it will die between 325 and 375 miles (with city driving). I always reset tripodometer 1 at every fill, because I calculate my fuel economy at every fill. When my gas mileage goes to hell, then I know something is wrong and that I might need to fix something.
 
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