Ran outta gas...so my gauge(bricks) lied?

[Nick90vetteguy]

So I ran outta gas last week in the vette my gauge said I have a half a tank but turned out it lied, how can i fix this?

 

[boomdriver]

So I ran outta gas last week in the vette my gauge said I have a half a tank but turned out it lied, how can i fix this?

Nothing unusual...

Thats why its not a bad idea to reset the trip meter and keep one eye on the miles driven on that fill up..You'll learn about how far you can go without even considering the gauge,. I lived without a gauge for a cpl months..and never ran out. If you did indeen run it out of gas, you might as well look for a new pump too. These pumps do not like being run dry. If you go in the tank, do it right and replace or repair everything.
Before you fill it again, you can take the sending unit/pump assy out and inspect the float assembly. Its a simple device. They often get dirty, rusted or develope a residue from the "new" strain of fuels that we are forced to run in cars that were designed for gasoline...

You can clean the sender manually, with GREAT care, or try to soak it in a mild solvent or gas treatment. Some folks get good results from simply adding a bottle of Chevron Techron to the tank for the next couple fill ups. It helps dissolve the scum in the system, that coats everything that comes into contact with the fuel.

Before doing anything mechanically, do some searches and read up on the proceedure. There are many detailed methods of cleaning the sender.
IF you break it or it refuses to work again, a new one will cost about $200 (cheapest) if its in stock, but I've seen them sell for $450 without the pump..:ugh

 

[vetteoz]

Fuel Gauge Sending Unit Repair Tech Article. - Corvette Forum

 

[WhalePirot]

Fuel Gauge Sending Unit Repair Tech Article. - Corvette Forum

Thanks for that link. While my car is down, I'll do it.

 

[boomdriver]

Thanks for that link. While my car is down, I'll do it.

Before getting in the tank...be sure to get a new tank gasket...the original will fall to pieces when you pull the sender assy off after 20+ yrs...

new 10mm bolts is a good idea too.

 

[John Robinson]

A quick math check to determine how much gas you have in tank. Take the AVG MPG number an divide it into the miles left and that will tell you about how many gallons you have left in the tank. Or the other way is to take the miles driven from the trip meter (as already suggested) and divide the ave MPG into that number and that will tell you how many gallons you have used and subtract that from the tanks capacity of 20 gallons and you will know what is still in the tank.

 

[WhalePirot]

Before getting in the tank...be sure to get a new tank gasket...the original will fall to pieces when you pull the sender assy off after 20+ yrs...

new 10mm bolts is a good idea too.

Well, I couldn't wait but ordered a new gasket from Vette Central; will be here in a few days. The hole is taped; the car's outside, covered. I've had the thing apart twice before and had checked the resistance due to display inaccuracies.

I used contact cleaner and WD on the fragile wires with minimal diff in the ohmage. I'd never seen more than 72 ohms, not 90 as the article says for the full reading, but was able to get the empty ohmage down to .7 from 7.2, so hopefully the gauge will be more exact down there. I got very little brown stuff off the internal wire, which looked rather clean, similar to the cleaned connectors, but the DVOM doesn't lie.

I have no range or mpg readings any longer due to the mods, so this will be a welcome fix.