tom p

Beleive it or not, i ran out of gas yesterday. When i checked range when the reserve dic came up it said 30 miles . I got maybe a mile. After i filled the tank the gauge only read a liitle over half. I checked to see if it was filled and it was to the neck. Has anyone had this problem? I know the sender is never 100% accurate so i am not really worried about the reserve range issue. :chevy :chevy

SDLong329

1) NEVER, NEVER, NEVER top off your fuel tank.
2) ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS make sure that your gas cap clicks several times when putting it bac on the car.

If not done properly ... air pressure will goof up the C-5 DIC.

dave777

I have been having the same prob. Dropped mine off at the dealer today, we will see. :rolleyes:

Cirrus8

I topped mine off one time in two years and the gauge went south. This last fill up, I stopped as the valve shut off automatically and the gauge seems to be operating correctly. :D :D

tds69tx

Good to know---no more topping off for me!

tom p

i have topped off many times before and never had a problem

lostsoulny

:withstupid: it is random many people have many diff fuel problems with the crappy :chevy gauge. You would think they would master a fuel gauge by now seems Honda has on the 14k civic :mad

Shylor

These problems are not limited to just the C5. Many other cars have had and still have this problem.

SantaRosaRich

Mine works great, until it's down to being a third full or so. The other night I had 170 miles left of Range, then it dropped to zero. Kind of scary when you are 20 miles from a gas station. I fill it when it drops below half full, or when I'm close to 300 miles on it.

Joecooool

This is a VERY common problem with the C5. Mine did it once and hasn't done it since.

dave777

Just got mine fixed at the dealer. Said it was the right sending unit. Guess they have two sending units?

tom p

actually it went like this: I ran out of gas and pushed the vette about 200 feet into the gas station. I did not top off the tank ,i stopped at the first pump stop. When i started up the gauge read a little over half.I rode around the block to shake things up and went back to see if was really full.I manage to get another gallon or so into it.Thats when it topped. The gauge still was wacked at 2/3 It is all better now (i guess) but the ruuning out of gas screwed thw sender up,not the topping of the tank OH by the way ,you know where you can stick your civic!!!!!! :lolg: :lolg: :lolg: :nopity

Z06_n_it

WOW......just had similar event in our C5, altho all ok now.

Showed over 1/2 tank as left town. Remember specifically checking as pulled out, to see if needed to stop for fuel.

Then, while driving along 30 minutes later, POOF....LOW FUEL.

Tried shutting off, then turning key off and on several times, then restarting a couple of times....no luck, still on "Empty."

Made it to a gas station 20 miles later, decided to fill it just in case.

Took over 15 gallons! Was, indeed, nearly out of fuel.

Now reads OK again, and is coming down off of the "full" mark nicely.

I appreciate the nice explanation of the two-tank system and computer given above...thanks!

Hope it doesn't happen again. Anyone know if this is an unusual event, or something that needs to be fixed, or just the nature of the beast?

Red Vet

I'm having the problem now. Started two nights ago and don't know what to do. It all of a sudden said low fuel and I could of swore I had about a half a tank. Took it to the gas station and it took about 8 gallons. got back in and it still says it's on empty. It's been 3 days now, still says empty. I have top it off before but this happened while I had a half a tank. When you turn the ignition on the gauge does the normal thing and goes to full and then bck to empty but stays there. I don't think it's a fuse or anything like that because it goes up and then down. I noticed toady that the external tempature is a little wacky. It keeps reading 97 degrees outside when I know that while I get closer to work the outside temp climbs to about 104 to 106. Once I get in the parking garage I'll look down and it will be way up there, like 120. It's not that hot yet. I don't know if it has any thing to do with it. Driving home tonight it was about 85 to 88 outside, but once again it's saying 97 degrees. I checked the wires at te sending unit, they seem ok. Does anyone have any ideas. I have a feeling it's with the communication on the serial line but i don't have the right tools. I'm just wondering if it's a common thing. I think the IPC is getting bad data from the PCM because of a bad sensor but I don't know which sensor or where it's located. Does anyone happen to know?
Thanks guys

Mark S.

Like SantaRosaRich, I put in 5 gallons of fuel (Texaco/Shell...no more Amoco/BP it's been reforumlated) as soon as the gauge starts to read just below a half tank. I had the system go screwy on me once (dropped to empty with a half tank of fuel left).

kenrobb

I am not sure there is a concrete answer from all the different happenings here. I filled mine up with Shell Prem and put a can of Techron in it. I drove 200 miles this weekend and the gauge did not stick. Gauge only just below 5/8 full now, so I need to drive some more to get gauge on down to see if sticks now. Only thing I can tell anyone is hopefully some sort of code will be sent to the DIC for Tech to check when you have a problem. The fuel system is complicated enough after reading the shop manual discription. W/O a code they are just shooting in the wind. I am only going to go about 300 miles before refueling anymore!!!

Red Vet

Hey Manny
Your the kind of forum member that makes it worth being a member of this forum. You know your stuff. I was a shade tree mechanic since I was a kid then tried to do it for a living but only did it for about 3 years. At that time I soon discovered that the computers were kind of stupid. If you plugged in and found a bunch of error codes you still had to be a mechanic and use your head. If the car was over heating running lean and other things you had to stop and figure out what took place first to make the rest of the systems respond the wrong way, like a clogged oxygen sensor, a classic problem. The computer thinks it's not getting enough clean air so it leans it out and then it heats it up and so on. This C5 is making me learn it all over again and it's driving me crazy but I'm having fun doing it. The C5 computer is very smart. It does constant calculations and therefore needs clean data down the serial line and relys on a solid ground.
Thanks for your responses and solid advice. I'll let you know what I find. I was just hoping it would be easier and someone could say "Oh yeah your problem is this sensor thats located right there, change it and it's fixed" thats not going to happen.
For the guys having there fuel gauge act a little strange but then it comes back and goes away but it's inaccurate I'm pretty sure it's a different problem than the guys that just lose the gauge, it goes to empty and doesn't come back.
Thanks Manny

Triple Black 1999

Tom,

There's no mystery here. It's not due to topping-off your tank or any other "operator error". GM is fully aware of this issue....Check out the service bulletin:

Source: Chevrolet Dealer Service Bulletin
Number: 01-06-04-022
Subject: Inaccurate/Erratic Fuel Level Gage Readings (Install New Sensor, Strainer and/or RH Fuel Sender Assembly)
Model Year: 1997-2000 Chevrolet Corvette

Condition

Some owners may comment about inaccurate/erratic fuel level gage reading conditions such as those indicated below:

Fuel gage suddenly drops to E (empty) and CHECK GAGES message illuminates (DTC P1431 or P0461 set).

Fuel gage does not go to F (full) after filling fuel tank.

Vehicle runs out of fuel while the gage still indicates fuel is available.

Cause

The conditions indicated above may be the result of one or a combination of more than one of the causes indicated below:

Stuck or intermittent sticking of the sensor float arm.

Clogged/restricted R.H. fuel sender assembly jet pump.

R.H. jet pump unable to transfer fuel due to fuel vaporization resulting in bubble accumulation in the fuel strainer.

Correction

Inspect the Julian date codes located on the bar code labels attached to the R.H. and L.H. fuel level sender assembly cover plates as shown in the figure. If the R.H. sender date code is less/smaller than "01301", replace the complete assembly with a new fuel sender kit indicated below by model year. If the L.H. sender date code is less/smaller than "32791", replace the existing fuel sender sensor and strainer with those components contained in the applicable sensor and strainer kits shown below by model year.

To insure correct installation, follow the service procedure contained in the applicable Service Manual and the instructions contained in the service kits.

Parts Information

Part Number
Description

88896043
R.H. Fuel Sender Kit (1997-1999 M.Y.)

88895126
R.H. Fuel Sender Kit (2000 M.Y.)

88899034
Fuel Sensor Kit (1997-2000 M.Y.)

12458245
Fuel Strainer Kit (1997-1999 M.Y.)

12459862
Fuel Strainer Kit (2000 M.Y.)


Andrew

Red Vet

Wow Andrew, where did you come from. Now that is the kind of information I was seeking. The funny thing is that I had a stereo installed yesterday. The condition was the same when I left and ran around town for a little bit. I stopped at one place and noticed that my alarm wouldn't set. It occured to me that they disconnected the battery to run power to the amps so I had to retrain the remote. I did it and went into the store. I came out started driving down the road and noticed that my fuel gauge is working again. I now know that it will go out again but this time I'll have some education and knowledge on what to check. I also know that these cars don't reset this type of problem by doing the old battery disconnect.
Can you further explain to me how to find the Julian dates. Is there an actual bar code on a tag that I can visualy see and read? I looked briefly at the driver side sender to see if it had become disconnected when I changed the fuel filter. When I bought the car about 6 months ago I couldn't beleive that the previous owner let the filter spray gas at high pressure for almost 4000 miles and didn't tell me about the problem or get it fixed. I noticed the two fuel bladders while replacing the filters but didn't realize that both tanks have senders. Is the Julian number stamped on the part or hanging on a tag somwhere?
Thanks for the great advice. Is such a good feeling talking to someone that knows. Did you have the same problem with your 99 or did you hear about this from someone.

Thanks again
Tommy

Jochen

Great info, thanks !

Do you know anybody who did this job ? Is it a DIY, or should this work only be done by a GM dealer ?

Thanks again.

Jochen