Technical > Automotive > Fuel Gauge Gone Haywire In My Chevy Venture Minivan

Fuel Gauge Gone Haywire In My Chevy Venture Minivan

Sounds like the sending unit to me. And that, is probably attached to the fuel pump in the tank...

Count on $500-600 to replace it.

What make, model, and year?
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Better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.

Which will cause the fuel tank to crumble to rust upon removal from that fine chariot if lucky.
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The talented hawk speaks French.

reply to Xstar_Lumini
It's a 1998 Chevy Venture 6-cylinder. So you guys are telling me that it's not worth it to fix it? I was thinking about a fuse or some little thing like that fix it. It's annoying not having a working fuel gauge.

reply to Xstar_Lumini


The Fuel Level Sensor is replaceable separately in that vehicle, and, if my aging memory serves me correctly, the tank is plastic in the Venture. Parts should be around $100 US.

Really? I'll gladly pay $100 to get my fuel gauge working again, now the problem is that if the sorrounding mechanics know this and how to fix it. One problem we have in Toronto (Canada) is that the "professional" shops are the most incompetent and expensive, while the rest are just "monkey mechanics", amateurs hired for $16/hr by shop owners that are not mechanics themselves

reply to Xstar_Lumini
The question is, is it worth it to you? Depends on mileage, shape of the body etc.

Nothing wrong with putting parts, and labour into a good vehicle. If Matt is correct, you may want to put a new pump in it at the same time. Why? You've run it out of fuel, and pumps tend to burn out. Cheap insurance.
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Better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.

Are you saying that just because I ran out of fuel TWICE that the pump got damaged? I never tried to restart my car when that ocurred because I knew I was empty of fuel.

It is possible. In-tank pumps use the fuel for a lubricant. As the pump is 14 years old as is, it would be cheap insurance to replace it at the same time.

You don't want to pay to have the tank dropped twice, right?
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Better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.

reply to Xstar_Lumini

If you can crawl under the van a little, you can look and see if the tank is plastic or not. Plastic ones are black. Juggernaut has a valid suggestion to replace the pump too, but that will of course cost more, and I don't know how much you are willing or able to spend. Expect to pay around $250 I believe for a complete AC Delco Pump Module. That will include the pump, level sensor, strainer and the o-rings.

And, TA63 also brings up the unpleasant topic of rust, which the retaining straps and hardware will still do, even with a plastic tank. So there is still a pontential for extra cost.

reply to Xstar_Lumini
There may be one other possibility. The harness connector is corroded. However, that may mean you still need to drop the tank to have a look, and clean it. Again, have a look under the vehicle to see where it connects. A Chilton / Haynes manual may give you that info as well.
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Better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.

reply to Xstar_Lumini
i would replace the pump at the same time, my experience with GM's, my sunfire, grand prix and cavalier all left me on the roadside at least once with a failing fuel pump. if you are dropping the tank its one of those "while we are at it" moments. like changing the water pump on a quad 4 when you change the timing chain.

reply to Xstar_Lumini
Do you use cheap gas? Too much sulphur in the gasoline can ruin the sending unit in the fuel tank.

If you don't like the repair shops in your area, take it to a Chevy dealer. They'll fix it.

reply to Xstar_Lumini
My Daughter and I both have 2001 Silverado V-8s.
We've both had to replace the fuel pumps.Cost just less than $300.00 just for parts,as Son-in-Law did the labor.

It did clear up her fuel guage problem like the one you have.Mine went out in a fast food drive thru line and I had to get it towed home.

reply to Xstar_Lumini
Yes I only use cheap gasoline, you guys are making this long and expensive, I thought there was a quick fix, I'm not willing to spend $300 to fix the fuel gauge. But how do you explain the fact that the orange warning light does not lit?

I used to have this problem, can that be signs of a bad pump?

»New Mystery Malady Affecting My Chevy Venture Minivan

It's worth noting that this malady has disappeared altogether and has not ocurred again in more than 5 months.

quote:

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Tainted gas gums up fuel gauges

May 29, 2004

Sales of Shell and Texaco gasolines in several areas of Florida, including Tampa Bay, were suspended Friday because high levels of sulfur contaminated the fuel and threatened expensive damage to gasoline gauges.

About 500 stations in Florida, 118 of them in the Tampa Bay area and the rest in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Sarasota, were forced to close or to limit their sales to premium grades. Another 120 stations were affected in the New Orleans area.

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The Houston-based Shell Oil Co., which also sells gas under the Texaco brand, learned on Thursday that gasoline coming out of the Motiva Enterprises refinery in Norco, La., was contaminated with excess sulfur. Motiva is the refining subsidiary of Shell in the East and South.

Sulfur occurs naturally in crude oil, but most of it is supposed to be removed during refining.

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Shell learned of the problem when it began getting reports from motorists that they had run out of gas when their fuel gauges showed they still had an ample supply, or that gauges stopped working completely.

Gas tanks have a float ball that rises and falls with the fuel level. An electrical system reads the float ball level and transmits the information to the dashboard fuel gauge. The system uses silver electrical contacts, which can be corroded quickly by sulfur.

Replacing the system is a complex project that can cost from $400 to $600 and more on some models.

...

A similar problem with another gasoline brand occurred in Kentucky earlier this month.

Sulfur-contaminated gasoline from a Marathon Ashland Petroleum distribution terminal has been blamed for a rash of gas-gauge failures in the Louisville area. Hundreds of drivers have been affected since May 3, according to the company.

Marathon Ashland supplied fuel to 35 Speedway stores in Louisville, but other brand-name stations might have gotten bad gas through independent distributors.

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Ouch. Let the class action suits begin...

reply to aannoonn
Yeah, but ...

You asked about cheap gas. Last I knew, Shell and Texaco didn't count as cheap.

An example of random contamination in top-tier brands doesn't invalidate PrntRhd's statement.

reply to aannoonn
In the 2004 Florida incident, Shell ended up paying for repairs to 12,000 vehicles that were damaged by the contaminated gasoline.

Shell and Petro-Canada sold sulphur-contaminated gasoline in the Toronto area in 2003, but refused to pay for repairs. GM redesigned their fuel sensors so they could handle sulphur better.

said by Toronto Star :

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Unsuspecting motorists bought gas tainted with elemental sulphur at Toronto-area Shell and Petro-Canada service stations in the spring and summer of 2003. They got inaccurate gauge readings and stalling, a safety hazard on busy roads.

After a lengthy investigation, Shell and Petro-Canada concluded months later their gas contained elemental sulphur.

The two oil companies denied responsibility for the faulty fuel gauges. They stressed their products exceeded industry and government standards.

At one point, a Petro-Canada official said General Motors was responsible because it used an inferior part, but later the oil company said it wasn’t sure what the problem was.

Shell sent customers back to their dealers, primarily GM, for reimbursement of repairs. But many customers expressed dissatisfaction with their treatment by dealers and GM’s refusal to pay for repairs.

A Star investigation showed that GM had encountered the problem in 2000 in parts of Canada and the United States.

GM sent a notice to customers warning them about the problem and corrective action but it did not issue a recall.

It redesigned the fuel sensors so they could tolerate elemental sulphur. However, the company only started using the new sensors in models last year. GM confirmed it accelerated the installation of the redesigned part in more models late last year.

The investigation found GM notified dealers on how to handle customers in last year’s incident, but the company never warned customers.

Earlier this year, GM offered a free oil change and a Petro-Canada cash card worth a total of about $55 to customers who had gauge problems.

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