fuel gage not reading correctly

[xirdneh]

when I fill the tank the gage reads full
after a few miles gage drops to 1/4 tank and stays there until gas in tank drops to that level
then it reads normally till empty
never had fuel gage or sender problem before so not sure what causes that

[irowiki]

I'm having the same problem as you, and I've even tried cleaning it. But mine is worse, and goes from full to 1/4 right away, then goes to empty, back up to 1/4, back down to empty, I've ran out of gas a few times...

[xirdneh]

i am swapping the fuel sender today to see if it fixes the problem

[irowiki]

I'm still trying to find a good fuel sender for mine too!

Every one I have tried either doesn't work, or the connections are corroded.

[xirdneh]

i wonder if it could be the dash gage causing this problem?

[irowiki]

Perhaps, it never quite worked right. When we bought the car, it would work fine until it got to 1/4 and never go any lower. That's when I tried swapping it, and it got worse every time!

[Petros]

usually it is the sender, it is a corrosive environment with that crap federal ethanol blend inside the tank. Cleaning usually works, but eventually the contacts just wear out. I once resurfaced contact with a file, and than fine wet and dry paper, and than I also bent the arm so it made better contact (that part is a bit tricky).

however, with a 30 year old car anything is possible, corrosion in the contacts, worn wiring (it runs under the carpet so it can get damaged), or a worn out gage. Though in all instances I have seen it was the contacts in the sender.

[dlb]

i've had fuel gauges read incorrectly a few times. both times were corrected by cleaning the contacts in the sender and bending the arm a little bit to make sure it made light contact through the entire range.

[irowiki]

I tried cleaning all of mine and it just made them worse

[larry mcgrath]

does your low fuel warning light work. Mine comes on when I've got about 1.5 gal left in the tank. just wondering Larry

[ARCHINSTL]

It seems appropriate to post this link.
Inactive, but once prolific, member waynehoc posted this in 2006 with photos, and others have added to it over the years - a still active thread into May of 2015: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2346&p=18541&hilit= ... uge#p18541

Coincidentally, I may have a problem with Goldie's sender. Never had a difficulty before.
The last fill-up has shown a full tank after having driven 66 miles; it should be down by about 2 1/2 gallons.
Well, we shall see...
Tom M.