Turbo Dodge Forums banner

Fuel gauge going crazy!

812 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  minimopar
A few weeks ago I pulled the gas tank out of my '89 2.5 Turbo Spirit to put in a Walbro 255 fuel pump. Ever since then, the fuel gauge can't make up its mind. It'll swing all over the place, including below empty, any time it feels like it. If I'm driving on a smooth road, bumpy road, going around curves, start and stop traffic, it makes no difference.

It never shows MORE fuel than what I really have. It just varies all over from below empty to the true fuel level.

Yesterday I backed the car up on ramps and made sure the connector was making good contact and was fully seated on the gas tank. That part was fine. But it still does it.

I didn't disturb the fuel sending unit assembly when I was changing the pump.

So what else can it be? The gauge itself going bad? Could the sender be going bad? I have another stock fuel gauge I could try.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
Well? Need an answer soon.
Not sure about the question your asking but I do have a question about your replacement. I just performed mine today on a sundance 2.5l TI and had posted a question in another thread. Was wondering if you had removed the Pulse Dampener or kept it on?

Sorry for hijacking your thread like this, but seems no one would read my post.


D~
I took the pulse dampener out. A look in my '89 shop manual showed that TBI cars didn't use them.

Still looking for clues about this errant fuel gauge.
No one knows anything about this?
Tim_K said:
No one knows anything about this?
and ur sure all the electronic stuff is hooked up right.... how about the grounds (even the new pump) if its not grounded properly or shorting through the sender itll prolly make the guage change.... also make sure u didnt pinch or strip part of one of the power wires cause that would short out too.....


other than that.... i have no clue.....
Turn the ignition on and have someone watch the fuel guage. Now reach under there and start playing with the harness. I suspect an intermittent connection is the issue. It could also be a bizarre coincidence and there is something intermittent in your cluster. Try giving the console a whack when it acts up. If the signal wire from the sender to the guage becomes an open circuit, the guage will drop down well below "E"...as far as it can physically move. If thet is what you are seeing, then that is the problem. If you rule out the harness, then maybe the sender got disturbed and damaged. The plastic gets really brittle and they become frail.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top