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Something strange happened, twice.

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Old 01-11-2005, 07:15 PM
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Default Something strange happened, twice.

This is my 2nd time filling my car up to F+. (Meaning full, topped off, etc.) I do this and after a couple of second, the hand go straight to Empty. I have a full tank bt the gages read empty. Until I burn some fuel, the gage will read back to normal. No shut offs at all.
Old 01-11-2005, 07:23 PM
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that'* what happens with my car too....
Old 01-11-2005, 07:26 PM
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So its probably a problem with a sensor, rather then the actual needle...
Old 01-11-2005, 08:15 PM
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Design "flaw" in the fuel level sender. The slide contacts don't extend the full height of the sender.
Old 01-11-2005, 08:51 PM
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Fuel sender sensor. My car did the same thing and my fuel pump failed because of it. I'd get that problem fixed.
Old 01-12-2005, 12:55 PM
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i havent got that problem with my 93 sse... or i just havent had it happen to me yet
Old 01-12-2005, 01:47 PM
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Mine does it every time I fill up. Has been doing it for about 3 years. PDad told me it'* caused by a bad fuel level sending unit. That component is integrated into the pump. So, instead of swapping out a good pump, I just deal with it. It'll correct itself once I change the pump!
Old 01-14-2005, 10:45 AM
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I've never heard of this problem causing the fuel pump to fail, and I find that hard to believe.

There'* a Technical Service Bulleint (TSB) for that problem. The fix is to add a 2k Ohm resistor in series with a wire in the wire bundle that runs along the left rear passenger side of the floor under the carpet. My '92 SSE had that problem, but not my '93 SSEi.
On my '92, when the fuel gage moves to zero, the car chimes and the HUD indicates "check gages" but the fuel tank symbol does NOT appear as it normally would when the fuel level is low. My '92 also has the fuel starvation problem when making right turns while the tank is 1/4 full or less...there should have been a recall for that...
Old 01-14-2005, 11:26 AM
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Nobody suggested that it would cause the pump to fail. Do you know what wire the resistor needs to be added to correct the issue?

There'* a fix posted in TechInfo for fixing your fuel starvation problem on your 92.
Old 01-14-2005, 11:42 AM
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The TSB claims that the problem is caused by contact resistance in the sensor due to corrosion, but I don't believe that because my '93 doesn't have this problem...maybe they changed the circut design between the 2 model years...

Disconnect the battery. Pull the carpet from under the left rear passenger door kick plate. Locate the conduit on the left side of the car and expose the Purple and Black/White wires in the wiring bundle that has the clear level ride line (ELC) in it. Strip back about 1/2 inch of insulation from each wire. Do not cut the wires. Solder one end of a 2000 ohm resistor to the purple wire and the other end to the black/white wire. A 1/4 or 1/2 watt 2000 ohm resistor is recommended, but the resistor can be from 1800 ohms to 2200 ohms. Tape the connections to prevent any electrical shorts.

By the way, "fantastic88" wrote that the sensor problem cause the fuel pump to fail.


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