2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Fuel gauge sending unit question

[Rogue Ram]

OK. I've joined the crowd. Mine fuel gauge is on "F" and ain't moving. If anyone has replaced theirs themselves, how difficult is it? Did a search and couldn't find much other than it seems like a lot of us are just using the trip computer or the odometer.



Regards,



Rogue

 

[CumminsPower98]

It's not a hard job. Many think it's easier to raise the front of the bed rather then lowering the tank. When I fixed my sender I raised the bed. All you have to do is remove all the bed bolts except the two rear ones, which you will just loosen some. You also need to disconnect the tank filler spout and the ground strap (front right) that goes from the frame to the bed. I used a com-along hooked over a rafter in the shop to raise it up then I propped a board under it as a safety in case something came loose. If it fell it would make quite a mouse trap. Anyway once the bed is out of the way it's easy to see what to do from there...



Mark

 

[Bigsaint]

I know you have to drop the tank. Once you get over that I think it's pretty straight foward. This truck has been okay do far, but my last Dodge, a '98 gasser, had the same problem and I just lived with it.



Scott W.

 

[Dennis Garrett]

When you get the module out, you'll probably have to just replace the sending unit w/arm, which screws to the side of the module. When you drop it back into the tank try to figure out how much space there is between the bottom of the float, and the bottom of the tank. You might be able to just hold the module in place against the side of the tank & see where the float bottoms out. You'll probably have several inches. Just bend the arm own so the float lays within an inch of the bottom of the tank. Otherwise, you'll have about 7 gal. remaining when it says "E". With the fload close to the bottom, but still hanging, you'll have 1 or 2 gal. left at "E". When mine's totally bottomed out, & reading exactly "E", I can put on about 34 gallons. I like a little more accuracy than DC does.

 

[stick]

I just did mine last weekend. I droped the tank because of installed hitches. The worst part of mine was getting the electrical connection loose on my 97. The tank still had about 5 gal. left in it, but i used a floor jack and it came out easy. If i had the option now between droping or raising the bed, i would go for droping.



Stick

 

[RON'S RAM]

I dropped the tank from my truck. From what I understand, the new senders are the same design as the original one, so it'll happen agaim. I repaired mine, thanks to some info I got out of the TDR magazine. If you're interested in fixing your's , i could look it up for you. Or maybe someone on here knows where to find it. So far so good, it's still working good. Good luck, Ron. .

 

[CumminsPower98]

I also repaired mine and it has worked perfectly since until lately it seems to read a bit low and has dropped to empty a few times. I guess it's time for a new one but I will probably do the repair on the new one as well before I install it. Such a simple thing, why can't DC get it right??????

 

[Rogue Ram]

Good advice

Thanks guys for the info. I'm going to tackle this in a couple weeks when I have access to a warm shop.



Ron and MarK: if yall can advise as to the fix, I'd appreciate it. I hadn't heard of this before. I have all the back issues of TDR for the last few years--if you happen to think of the issue this appears in please let me know..... I'll dig through them this weekend in any case and try to locate it.



I have access to the floor jack, and have the basic sockets, wrenches etc etc. Guessing this isn't brain surgery, just a big PITA.



Any thoughts on where to get the sending unit, or is there something else I should be after? Stealer is real local for me, just wondering if I could mail order somewhere else.



Thanks again!



R

 

[RON'S RAM]

My thoughts too. Why keep making a part that doesn't last? The redisigned truck got many people back to Dodge, but the poor designs of a few parts are losing them and more FAST. I have several friends who sold their Dodges and went back to Phords.

 

[RON'S RAM]

I printed the article, and some pics for future reference. The article was from Huey L. Conway, Jr. but the pics I have are from CJ Johansson. The article was dated June 8, 2000. Hope this helps a little.

Ron

 

[Rogue Ram]

That helps alot

... ... thanks Ron... ... I'll find it, that does indeed help!



Preciate it!!!

 

[RON'S RAM]

Try this link, I think it's what you're looking for. Check out CJ Johansson's link on there also.

http://dodgeram.org/tech/repair/fuel_sender/Huey_C-sender.htm

 

[stick]

The sender is a dealer only item, got mine for $44. 00, and the gasket came with it.



Stick



P. S. The two bolts holding the tank straps are metric and require a deep socket, but i got a 5/8 to work. I was able to do this myself, but another hand would have been nice.

 

[PCrable]

My fuel gauge just started acting funny yesterday. I came to a stop light and sat for a little bit and the fuel guage went to empty and the low fuel light came on.



This morning, I pulled the truck out of tha garage and sat in the driveway for a minute while I put some stuff in the back of the truck. When I got back in, the fuel guage was on empty again. As soon as I started moving, it went back up again.



Does this sounds like my sending unit is going ?



--Phil

 

[stick]

Yes Phil, I would say you have the fuel sender "BLUES" !



Stick

 

[Rogue Ram]

CHECK THIS OUT!!

Went in to order the sender, and the parts guy and I get to talking. My rig is out of warranty via time, not mileage..... he says that since I bought it here, to go talk to service, maybe they'll cover it. Hmmmmm... . so I go talk to service. Service folks run the situation on their 'puter (is this STARS???) and they say ITS COVERED under the emissions warranty! So who am I to argue??!?! I did in fact question them on it... ... since I knew I'd be posting when I got home, and didn't want to post something erroneous.



They are replacing the unit as I type this... ..... I think we all agree the POS will break again, but hey, if its covered, and they'll fix it, it keeps me from wasting a Saturday afternoon. I can't recall what the emissions warranty is off the top of my head, but I think its substantially longer than the 3/36... . maybe 5/100? In either case, we paid big bucks for the truck, so if they'll fix it, go get your money's worth!



Regards,



Rogue

 

[bubba_zanetti]

I will add my 2c to the discussion. I replaced mine about 3 or 4 years ago. Removed all the bed bolts and with the help of a neighbor and his 2 girls, we moved the bed back about 2 feet.



Then I just unscrewed the cap and swapped senders... I will do it that way again.

 

[Tardog]

Rogue Ram



Just a note to add to the other members suggestion about bending the arm so you only have about 1-2 gal left on empty. A word of caution, 1-2 gal is not enough fuel if you land up on a steep grade somewhere with your truck. The fuel pick up will be sucking air and we all know how many mpg we get on air. 5-7 gal on "E" is a safety margin built into our trucks. "Feel Lucky". My . 02 worth. Cheers

 

[Rogue Ram]

Thanks Tardog... .



Since I find myself essentially covered for awhile with warranties on this issue, I'll get my pound of flesh out of DC rather than deal with it myself.



I'll be printing all of this and putting it into a file for future use..... because it WILL happen when I'm out of warranty! And I'll be ready for it.



Thanks again!



Rogue

 

[Lsfarm]

Minimum Fuel

Tardog has it right! I have experienced running out of fuel with 1/8-1/4 showing on the gauge.



I had just crested a hill on the farm, was facing downhill on a pretty steep grade when I spotted a doe and her fawn being chased by several coyotes. I stopped to watch, cussing that I didn't have my varmint rifle with me. I left the truck running. This went on for several minutes, the coyotes got kicked several times, and gave up.



I idled down the hill, and the engine quit, and I could not get it restarted. I had 16-18 psi fuel pressure when I looked. I hadn't looked at the FP gauge while I was on the hill.



I ended up trailering the truck into the dealer for them to get it started. They have a electronic box to attach to the VP to make it pump if it is able to.



I have 15K miles on the truck since, and no problems have shown up.



So when I get below 1/4 tank, I treat it as empty, it usually takes about 25-26 gallons to fill. I don't mind carrying around 8 gallons of extra, it is much better than walking! Or killing the VP.



Greg L The Noise Nazi