Fuel Tank Sender

[SHAKEDOWN]

I have a 97 Dulley that has had the fuel sender replaced under warrenty @24,000 miles. Seemed to work fine for a while, appx 22,000 miles later i have seen a slow deteration of the sender ,meaning that as the fuel gets used up in the tank the gauge is reading less than what is really in the tank. Has anyone found a fix ? or will the dealer fix it again under warrenty ?

Can i get some help from Chrylser ?

has anyone else had this problem?

I have learned my fuel gauge over time but when it keeps lieing to me ?

according to the truck manual (in the glove box)

the low fuel light will come on at 7 gals of fuel left in the tank ,at this point mine comes on with about 10 -12 gals left in the tank whats up with that ?I am going to call Chry Customer service and see if they can help .

Thanks for your Help,T D R .



Scott

1997 1 ton CC lost my kitty kat Dynomax muffler

Amsoiled ft-back w/bypass filter otherwise all stock the only way to tow anything (no duraduds of powerjokes )

 

[DieselB59]

Some last and some don't. It's an issue that whining used to solve before the D/C merger. Now, it's easier to take it to your favorite technician and get it fixed. We give the little arm that supports the float a small downward tweak and it is more accurate to when the tank is low on fuel. Also keeps the gauge on F for a longer period, and for some reason, we Americans like that regardless.

 

[DieselTim]

fuel sending unit

I am not sure about the problem, but I will tell you what I know. The oem that it came with new has a major problem, in that it is put together at the pivot with a pin that is pressed in from the backside, as this pivot moves it rubs on a shoulder that is molded in the plastic arm, this shoulder rubs on the main body of the unit. As it rubs, it wears the shoulder thinner and thinner until it no longer has enough spring tension to make the contacts touch.



You can find several old post and lots of pic's on how to repair non-reading and erratic reading guages, in the archives.



I dropped my tank and repaired mine by replacing the pin with a 4-40 bolt and a nylock nut. I had to drill the hole up a bit but it has work with no problems for over 3 months now. I took me about 1 hr to do the drop and fix, and reinstall.



If you gauge is reading F-E and just seems to be getting empty too soon then bending the arm down a bit will fix that but if it is an erratic reading then I would replace the pin with a bolt and be done with it.

 

[JYoung]

SHAKEDOWN, I have a 97 that had a sending unit failure. The sending unit assembly slides in a sleeve that has 3 slide/fastening points. One screw was missing from DC. Must have been built on Friday. I already bought a new unit since I fixed it on a Sunday. Just stole the missing screw from the old one. I now have a spare unit. Pump is still good. Make sure you drain the tank or use as much fuel as possible. The tank is very awkward to get out and watch out for the plastic tubular fuel lines since they are cheezy.

 

[illflem]

I've found it easier to use the same method that most dealers use to replace the sender - lift the bed rather than drop the tank. Doesn't matter how full the tank is, lines are easier to disconnect when they are visible. Just remove the three bolts that hold the bed down on the drivers side, loosen the ones on the passenger, remove the fill neck hoses, then jack the drivers side up with a block of wood on the jack to protect the paint. 3500s may require disconnecting the marker light wires. Wedge a block of wood between the bed and frame while you are working, it would make an excellent mousetrap if it falls down with you in there.

 

[JohnE]

<blockquote><small>I've found it easier to use the same method that most dealers use to replace the sender - lift the bed rather than drop the tank. Doesn't matter how full the tank is, lines are easier to disconnect when they are visible. ... </font></blockquote>

I second lifting the bed option. I dropped the tank for my ESPAR installation. Luckily, the way I broke one of the plastic lock clips on the fuel line didn't hinder re-assembly. The kinks in the plastic fuel hookups came out, too.

<blockquote><small>... remove the fill neck hoses, ... </font></blockquote>

By the way, when you have the fill neck off you could remove the green float ball for ... <em>cleaning</em>. My truck fills much faster after <em>cleaning</em> the ball. Know what I mean, Vern?



Forgot to add, next time I have to get into the tank, the cheap plastic fuel hookups will get replaced with good grade and <b>flexible</b> rubber lines.



-John

 

[swamp rat]

Cheap Plastic Hookups

John, I already tried swapping those plastic connectors for a direct rubber type fuel line. It doesn't work too well. The return line will leak like a sieve if you use 5/16" ID line. The draw line will work okay with 3/8"ID, but it is next to impossible to get the 5/16" return line cranked down hard enough to prevent spillage. What I did was take a razor blade to the thermoplastic line and remove it from the slip-on connector, and replaced the white plastic insert clips with new from Auto-Value. Got two packs of 5 for about $4.

I also wrapped both rubber lines with black plastic wire loom to prevent chafing of the fuel lines.