Gas Gauge Is Always Wrong?

[burtonbrd138]

I have a 2000 XLS, I drive it every day to school and around town. When i fill up at the gas station the gas gauge only goes to 3/4 full, so i thougt the guy didnt fill it but it happens all the time and i have filled it twice myself just to make sure it wasnt the guy filling it. I was just driving in it and my gauge said i had just above 1/2 a tank of gas, then i parked it for 10 minutes and shut the car off. When i turned it back on the gauge read 3/4 of a tank. Another time when i was driving it was between 1/2 a tank and 3/4 of a tank when i was driving. I turned it off and then turned it back on again in an hour and the gauge said i had just a little under 1/2 a tank. Is the gauge right when I am driving or when the car is still? Or is just wrong all the time?

 

[alohamonte]

Replacing the gas cap fix my gauge problem on a 98 X.

 

[Mtn_Man]

The brass float could be compromised and leaking fuel into itself. Dropping the tank and getting the retaining ring off is a PITA. I would just use my mileage on the trip odometer as the gas guage. I replaced the entire sending unit in my wife's 94 because it went bad and it worked good for a couple of weeks gas gauge wise, now it only goes up to 3/4 when full. It has a nitrophyl float so there is no possibility of it taking on fuel. I'm just going to blame the cheap unit. The original though had a brass float and had fuel in it when I removed it.

 

[mcpherson]

I think I have this same problem, just haven't had the time to drop the tank. My problem seem to start to happen after a 4-wheeling trip so I believe that to be cause of. I am going to give the new gas cap a try first.

 

[beenwrong2002]

on my 96' when i fill up it goes past the full line and stays there probably untill i get 1/4 of a tank then just starts to drop fast...like when i have 2 gallons left the guage will still show a little under 1/2 full....wish it would work right...

 

[burtonbrd138]

it is definately a problem when you cant tell when your gas is low but i will try the gas cap idea, i hope that will fix it