Ok, so... took the car into the mechanic today with a new sending unit and had them drop the tank and replace it. When they were done, the gauge read empty. Which is technically a good thing since it was stopping at 1/4 tank, but a bad thing because I thought I had more gas than that. I asked the mechanic about it and they informed me my tank was low to start with. I let it go and quickly found a gas station and filled the tank with only 8 gallons. I know my tank holds more than that, and when the tank was filled, it still read empty.
So... I perhaps mistakenly assumed that when they installed the sending unit, it should be reflected in the gas gauge. Was I wrong in this? Other than taking it back to them to correct, how difficult is it to complete this task? Are their connections outside the tank that can be used to test/complete the process? Or does the tank need to be dropped again to finish this?
Was it the Fiero Store unit? As I am having problems with it always reading the same amount, not empty but 3/4 full. I think yours is stuck to the baffle inside.This one prob is too. they send 2 warning labels about that happening, mine didn't look like it would hit, but I am going to drop the tank to find out. Outside the tank it tested fine. Just FYI an open circuit will read max full.
I would make them drop the tank again (or learn how to do it your self) but an idea is drive over a rough road to try to jar it loose. So far my generic fix works fine. (use search)
Also FYI most mechanic shops will BS the hell out of you not to do warranty work. So if you gave them the box it came in they should have read the labels.
There is a 3 wire connector in the engine bay, directly behind the engine at the firewall. This is the connector that links the sending unit to the gauge, I believe the connector itself is yellow. Make sure it has been reconnected (and with dielectric grease!) Before messing with much else.
There is a 3 wire connector in the engine bay, directly behind the engine at the firewall. This is the connector that links the sending unit to the gauge, I believe the connector itself is yellow. Make sure it has been reconnected (and with dielectric grease!) Before messing with much else.
If it's not the car wouldn't run, plus an open circuit would read full.
I Always check the gauge both before and After installing the sender and BEFORE putting the tank in. just use a ohm meter on the sender wire and to ground, put the tank (EMPTY) on it's side and let the float Move up and down. if it is working, it will read from about 90 to 0. if it doesn't something's wrong. a real PIA to take the tank down again when it's almost full.
a real PIA to take the tank down again when it's almost full.
That's when you disconnect the feed line, hook a hose to a gas can and jumper the pump and pump out the gas, if the pumps dead I hook an external pump to the return line and pump out the gas.
Or if it runs drive out the gas, another option. More fun, but not an option on customer's cars.
I'm reaching the conclusion that, since the whole point of the sending unit is to tell the gauge how much gas is in the tank, they just didn't do their due diligence to insure that the unit was working correctly. I'll be taking it back to make sure they make it right. Sadly, this is the second time I've taken the car back to them, but the first time I can probably let slide. I think that first issue was easier to miss than this one.
------------------ Ed Dana 88 Coupe.
[This message has been edited by RoadRocket (edited 01-24-2017).]
Yep, it was. Since it was only a little more expensive than a generic unit, I figured it was worth the extra cost, being meant for a Fiero and all...
quote
Also FYI most mechanic shops will BS the hell out of you not to do warranty work. So if you gave them the box it came in they should have read the labels.
Yes, it was in the box it was shipped with.
[This message has been edited by RoadRocket (edited 01-24-2017).]
I'm reaching the conclusion that, since the whole point of the sending unit is to tell the gauge how much gas is in the tank, they just didn't do their due diligence to insure that the unit was working correctly. I'll be taking it back to make sure they make it right. Sadly, this is the second time I've taken the car back to them, but the first time I can probably let slide. I think that first issue was easier to miss than this one.
Anybody doing this job would confirm things were working correctly with a bench test prior to installation. If that was in fact done, then your problem is improper wiring.
I am having issues with a Fiero Store unit from about 3 years ago. It is the one with a round black plastic sending unit. Something was not assembled quite right and the wire bail with the float will come out of the plastic lever. I am not very pleased with this unit. At least the picture of the now out of stock sender looks like a factory unit. My unit would engage the actuator lever from time to time and work properly. Then for some reason the wire would come out and the gauge would read the same value for long periods.
I dropped the tank over Christmas and I used a plastic zip tie to keep the wire in the actuator. the actuator moves now. The problem I have now is that the actuator will move up so far that it shorts out to the solder on the wire to resistance wire connection. That makes the gauge read *way* above full. It also hit empty too soon. Not looking forward to dropping the tank again, but I am getting quite good at it!!!
[This message has been edited by Ray_and_kevin (edited 02-11-2017).]
Im having problems also, I know it says it may be necessary to bend the float arm to fit correctly or it might get hung up. It does get hung up and it is such a big deal to mess with it. I have dropped the tank twice now. It is working once I raise the lever up and down and watch it on the gauge but once it is in the tank it will at some point just get hung up and read empty. Sometimes it will read the fuel levels and then it just sits on empty! I may call the fiero store and see about an exchange.
I just got done doing this today but I used a generic one. I also used this link as reference Sending Unit I checked the gauge to read accurately after and it all works for me. I did have to fiddle with the float arm some to keep it from hitting the baffle.
Good news! I took the advice of a forum member and put the car up on ramps and then thunked the tank with a rubber mallet. the float went up to full like it should have been at. I had pulled the tank twice to mess with the sending unit. This is a new unit from the fiero store. The instructions say you may have to bend the float arm to get it to work correctly. I am letting people know so they do not have to go through the pain and suffering that I went through. I really wish they would just make these things fit properly and not give vague instructions about maybe having to bend the float arm to make it work. Thanks to whoever gave he rubber mallet advice.
Pat -- hopefully, it was a fluke and not that it will get hung up again.
I had to exchange mine under warranty. For both the first and second unit, I had to bend the float to clear the baffles. I then installed them in the tank, hooked an ohmmeter to the wires, and flipped the tank over every which way to make sure the baffles moved freely and I saw roughly 0-90 ohms throughout the movement.
Even then, on the second unit, when I filled the tank with gas for the first time, it stuck at 1/2. After about 10 miles, it freed up and has been fine ever since (knock on wood). I suspect that, when I flipped the tank every which way, I knocked the float cockeyed at the pivot point, and it eventually corrected itself. Perhaps that is what happened for you.
