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Gas guage not reading empty

B

bdiamond

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Wichita Falls, TX
I have an 89 4.0 with an unknown capacity fuel tank. I have filled it up or gotten it close to full before. I think it took around 16 gallons. The problem I am having is the guage will read full and seems to react correctly except when it reaches 1/4 tank. It will stay at 1/4 until it runs out of fuel. I have only owned it less than a year so I dont know what has been changed by the previous owner. If I had the smaller tank sender in it would it read like this? I saw another post showing an offset to the fuel level arm with the smaller tank sender. I haven't done any troubleshooting yet I was hoping someone here had a logical reason it would react this way.
 
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Your sender, and the gauge, should be reading Empty = 1 ohms; Half = 44 ohms; Full = 88 ohms.

So, go to Radio Shack and buy a 44 ohm and 88 ohm (or something close) resistor and test the gauge. If the gauge is reasonably accurate then it is probably the sender, quite possibly the 21-year old float has some fuel in it.
 
I have the 20 gallon tank but when my gauge hits empty it only takes 13 gallons to fill it up. I just do it the lazy way, when it shows empty, I fill it up.
 
johnferg69 said:
I have the 20 gallon tank but when my gauge hits empty it only takes 13 gallons to fill it up. I just do it the lazy way, when it shows empty, I fill it up.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but when mine shows I've used 13 out of a twenty gallon tank I'm already walking. Mine only reads as low as 1/4. I guess I could just get gas before it gets there but I just want it to work right. I'd hate for my wife (if she were ever to drive it)to think the guage was accurate...
 
Can you just fill it up when it hits 1/4? Basicly ours is going the same thing just at different points on the fuel gauge.
 
You could also check mileage, and fill up accordingly.
 
johnferg69 said:
I have the 20 gallon tank but when my gauge hits empty it only takes 13 gallons to fill it up. I just do it the lazy way, when it shows empty, I fill it up.
Click to expand...

Mine does the same thing...any idea as to why?

~Scott
 
Motornoggin said:
Have you physically looked at the tank to make sure it's not caved in?
Click to expand...

X3

The most I could put in my '96 was 18 gallons. I pulled the skid plate and found a big dent in the original tank. PO must have bashed it, then put on skid for "next time."

Put in a new-to-me tank, did the Go-Jeep mod, and now it takes 23 gallons to fill.

Steve
 
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With the number of people that have posted in this thread and others with short-fill tanks, there are a lot of damaged tanks out there--very possible--or there is a lot of tanks with out-of-spec overfill tubes in them--also very possible.

Read GoJeep's article and the next time you are in the tank inspect the vent tube:

http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoFuelTank.htm

Perhaps yours is bent downward and limiting fueling.
 
I just assume there's gas in the float...but that's be a pain to "fix". So I'm hoping there's a way around it.

Tank is good...I know cause I've had 2 bad tanks (damaged) in the past, I check before I put my skids on now.

~Scott
 
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