'99 Mustang FUEL GAUGE issue - need help quick!

[stangman16]

Hello,

I'm having an issue with the fuel gauge on my '99 Mustang GT. It's been working fine until I just went to the gas station, with the needle of the gauge in line with the red line for E and my low fuel light on. I usually don't let it get this low before refueling.

Anyhow I fill the tank up with 13.490 gallons and when I get in my car and turn it on the needle goes back to the same spot registering E and the low fuel light still on. I go inside and the attendant says I probably need to drive it around for a minute and it'll work again and she insists there is no problem with the gas stations pump. So I drive for about a mile and nothing happens, gauge still reading the same as before I put gas in. I stop at a different station and the stations' pump stops 4 times, only letting me put in 0.773 gal of gas. So I'm positive I have a full tank, but my needle is on E and the low fuel light is on. I've had no problems with this before on this '99 Mustang GT. Can anyone hlep me figure out what is going on and how to fix this?

I am about to leave out of town to Corpus which is a 2 1/2 hour drive and I have to get down there... I just want to be sure I don't get stranded getting out there.

Thank you,
Jeremy

 

[dave_id]

this is when u flick your cluster and hope it works
unplug battery and reset?

 

[stangman16]

this is when u flick your cluster and hope it works
unplug battery and reset?

LOL - i was tempted to do just that!

I'll try to reset ECU and see if that helps, I get out of work in about 1 hour 15 mins.

Anything else to try in case that doesn't work? I gotta hit the road ASAP after work though.

 

[eliteJAE]

go into the cluster diagnostic mode so the needles sweep over

 

[stangman16]

go into the cluster diagnostic mode so the needles sweep over

Tried that, gauges sweep but it goes right back to where it was before... Fuel pressure reads 044 on the diagnostic mode also..

 

[RedDaemon]

dude, its common..it happens all the time


what i do to fix it is to push down on the rear bumper several times to slosh the gas around in the car and it goes back to normal

its unlikely given the situation that ur guage is broken

 

[Mustang5L5]

You shut the car off when you filled the tank right? Didn't leave it running??



Usually mine won't register new fuel unless i turn it off and restart. Only then will it go to where it should be.


I've never had it stay stuck on E however. I vote for humping the bumper to slosh the fuel around and unstick the sensor.

 

[stangman16]

You shut the car off when you filled the tank right? Didn't leave it running??



Usually mine won't register new fuel unless i turn it off and restart. Only then will it go to where it should be.


I've never had it stay stuck on E however. I vote for humping the bumper to slosh the fuel around and unstick the sensor.

Yes, it was compeletly off when fueling. I'm bout to go out there right now and try the bumper trick.

 

[DBMSTNG]

sounds like the float is stuck in the tank. you will probably have to drop the gas tank and remover the fuel pump bucket and see what it's stuck on.

 

[stangman16]

sounds like the float is stuck in the tank. you will probably have to drop the gas tank and remover the fuel pump bucket and see what it's stuck on.

I was figuring the same thing after I tried bouncing the rear end up and down.

Luckily, after about 130 miles into the 150 mile trip it started working again. In the backroads there's two "S" turns that have about a 30° bank on each curve, after the second "S" turn the fuel gauge went to right below 1/4 of a tank and by 15 miles when I got into town it had slowly returned to normal fuel reading of half tank. Never had this happen before, but I learned a good lesson to never let the fuel level get that low again.

I appreciate the replies, thanks!

 

[erniek70]

Ok, my sender is working fine....~160 ohms full, ~16 empty. Gauge reads empty, low fuel light on...fuel diagnostic, in odo display, shows 255 ohms (full tank). Recently had a complete pump failure....with new pump/sender ass'y, gauge still shows incorrectly. Do I just need to get some miles on it, and the gauge will read correctly eventually?

 

[Mustang5L5]

Typically no. The needle should start registering immediately. Only time I notice a delay is if I fill the gas tank with the car running. Needs a start/stop cycle.

I’ve cluster swapped the the gas gauge reads correctly as soon as I cycle the key to on.