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2002 & 2001 gas gauge failure


bmwgolfguy
10-13-2007, 09:29 PM
I have two LeSabre's. One is an 01 Custom with about 55kmiles and the other an 02 Custom with about 90k miles. I bought both used and outside the factory warranty.

The gas guage in both do not work. I don't know when I first noticed this. My two sons drive them to school and work.

I am told by my mechanic who has worked on all my cars in the past, the problem is either with the guage itself in the dash or more likely in the sending unit in the gas tank. He said the fix could run over $500.00 if he has to pull the tank to put in a new sending unit.

I read on one site to try some gas additive that Chevron makes that supposedly removes the crud on the gauge in the tank that is the lilely the culprit. I have tried this on both vehicles a couple of bottles each to no avail.

So I have been using the trip meter to tell me when to fill up next based on historic MPG. I want to sell one of them, but I am sure most potential buyers will balk at buying a car with a known problem. And I am not going to try to hide it either. A little thing call fraud.......

This is aggravating to say the least. And of course the General knew all about it and won't fix it. Can you say DexCool?

Any ideas anyone?

BNaylor
10-14-2007, 10:56 AM
I am told by my mechanic who has worked on all my cars in the past, the problem is either with the guage itself in the dash or more likely in the sending unit in the gas tank. He said the fix could run over $500.00 if he has to pull the tank to put in a new sending unit.



:screwy:

Most likely the sending unit and cleaning the electrical wiper part or using fuel additive like Techron doesn't work. Sometimes cleaning the wiper may help but only after removing the sending unit.

Your mechanic is wrong. On 2000 and up Lesabre you can replace the complete fuel pump assembly or just the level/float sending unit without dropping the gas tank. There is an access cover located in the trunk behind the rear passenger seat so you can pull the fuel pump assembly. Cheaper just to replace the sending unit and do the work DIY. About $85 from certain AC Delco parts suppliers. GM dealer excluded.

bmwgolfguy
10-14-2007, 06:26 PM
Tex:

Thank you for the reply. I will ask my mechanic about it. He is a very reputable guy and maybe has only worked on those prior to the 2000 model year. Plus, he deals primarlity in 4X and mostly Jeeps.

Thanks again.

bmwgolfguy

BNaylor
10-14-2007, 07:31 PM
You're welcome. I'm quite sure sure your mechanic is honest and reputable since you trust him. There are some excellent mechanics out there. If he can work on Jeeps then he should have no problems with your issue. However, get him to reduce the cost since there is no labor for tank removal. If you have problems getting a good cost on the part itself or availability let me know and I can direct you to a good source. Good luck.

jase386
10-15-2007, 02:04 AM
i wouldnt mind being directed to a good source for a sending unit, mine is gone also. been putting it off due to cost of buying a new one. best ive found is 105 or 150 depending on my vin.

BNaylor
10-15-2007, 06:17 AM
i wouldnt mind being directed to a good source for a sending unit, mine is gone also.

No problem. Check your PM messages.

trapped
10-26-2007, 07:14 PM
Hi Jase, seems that I'm finding all of your Buick threads :wink:

Check out the Riviera thread about these damned fuel gauge senders:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=3928004#post3928004

I've now been running over 2 years with the no-cost fix that I described in that thread. I looked at partsamerica.com (Kragen) and your 2001 uses the same style pump/sender combo that the General has put on our Rivi's and a whole bunch of cars & trucks... There seem to be a bunch of senders that were not crimped tight at the factory, so the brushes lose contact and send the gas gauge to 'Full'

I'd print it out and ask your mechanic to do it for you, or else do some internet shopping on your own so you can just buy the sender, as mentioned in that other thread, and not the whole stupid pump assy.

Good luck,
Mark
:smokin:

bmwgolfguy
10-26-2007, 10:56 PM
I appreciate all the followup from everyone, but I am getting some definate mixed messages here.

As I said, my mechanic who has always been fair with me and who I trust is telling me it is a major cost fix. After reading the post from Tex and others I checked with a local auto parts store. They are not national but have about 20 stores in about a 50 mile radius.

I asked them about the fix and got the same answer as my mechanic gave me. And the auto parts guy told me the part alone was several hundred $ but the cost was primarily labor, which is the major component to the fix. Dropping the tank, etc.

So I have a local mechanic and local auto parts guy basically telling me the same thing. I have no reason to disbelieve either of those guys.

And I appreciate the advise from you guys. But how can the advise to this point be totally opposite? Am I missing something here? The advise from both Tex and Trapped seems logical. Maybe the next step is to talk to my mechanic and tell him what you guys have told me. I can't believe he would not know this.

For what it is worth, I owned two Riv's also. I had a 95 and a 97. They were both great cars. I will never figure out why only grannies bought them which ultimately contributed to their demise. Niether one of them had this problem however.

Once again, any advise is appreciated especially where I can find a new sending unit at the prices you guys are suggesting.:banghead:

Smith1000
10-27-2007, 08:43 AM
For the older Lesabres, the tank had to be dropped to access the fuel tank sending unit. For instance, I have 2 '97 Lesabres and the only way to get the sending unit out is to drop the tank. I have read that at some point (2000 and forward), Buick changed the design so that the sending unit could be accessed through the trunk by removing an access plate. That would have been great because to drop the tank, the exhaust has to be dropped and the tank hoses disconnected, etc. The tank straps must be removed and the tank drained. It is labor intensive. Again, this change happened around 2000 for trunk access. I remember reading that for the 97 Park Avenue, the sending unit could be accessed through the trunk, but for the 97 Lesabre, there was no access through the trunk. Your mechanic may not be aware of the change to trunk access which makes the job easier.

I put a salvaged sending unit in one of my '97s. At the time, about 3 years ago, a salvaged unit was $75 and the unit included the fuel pump. It all came as one piece. The new ones I priced at the time came with a new fuel pump attached and they were about $350 or more. From what I understand now, there may be a way to only replace the fuel gauge sending unit and not the entire assembly along with the fuel pump. Plus, there are some after market options that are much more reasonable price-wise for the new part. The part can be obtained new for about a $100. This price, along with the ability to access the tank assembly through the trunk, now makes the job a lot easier and much cheaper.

BNaylor has great advice on the subject. and I also like the cheap fix Trapped link to. I may have been able to get my old sending unit to work on my '97 had I known it at the time I had it out. These sendin units seem to be a problem area.

bmwgolfguy
10-27-2007, 09:15 PM
Thanks Smith. I am going to take a look and see if I can actually find an access to the tank like you an others have mentioned. I will keep you posted.

And your advice about the fuel pump/sending unit is consistent with what others have told me. Apparently there is a way to just put a new sending unit in without a new pump.

Thanks for your help.

stuzman
10-29-2007, 08:34 AM
Thanks Smith. I am going to take a look and see if I can actually find an access to the tank like you an others have mentioned. I will keep you posted.

And your advice about the fuel pump/sending unit is consistent with what others have told me. Apparently there is a way to just put a new sending unit in without a new pump.

Thanks for your help.

Everyone is correct about the access panel for 2000 LeSabre's and up. I have a 2000 LeSabre and there is an access cover in the trunk. I replaced my sending unit about a year ago. You can buy the sending unit as a separate item or as a complete unit with the fuel pump.

mcqueary
10-29-2007, 05:12 PM
You're lucky you don't have to drop the tank. I just did this twice on my dual tank F150 this summer. One tank needed a pump, the other needed the sending unit. The sending unit float had filled with fuel and always sank to the bottom indicating an empty tank. The electrical part of the sending unit was OK. When I replaced the sending unit, I also replaced the little sock filter (the strainer) attached to the pump inlet. Thought it wouldn't hurt and it was cheap enough at about $3.


BTW, I've always found the info on this forum to be very reliable. Some of the general techs do not know the details of Buicks as well as the regular members here who drive and repair their buicks all the time.

bmwgolfguy
10-29-2007, 09:08 PM
Thanks one and all for your help. One last question. Where might I buy the replacment assembly? Am I better off to replace the whole unit (i.e. sending unit and pump) or just the sending unit? And finally, what should I expect to pay for either/both?

Thanks again.

BNaylor
10-29-2007, 10:39 PM
Cheaper for the level sending unit. Ballpark figure around $85 from certain AC Delco parts sources. Definitely not the GM dealer. :grinno: PM me you need a source.

For the 2001/2002 LeSabre the AC Delco part number is SK1030 - Called Sensor Kit, Fuel Level. This will include the sensor with float, wiring harness and connector plug.

Here is a fuel pump assembly that had just the level sending unit replaced.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y186/lizzywiz/fuelsender.jpg

jamyers
11-02-2007, 10:51 AM
If you're even slightly handy with hand tools, it's not hard to do yourself.

Pull up the trunk carpet and you'll see the plate in the front right-hand corner of the trunk floor. Unscrew it and the sending unit / pump / tank is right there.

Hardest part is getting the locking ring unlocked (rotate it anti-clockwise), it took some creative application of 2 pair channel-lock pliers, iirc. Of course I imagine there's a handy $50 tool out there...

Get the assembly out, unplug the sending unit and replace, then put it all back together.

I think it took me about 2 hours, and I was piddling around. With a proper wrench for the locking ring, I'd think it'd take under an hour.

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