Fuel gauge needle jumpy....

I bought a 99 Tahoe and I noticed that the Fuel gauge needle is jumpy. That is the only gauge on the dash that does it. It doesn't jump from empty to full or make any big movements like that, but it is a constant like vibrating movement. Does anyone out there know what is causing this to happen and how can I fix it. Thanks......... :confused:

Never heard of a needle vibrating. I know lots of them move back and forth quite a bit when driving/stop and go.

Im not 100% sure but there might be a sensor/plug in the back of the cluster panel that may need to be replaced. What I am sure of, is that a new cluster panel will fix this.

Thanks for the tip. I have never seen anything like this before too until I bought my Tahoe. The vibrating of the needle starts from the moment you turn the key on. Pretty weird, huh? Well I will try your tip and hopefully that will solve it. Thanks again....

Mine does that (99 tahoe) and they say there is a sensor on top of the tank that is probably causing it. Is much cheaper to deal with it as they have to take the tank off to get to it.

Mine does that (99 tahoe) and they say there is a sensor on top of the tank that is probably causing it. Is much cheaper to deal with it as they have to take the tank off to get to it.

Thanks for your advise. So I take it that it isn't going to hurt anything in my Tahoe? I can live with it too. I Just didn't know if it was going to affect anything electrically. I appreciate all of your help.

If youre worried that youre causing some sort of damage, then dont worry. Its just a minor malfunction. Sorta like having a digital clock and one of the minute numbers is faded, but you can still tell time. If you can live with it, save your money and let it be :)

If youre worried that youre causing some sort of damage, then dont worry. Its just a minor malfunction. Sorta like having a digital clock and one of the minute numbers is faded, but you can still tell time. If you can live with it, save your money and let it be :)


This is really good to know. Thanks for the info.

My '99 had this exact issue. First the fuel pump/sender assembly was replaced, but the needle was still jumpy. Turned out the instrument cluster had to be sent out and replaced. Fuel gauge now works as good as new. Thank goodness the extended warranty still had some time left to cover both the fuel pump and instrument cluster.

-Allen

My '99 had this exact issue. First the fuel pump/sender assembly was replaced, but the needle was still jumpy. Turned out the instrument cluster had to be sent out and replaced. Fuel gauge now works as good as new. Thank goodness the extended warranty still had some time left to cover both the fuel pump and instrument cluster.

-Allen

Do you know how much it would of been if you had to pay to fix the instrument cluster?

Do you know how much it would of been if you had to pay to fix the instrument cluster?

Let me take a look at the bill detail. Get back to you soon.

-Allen

99% of the time the fuel sender is the problem.

Let me take a look at the bill detail. Get back to you soon.

-Allen

Thanks. I would appreciate it. :smile:

99% of the time the fuel sender is the problem.


If it is the fuel sender, do you know how much it will cost to fix it?

sender is part of the module asm, this comes with the pump and sender. $310.41+ 3.4hr to R&R

I have a 98 tahoe and had the fuel pump assy replaced. After that my fuel needle started to quiver, then it would stop and start again. Eventually it would start jumping past the full mark when you turned the ignition key on and then it would go wherever. Now I can't get the truck to start and it's been about a year since the new pump. Thinking that the short or whatever caused the needle quiver might have got my pump.

i have the same issues, will the sensor die on me, or will just not work someday,

Sorry, this slipped my mind over the last week. Bill detail for replacing the instrument cluster I had from the dealer was:

Labor: $85
Parts: $265
Total: $350

-Allen