Fuel gauge going crazy

[mikepieronek]

My fuel gauge went crazy about 6 months ago. My gauge read full or nearly full all of the time. I've been using my trip odometer to keep track of the fuel. I can always get 300 miles out of a tank. But what a hassle if I accidentally reset the trip odometer. I decided to fix it.

I posted a step by step guide on how to replace the fuel level sensor on my site with pictures. have a look

http://www.redhouseon7th.com/redhous...sor/index.html

[chevy2005guru]

"2005 Malibu Fuel Level Sender Fix - Beating the System

One day the fuel level sender in my 2005 Malibu failed, fuel gauge to alternate between full and empty and causing my
check engine light to come on. I chose not to fix it for a while - given the
cost and hassle - and just calculate fuel use by mileage. I figured,
why bother going through all the hassle of dropping the tank and
changing the sensor if my fuel pump is still good?

Well, some months passed and the car came due for inspection. I live
in Massachusetts and to get the car to pass inspection, no error codes
can be present in the computer. Here's what I did to make it pass
inspection for under $2: Trick the computer with a 100ohm 1/8 watt
resistor from Radio Shack. Here's how I did it:

At the fuel tank electrical connector block under the car near the
tank, find the purple wire (fuel sender) and the black wire (ground).
In the back of the connector (the side which leads up to the front of
the car, NOT the side that leads to the tank), take a sewing needle or
small awl and clear paths for the resistor leads to slide in past the
wire seals and make contact. Carefully slip the 100ohm 1/8th watt
resistor into the spaces next to the wires, connecting the purple and
black wires with the resistor. Next, open the connector and check with
a multimeter that there is continuity between the connector pins and
the resistor leads on the back of the connector. Reconnect and turn
the key to the on position. The fuel gauge should now be reading about
1/4 tank - a reading it will have permanently. To finish the job, put
some RTV silicone on the contact points of the resistor and plug to
keep water out. Blast the code from the computer if you want. If you
ever change the sender, remember to take the resistor out!

Disclaimer: Enjoy this cheap fix, and understand that I take zero
responsibility for the information, and do not recommend that you
actually do this."

Keep it real,

-M@

[Colt Hero]

Same problem with my Mom's '05 Malibu. I drove her car yesterday and didn't experience any problems, but she says the fuel light comes on, the bell 'dings', and the guage can go up and down erractically.

But get this - a garage failed her on her inspection because of this. And now they want to charge her $300+ to replace the sender.

Ever heard of being failed on a state inspection because of a bad gas gauge? This is Massachusetts. When I lived here I thought it was only about emmissions and safety. How is a broken gas gauge either of those things? I don't think it is. I think the garage is just trying to force her into an unnecessary repair. My mom says this problem has existed for a couple of years now but because her driving pattern is SO predictable, she really doesn't NEED to repair the gauge. It was only noticed on THIS inspection because she mentioned it in passing.

She's also a senior on a fixed income, so she'd rather not outlay that money unless she absolutely HAS to...