My main question here is is this typcial?

This is only the 2nd tank I'm on so far so I'm trying to understand what's happening.
I read some other posts with similar problems but would like a consensus if possible.

The needle went down slow and gradual until there was a 1/4 of tank left (DTE 120).
Then....It dove quickly on a 4 mile trip...1/8, then1/16 (DTE 40)!!
Beep Gas Station Picture shows op on cluster. [slight panick]
Then on way back home it goes up a little then DTE=75

Next morning:
Gauge climbs back up to 1/4 (DTE=100)
Then going down a little more gradually to < 1/4 and stays there with out moving on 12 mi trip to work. ?

At this point I am uncertain as tohow much gas I have in the tank.
I guess I could just fill up everytime at 1/4 but ,,,,,the thing should work right. Or is this typical?

I read post about running Techron to clean tank sensors but don't want to bandaid this until after warranty is gone.

Other info:
2002
45k miles
Cluster already replaced.
Warranty still left.

 

What you are describing sounds exactly like the sensor fouling problem that Techron will clear up. It's not really what I would call a "Band-Aid" it's just a method of cleaning the sensors to free them of the deposits. The other option is to have the dealer replace the sensors, but that is rather unnecessary if $20 of Techron would clear it up.

 

Please don't misconstrue me,I would certainly prefer the easiest/cheapest/least time consumingremedy.
I alsowant to make sure I don't lose a chance for a warranty fix
Thanks, I'll try that and let you know how it turns out.

 

the sensor is a wipe type voltage resistanceand wears out if most people only fill to the quarter mark and that's the part that wears out hence the gauge drop ( greedy people )

 

Not clear to me. You saying "filling up when it is only 1/4"? not following "greedy". Never heard of "wipe type voltage resistance"

Techron blurb indicates that"corrosive deposits" cause"failure" in FSU , not just build up. So I may be beyond fixing or preventive maintenance on this.

From Techron page:


How sulfur corrosion can cause your vehicle's fuel gauge to malfunction (false reading).
This corrosive deposit can disrupt the electrical performance of the FSU and lead to either erratic operation or complete failure of the FSU, often resulting in artificially low or high (empty or full) fuel level readings on the fuel gauge seen by the driver. An erroneous high (or full) fuel gauge reading could lead to the motorist inadvertently running out of fuel and create a potentially dangerous situation.

The problem is best viewed in medical terms:acute and chronic in nature

Acute:problems occur when the occasional batch of off-specification, high sulfur refinery gasoline leads to extensive erratic FSU operation across a region. The problem can occur in a single tank of gas.
Examples: Louisiana, Florida, Memorial Day, 2004; Erie, PA, Louisville, KY, Canada

Chronic:problems occur after long-term exposure to low-grade sulfur contamination in a fuel, which frequently leads to premature erratic behavior of the FSU at some point.
Examples: New Mexico and Arizona, 2004 and 2005

Higher temperatures play a vital roll in how severely an FSU is damaged by a harmful sulfur-containing gasoline.

FSU failures typically require the complete replacement of the sending unit at considerable expense to either the vehicle manufacturer or the vehicle owner. This repair can cost from $400 to over $1000.

There is strong automaker awareness, as virtually all automakers have been impacted: recalls, warranty repairs, safety concerns and product reputation. Some automakers are beginning to phase out reactive silver-based FSU components at significant expense. However, reactive silver-based FSU components have been used since the late 80's, so a 15 year-plus vehicle population is still exposed.

 

the fuel sender plate is a swipe type thing and wears out so if the last person/s only ever driven it with 1/4 tank then that's the part that wears out so when you fill it up and get to a 1/4 it drops off the scale so you need a new sender

 

well the last person (2nd onwer) racked up about 24,000 miles in a little more than a year so I doubt they only filled it to 1/4.

 

personal opinions are noted but not the norm

 

back in highschool I put on crazy miles on my 4000. I never put more than $5 in gas in the thing, so its possible, if someones tight with their money, that they're never actually filling the tank, just stopping more often and adding a few bucks. My excuse was weight savings : ) why carry all that weight in fuel when you could do a quarter of that, and get better gas milage because of it?

 

************ UPDATE *****************

After running two bottles of Techron though it , it still does the wild fluctuating so I guess the FSU is the problem. It could be that Techron does fixthis sometimes and then sometimes it doesn't.
So I'll get it fixed at next (last under warranty) maintenance schedule.

Symptoms:
Gauge goes downnormally until its a little over 1/4 full. (150 mi)
Then it dives quickly in next 5 mile stretch to about 1/16 (30 mi)
Then it goes back up over next 10 miles to 1/4 then 1/4+ (75 mi - 125 mi)

--- I filled it up here and it only took 10 gallons so it still had 6 gallons in it.---

Then over next 15 miles it goes down to E (0 mi) (probably has 4-5 gallons here.

Confused? So am I, which is why I will always keep it 1/2 full until its fixed.