Fuel Gauge Acting Erratic

[2000Buick]

Hi all,

I have a 2000 Buick Century Custom 3.1L V6 with 98k miles on it and I recently had the fuel pressure regulator replaced. After its replacement I noticed that my fuel gauge will not go past the middle mark between E and F. It will go from F to the Middle Mark but rarely past that.

I have tried putting in fuel injector cleaner (Techron) and filling the car up with Super but so far that did not work. I also tried reseting my fuses . I have also replaced my fuel filter.

Any advice as to what it could be? Thank you.

 

[BK3]

I had a similar issue with my 2002.
I replaced the fuel level sensor (mounts to the fuel pump) and now it works like new.
From what I have read, the sulfur in fuel can cause the level sensor to fail.
not an uncommon issue.

 

[ledzilla]

These fuel level sensors tend to go bad without the help of sulfur, so the fuel system cleaners that remove the sulfur, and in other models restores the sensor functionality, don't help much. However, it isn't hard to replace these sensors. You can probably have it swapped out in about an hour or two.

You can access the fuel pump and assembly without dropping the tank. If you remove the back seat, you'll find an access panel held on with some stamped metal 10mm nuts. Underneath is the fuel pump assembly. The hard part is going to be the actual assembly removal as the retaining ring has a tendency to rust, so it won't come out easy. In my case I damaged a connector on the assembly trying to release the ring, but only so much as it needed some liquid electrical tape to seal it up again to keep out moisture. If you have access to a decent air compressor, I'd recommend using an air hammer to remove the ring. It will make it go so much more quickly. I must have spent hours and hours spraying the ring with PB Blaster and going at it with a hammer with no result before I tried the air hammer.

Anyway, once you remove the ring, the assembly comes out with a little finagling but not a lit of effort. It's pretty easy to switch out the sensors and then put the assembly back into the tank. Again, with the ring, I used the air hammer to reinstall it (and I bought a new one since the old one was beyond wrecked). One quick note about the air hammer, should you chose to go that route. Keep pressure on it with the appropriate bit held against one of the posts on the ring, and run it in short bursts. If you go too hard too long, when the ring breaks free you could lose control and damage the tank.

Also, do this in a well ventilated area, and probably when you know the tank is close to empty. Gasoline vapors can be really nasty. So, I hope my mistakes can help you do the job more quickly, easily, and with less trouble than I encountered.

 

[RicksRegalLS]

Hey man, thanks for the info! I'm having fuel gauge pinned to full problems, have to check the float and sender for problems.