maddmann313 Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Either my monte sucks gas, or my fuel guage isn't working I drove for about 20 miles and was down to a 1/4 of a tank from full what can I do to change this??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc8oye Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 i'd be looking for a BIG gas leak. the easiest way to improve gas mileage is don't drive it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmann313 Posted December 16, 2010 Author Share Posted December 16, 2010 Well duh that's simple... But where would a leak like that be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam (Bones) Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 never trust your gauge, you'd smell it if it was leaking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7tonemonte Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Gm gauges always seem to fluxuate from a 1/4 to 3/4 My truck reads full for about 4 days after a fill up,then drops real quick after that. Are you sure your tank was full? Not just reading full,sometimes my Monte will take on plenty more gas after it first shuts the nozzle off, but most of the time,when it shuts it off, It pukes about 50cents on the ground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevns71monte Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Gm gauges always seem to fluxuate from a 1/4 to 3/4 My truck reads full for about 4 days after a fill up,then drops real quick after that. Are you sure your tank was full? Not just reading full,sometimes my Monte will take on plenty more gas after it first shuts the nozzle off, but most of the time,when it shuts it off, It pukes about 50cents on the ground i do the exact same thing! everytime my guage has never read full even when i know it is full it takes about forty a week in gas :[ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyKenny Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Mine hops around but nothing that crazy lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc8oye Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 the montes are easy to correct. .just drop the tank, remove the sender, and bend the arm. if it doesn't read full, bend it downward. if it doesn't read empty till it's too late, bend it upward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 My gauge dosent work so i keep track of the milage I have changed the tank unit 4 times because all the testing said tank unit but I guess its the gauge in the car im going to try an aftermarket gauge first before pulling the dash apart thats a scary place in there 40 year old wires and an aftermarket radio/cd player god only knows what that looks like. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc8oye Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 it's real easy to test... unplug the connection in the trunk.. GROUND the gas tank terminal in the wiring harness.. the gauge should swing to full. if it doesn't it's a wiring issue or the gauge. remember there are 4 connections between the gastank and the gauge... there is the one at the tank itself, the one inside the trunk near the latch, there is another one in the trunk by the left rear wheel arch, and the body-by-fisher connector by the fuse block. anyone of those connections could be causing a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Yes thats what I did and thats what it did went all the way to full when grounded and empty when just disconected thought I had a defective tank unit so I got a new one under there warrenty twice then ordered one from opg a factory duplicate still did the same thing the ground is good and connections are good and clean it was driving me nuts so I said the heck with it for now ill play wit it another time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc8oye Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 is the tank unit grounded? it's _REALLY_ important that the ground wire from the tank be attached to a good body ground. not only for the gauge, but it prevents static build up on the tank itself.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Yes triple checked the ground not only checked I took it apart and cleaned it 3 times I have checked everything at least 3 times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbolt Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 How about doing a quick gas mileage test. Fill it up, drive 20 miles, fill it again and do the math. This will give you a reference point for your fuel mileage and some peace of mind that you do actually have gas in the tank. Well, that actually depends on the results. Could be you are actually getting 2-3 mpg but at least you will know for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Im pretty close on the mpg now but while all this was going on I was doing other work also carb and manifold cheange out and pertronix ignition so ut was hard to do for a bit but ive got it close now 12 or 13 in the city depending how I drive it around 15 on the highway wohoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbolt Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 so it's basically an indication problem and as long as you are vigilant you should be able to live with it until you get it sorted out. Are you sure the tank unit is the culprit? Seems like you swapped it several times with no luck but I would ask did the replacement parts fail immediately or after time? Did you check the bad unit after you pulled it out to see if the resistance changed as you moved the arm up and down? I know that sounds a bit complex but with a meter and some trial and error you should be able to "bench test" a sending unit. With all you have done already this proceedure would only be a small time investment and could help you narrow your problem down to a different area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 Well I never checked the orig one but tested all after that and all read within the correct range except the one i ran direct voltage from the batt 12 volts and burned that one out (oops) but they replaced it ive learned to live with it for now untill i get ambuisous again and track it down now im off to fight the snow but thats not to bad today we only got another foot over night to raise out dec total to almost 70 inches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kc8oye Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 yeah gas tank senders work on 5v from the gauge.. not 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbolt Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 Hey Steve, lets narrow it down a little further. When you say your gauge doesn't work, what do you mean? Is it stuck full, empty, erratic or what? You say you did the check for the gauge and as far as I know that is the only way to check a fuel gauge. Since you checked the gauge and changed the sender........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted December 17, 2010 Share Posted December 17, 2010 yea tim i have 6 volts there. What its doing is reading 1/4 tank when full and moves down from there with the old one it was stuck on 1/2 all the time. Ya know what a light just lit up in my head from an eariler post about bending the arm that may be it now i want to kick myself for filling it before winter. well now I guess I have a spring project after the winter projects are over, Thanks guys for helping with that it opened my eyes, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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