GM Fuel Reading?

[Keebler Elf]

Another thread got me thinking about this. I know some GM cars had problems with Shell gasoline over the past year. The result was a fuel gauge that didn't reflect how much gasoline was actually left in the tank.

I called GM and they said they were looking into it. They finally did call me back and said Shell and GM had worked out a deal and that I should talk to my dealer.

Question: has anyone else had this problem and what was your experience?

(I haven't gone to the dealer yet cuz I want to do a little research first. My car's warranty is over so that's not an option.)

 

[fade069]

My Pontiac has the same problem and Im waiting for my dealer to get back to me let me know if you hear.

 

[Bill the Pirate]

its true

there is a problem with an additive that is causing the sending units to give improper readings... I found this out just after I fixed mine of course

 

[Keebler Elf]

I believe the problem with the gasoline has been resolved so there shouldn't be any future problems.

How much did it cost to have it repaired?

 

[David_peza]

My friend has exactly the same problem.
When he called them they asked him to fuel his car in other gas station.

 

[wildone99]

fuel readings!

I had my fuel gauge act up about 3 times it would show full for awhile them a alarm would go off then drop down to empty! So took it to the dealer and they blamed shell , petro can, so i sent a letter off to Gm head office via e-mail and they said it was a additive problem so they sent me back to the dealership and they took about 30 min to put something in the fuel tank! something like a additive. That lasted about 2 months and it did it again at the end of summer! I think maybe its a build of pressure in the tank because since its been cooler had no problems since !

 

[jerbear]

I don't put pioneer gas in my car cause then the engine light comes on. The guys says it's the cat. convertor sensor and 3k to fix.

 

[james t kirk]

This is very interesting.

My car had the exact same problem (late model Buick)

Anyway, i fixed it myself on Saturday after buying the part from GM.

The part is called a fuel tank level sensor (I always called it a sending unit.)

Anyway, i doubt the problem is the gasoline, the problem is a shitty cheap design by the idiot engineers at GM.

The sending unit is a cheap piece of plastic with a black lever with a brass pin through the centre of the lever. The lever has the floaat attached to it and it has two electrical contacts on it.

The problem is that the lever gets sloppy where it pivots and the contacts no longer do their job.

In the case of my P.O.S. GM car, there is an access door in the trunk which allows you to get at the fuel pump without dropping the tank. Removing the fuel pump securing ring is a bit of a challange though and involved me using a big screw driver and a hammer (after cleaning up all the road dust) and eventually getting the thing to rotate. (Counter clockwise)

The kit available from GM is $200 freaking dollars. They actually give you two sending units in the kit cause it could be one or the other that fits your car. As far as i can tell, it's only the electrical connector that is different. So i am saving the "spare one" for when the new one goes tits up in a couple of years (if i still own that GM P.O.S.). I will merely cut the wires and splice on the proper connector.

The fact that they give you two sending units is kind of funny. That means either you paid for two, or they are so cheap to make (most likely the case) that they just give you two.

The worst part of the job was getting that retaining ring off of the fuel pump by the way.

Again, it's not the gas, and don't let the bastards tell you that you have to buy the entire fuel pump because you can buy just the sending unit (proper name, fuel tank level sensor.)

PS. 99% of the time, I use only Sunoco. Trust me, it's not a fuel thing, it's a cheap crappy design that costs about 50 cents to manufacture problem. I have a 30 year old car also, and it's fuel guage always works.

cheers

 

[Keebler Elf]

Actually, I believe it was the gas. I did an internet search and there were a LOT of cases in which people who fuelled at Shell had subsequent problems. I remember reading about the problem in the paper two days after filling up at Shell and, lo and behold, my fuel gauge went wonky. Maybe a crappy fuel sensor has something to do with it, b/c apparently the gas creates a sludgy residue that coats the sensor and screws up the readings.

 

[james t kirk]

Actually, I believe it was the gas. I did an internet search and there were a LOT of cases in which people who fuelled at Shell had subsequent problems. I remember reading about the problem in the paper two days after filling up at Shell and, lo and behold, my fuel gauge went wonky. Maybe a crappy fuel sensor has something to do with it, b/c apparently the gas creates a sludgy residue that coats the sensor and screws up the readings.

Well, i have held the fuel sensor in my hand not 3 days ago. I don't use shell, I can tell you, the design is the problem. Maybe the fuel is destroying the plastic, but the lever on the assembly is completely wobbly.

I think the shell thing is a bit of an urban legend.

There was no residue that I could see, and like i said, i always use sunoco because i get my CAA card paid off by half. I honestly don't think i have ever ever used shell. I make a point of going to Sunoco.

I am sure GM would love to blame anyone but themselves.

How come ford and every other auto manufacturer doesn't have the same problem with their fuel guages, only GM??

 

[jerbear]

I know in my Astro the fuel pump is in the tank ,what a bitch job that is.

 

[kooley]

Again, it's not the gas, and don't let the bastards tell you that you have to buy the entire fuel pump because you can buy just the sending unit (proper name, fuel tank level sensor.)


cheers

Actually it is the gas.....

If you do your research all companys involved have made different levels of admission, the gas companys say yes but it's because of their design, and gm says it is our design in conjunction with their additives. Most late model gm cars can't have just the level sensor changed as the pump is an integral part of the unit and can't be taken apart. The reason nobody wants o admit guilt is these units can cost upwards of $800 and thee are a lot of affected cars. Check the company's websites for updated but it shouldn't be more than a couple of months before a settlement is reached.

 

[james t kirk]

Actually it is the gas.....

If you do your research all companys involved have made different levels of admission, the gas companys say yes but it's because of their design, and gm says it is our design in conjunction with their additives. Most late model gm cars can't have just the level sensor changed as the pump is an integral part of the unit and can't be taken apart. The reason nobody wants o admit guilt is these units can cost upwards of $800 and thee are a lot of affected cars. Check the company's websites for updated but it shouldn't be more than a couple of months before a settlement is reached.

Well, I might buy the "design in conjunction with the gas" theory, but given that none of the other manufacturers seem to be having this problem, I would say, why don't you design a sending unit that can stand being submerged in the gasoline?

My sending unit was quite easily seperated from the fuel pump. It is a separate part without a doubt.

Initially I thought I would have to replace the fuel pump entirely because i thought that the sending unit was integral with the fuel pump.

I called Popham pontiac buick and they wanted some outrageous price for the pump, like $700 or so. I then called Parkdale auto supply in Hamilton, and the exact same pump (AC DELCO, not aftermarket) was $475.00.

But then I found out you could buy just the sending unit (from the internet actually) and that part was $200.00 from a dealer only.

So, i bought the sending unit itself. And it's a very frail piece of junk.

But I will keep my eyes open for any rebate programme, thanks.

 

[heavy_meat]

Well, here's another interesting story...

Filling up a few years ago at a Pioneer caused my alternator light to flicker on and off.

This only happened after filling the tank with Pioneer gas. (the tank was almost dry when I filled it)

When I switched back to Canadian Tire gas on my next fill-up, the problem went away.

Never had an alternator problem with that car since.

I'm a believer that gas can make a difference. I've never bought pioneer since.

--HM

 

[Keebler Elf]

I've got documentation found on the internet that includes statements from Shell. Furthermore, I've spoken with Shell officials and they admitted there was a problem. So it's definitely not an urban myth...

 

[The Bandit]

The best cure is, don't buy GM............

 

[Keebler Elf]

Thanks for your valuable input.

 

[poorboy]

it's hard to convince james t kirk of something different once he's made up his mind.

I believe some late model Fords had the same problem with the fuel, but not to the extent of the GM cars.

I don't mind GM. Got 256,000 kms on a 14 year old 3.1 and going strong. Cheap to fix and parts are plentiful.

I was drivng my mother's Acura Integra, and it was broken into. $1,900 to repair because they couldn't find a "like condition" door for this 10 year old car.

That $1,900 was for repairing the existing door. It would have been even more if they used a new door.

Just put another $450 in rust repair into it too on top of the $1,000 a year ago. Didn't replace the power antenna because it would cost $400.

ALL manufacturers cheap out. That's how they keep the cost down. If you think GM is bad, a company who's Canadian plants consistenly win quality awards, you should look at Ford and Chrysler. They are known to be worse than GM.

That ring on the fuel tank isn't that hard to get off. Just be careful with the hammer and chisel.

Your 30 year old car fuel guage may read properly, but it's not as dependable as today's car.

You lose on all cars no matter who makes them. Some are worse than others though.

 

[james t kirk]

it's hard to convince james t kirk of something different once he's made up his mind.

I believe some late model Fords had the same problem with the fuel, but not to the extent of the GM cars.

I don't mind GM. Got 256,000 kms on a 14 year old 3.1 and going strong. Cheap to fix and parts are plentiful.

I was drivng my mother's Acura Integra, and it was broken into. $1,900 to repair because they couldn't find a "like condition" door for this 10 year old car.

That $1,900 was for repairing the existing door. It would have been even more if they used a new door.

Just put another $450 in rust repair into it too on top of the $1,000 a year ago. Didn't replace the power antenna because it would cost $400.

ALL manufacturers cheap out. That's how they keep the cost down. If you think GM is bad, a company who's Canadian plants consistenly win quality awards, you should look at Ford and Chrysler. They are known to be worse than GM.

That ring on the fuel tank isn't that hard to get off. Just be careful with the hammer and chisel.

Your 30 year old car fuel guage may read properly, but it's not as dependable as today's car.

You lose on all cars no matter who makes them. Some are worse than others though.

If you had to lay out as much money as i have had to on this piece of shit, you would think the same as i do about GM.

I owned a ford ranger before and was quite happy with it.

I owned a Buick Lesabre, Chevy Citation, and was quite happy with them. (The citation was a bit shaky at times, but cheap to fix and easy to fix too. Although the 2.8 had a bit of a repuation for a week bottom end on the engine. But you could buy a used engine for $250.00 for the thing.)

My 30 year old car is far more relable than my late model buick actually. It's only been on the hook once since i bought in in 1989, whereas my late model buick was on the hook 4 times last year. (Though the old bomb is my toy.)

All cars are money pits. Just some are totally unreliable.

My heated seat in my buick will cost $1,500 to fix (parts only I might add), so don't feel to bad about your door or antenna.

 

[kooley]

check this out]


http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2004/07/c8255.html