Gas Gage Problems - '99 T & C

First order of business is to get your hands on the FSM. Check E-Bay.

Second order of business, use the Haynes manual to clean your tools
and hands after your replaced the pump/sending unit. Due to their
numerous errors, Haynes manuals are virtually useless.

 

Where are you located and what brand of gasoline do you use? These
symptoms were very common especially on Chrysler products with Shell
gasolines sold in several regions of Canada.

Bzzt.

Instructions for proper use of a Haynes manual here:

http://u225.torque.net/haynes_instructions.html

Can't readily be done -- the chime is controlled by the BCM and is
thoroughly integrated.

 

No -- once the bad Shell stuff (which was *mostly* confined to Canada, but
not entirely, and which is supposed to have been out of the system by this
past Spring) gums-up the sender, it's gummed-up. You could try a good
brand of in-tank fuel system cleaner (BG 44K or Chevron Techron
Concentrate) but the odds it would fix it are slim. You almost certainly
*are* looking at dropping the tank.

Be advised, if you cut that wire, you'll probably wind up with full-time
chime operation.

 

Im not sure but i will try and check tommorro when i go into the shop, it
may be possible that you may be able to turn that off thru the BCM under
cust preferences, look in your owners manual and see what it says about cust
preferences
Glenn Beasley
Chrysler tech

 

did you get a new battery ???

 

The gas gage on my 99 T & C is going beserk. Initially showing
partially filled on a full tank. Low fuel light and audible alarm
coming on and off when plenty of fuel in the tank.

Looking at my Haynes manual, it looks like the tank has to be dropped
to take out the fuel pump module to test/replace the gage sending
unit. Rats!
I'll do that when I get time, however the audible sending unit is
driving us crazy. Does anyone have experience in disconnecting this
alarm. My wiring diagram is less than clear, in fact does not show
the audible at all. Other than cutting the wires from the sending
unit (connector apears to be integrated with the fuel pump connector)
is there anything I can do to temporarily disconnect the alarm or
gage. I would rather just estimate fuel remaining by elapsed mileage
until I get time to replace the sending unit than listen to the
audible.

Thanks

Frank

 

Sounds like the fuel sending unit located on the fuel pump inside the gas tank.
Does it happen all of the time or only when the fuel is at a certain level?
This happened to the unit on my '96 T&C LXi. When the tank was full no problem
but when the gauge was between 7/8 and 5/8 it would happen sporadically when it
first started and more often as time went on. Then it would stop for a period
of time, then begin again. Asked the service rep at the local Dodge dealer
(that had serviced the van as we lost confidence in our local Chrysler dealer)
and he said there courtesy van had been doing the same thing for sometime and
they were not going to fix it until they had to. I learned to live with the
needle/chime going berserk by turning up the stereo when driving.

We drove the T&C for almost two years until the whole unit went south, when I
was driving it, on the way home from work, on the freeway, at 5:30 on a Friday
afternoon/evening. Had the unit replaced (almost a year ago) and all has been
fine since.

RP

 

Mississippi; Shell regular. So you are not going to suggest I can
fix this by changing gasoline brands are you?

Now that's funny! However, I was thinking about using the pages in my
updraft charcoal starter for my grill. The paper haynes uses is so
cheap I'm sure it burns great.

So looks like I cut the wire. Haynes says dark blue from level sender
to control module. Wonder if I can trust that...............

 

I tried it with a car at work, there is no setting for that, you would have
to replace the sending unit

 

There is no Customer Preference reference in my owners manual

 

Thanks for trying, I appreciate it. I've noticed that it doesn't seem
to be as bad if I keep the tank less than half full. Will do that
until I have time to drop the tank and change the sender.

 

I have experienced this identical problem. It was caused by the type of
gas - no question. Fill up with gas A, chime is on and off constantly as
the fuel sender needle oscillates. Fill up with gas B - problem solved. In
one case, since the tank was full of gas A, I poured a bottle of injector
cleaner into the tank, which also fixed the problem. I believe there are
additives/fuel characteristics that affect the resistance of the sender.
I am in Canada and never fill my caravans with Shell gas, which consistently
caused this problem. btw, the connector is not integrated with the pump,
but the release tab is not obvious.

 

Has nothing to do with gas, the sending unit is worn out

 

Repeat - it's the sending unit and the only way to fix it is to replace it.
Trust me, I know from experience.

 

Since this started I've used three or four different brands of
gasoline. I've also dumped a couple of bottles of Texron fuel system
cleaner in the tank. Nothing changes it.

I have noticed that it will find levels in the tank when it stops
doing it. Usually at about half full it will stop until I fill up
again.

I haven't looked at the connector on my vehicle ( little inconvenient
for casual observation) but the actual picture and wiring diagram in
the dreaded and much maligned Haynes manual shows a single connector
with pins to power the pump and send the level signals.

Believe me, if there is a way to stop this short of dropping the tank
and changing the sender I would consider it. But I believe the sender
is bad and no amount of in tank cleaning/gasoline changes are going to
repair it.