Bonneville V6-3800 3.8L Supercharged (1992)
Fuel Gauge Sender: Customer Interest
Fuel Gauge - Reads Empty When Fuel Tank is Full
Bulletin Number: 93-8-10
Reference Number: 308102
Publish Date: 2/93
Subject:
FUEL GAUGE READS EMPTY WITH FULL FUEL TANK (INSTALL 2000 OHM RESISTOR IN PARALLEL W/FUEL SENDER)
Models Affected:
1992-93 PONTIAC SSE AND SSEI
CONDITION:
Some 1992-93 Pontiac SSE and SSEI vehicles may exhibit a condition where the fuel gauge needle goes to empty when the fuel tank is completely full.
If this occurs, the chime sounds and the "CHECK GAUGES" message comes on the display. After a short period of time (30 seconds to 10 minutes of
driving), the gauge will recover and begin working again.
CAUSE:
The cause of this condition is a high resistance build-up on the fuel tank sender. The cluster interprets this high resistance (typically 105 ohms) as an
electrical fault and sends the fuel gauge needle to empty.
CORRECTION:
The condition may be corrected by installing a 2000 ohm (2 kohm) resistor in parallel with the fuel sender.
DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR:
Refer to section 8A-81 in the Service Manual for circuit details.
1.
If the owner explains that the fuel gauge goes to empty when the fuel tank is filled then begins working after some time, follow steps 2 through 9
below. If the fuel gauge is at empty all of the time, follow the diagnostic procedures in the Service Manual for the cause of the condition.
2.
Disconnect the negative battery cable.
3.
Remove the lower rear seat cushion.
4.
Locate the conduit on the left side of the car and expose the Purple (circuit # 30) and Black/White (circuit # 803) wires. Be careful to get the
correct wires since there is also a purple/white wire in the opposite bundle.
The correct purple and black/white wires are in the wiring bundle that has the clear level ride line (ELC) in it.
5.
Strip back about 1/2 inch of insulation from each wire as shown in Figure 1. Do not cut the wires.
6.
Solder one end of the resistor to the purple wire and the other end to the black/white wire as shown in the figure. A 1/4 or 1/2 watt 2000 ohm
resistor is recommended. However, the resistor can be from 1800 ohms (1.8 kohms) to 2200 ohms (2.2 kohms). You can buy this resistor at your
local electronics store. Radio Shack normally carries a 2.2 kohm resistor.
7.
Tape the connections to prevent any electrical shorts.
