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.

Frank Boettcher wrote:

Reply to
Mike Behnke
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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:

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

Reply to
Daniel J. Stern

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.

Thanks.

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

Reply to
Daniel J. Stern

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

Reply to
maxpower

Reply to
mic canic

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

Reply to
Frank Boettcher

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

Reply to
RPhillips47

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...............

Reply to
Frank Boettcher

Reply to
maxpower

Reply to
Frank Boettcher

Reply to
Frank Boettcher

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.

Reply to
Mike C1

consistently

Reply to
maxpower

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

Reply to
RPhillips47

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 st>I have experienced this identical problem. It was caused by the type of

Reply to
Frank Boettcher

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