Gas indicator stuck on empty

Had this exact problem on my 2001 Malibu while it was still under warranty. The dealer fix was to replace the sending unit.

Art wrote, "The gas gauge indicator on my '98 Malibu is stuck on empty. Actually, the indicator needle is on the wrong side of limit pin. How do I get it back where it belongs?"

Had the same thing happen on a '98 Olds Intrigue. It was kind of a beater (just a runaround car I bought for cheap because of cosmetic damage) so I just fixed it the cheapest, fastest and easiest (and wrongest) way I could. I just heated a piece of wire and melted it through the plexiglass where the fuel needle was, then stuck in a thinner wire with a slight bend at the end and hooked onto the needle and positioned it back on the right side of the peg. The needle is super flimzy and probably weighs less than a milligram. Then I just put a tiny piece of black tape where the hole was and it's not even noticeable at all. I suspected it was the fuel sender unit as another poster said. And that is probably the correct course of action. I'm just posting this in case your car is an old beater like mine and you no longer care what it looks like, etc -- and just wanted to know a way to fix it quickly and for free. Also, the gauge never did that again since.

I like that! I'm pretty sure the gauge would work if I could get the needle over the peg. When the engine is off, the needle is far from the peg, but when I start the car, the needle presses right against the peg. So I think the sending unit is probably ok.

This car's days are numbered so I don't want to sink money in it. I'll give your suggestion a try.

Thanks, Art

That is one neat solution. Let us know if it works for you. Going past the peg never happened to me, but who knows....

--Vic