'97 Chevy Lumina gas gage stuck on "full"?

Question

I have a '97 Chevy Lumina with a gas gage indicating that my fuel is always full, even if I am close to empty. Sometimes the gage will fluctuate a little. Is it the sender wire, where is that located, and how do I fix it?

Answer 1

You have either a stuck float or a shorted wire.

First thing to do for diagnostic is to disconnect the float assembly wire. (on top of the gas tank)
If the gage goes back to empty. you know that you have to replace the sender unit. (comes with the float et all) . (this is the most likely place where the problem is)
Otherwise, you will have to troubleshoot the dashboard and harnesses. (big task, but is less likely than the sender unit being the cause)

Answer 2

i think of you're asking a pair of lumina vehicle. i'm a dyed interior the wool Chevy truck freak. That being mentioned I even have blended emotions on the 80 and early 90s vehicles and so on. I do in spite of if very own a ninety two Lumina APV van, and that i like it. I traded $a hundred off a snow plow bill for it, have run it over a year,. and nonetheless have decrease than $a million,200 into it. had to drop approximately $750 into it as quickly as I have been given it. something replaced right into a playstation line, altinator, ingnition administration modual over the final year. I do my own paintings or it could be larger $. this is extremely very mushy to tension, get approximately 18 to the gallon. no longer undesirable for a hundred,000 plus miles and loaded with techniques lots of the time. gets around sturdy interior the snow too.

Answer 3

Sounds like either a bad wire on the sending unit, or the unit itself. the wires run under the car to the top of the tank, where the sender is located. these cars are known for both problems.

Answer 4

more then likely you are going to need to drop your gas tank to get to the fuel gauge sender unit at the gas tank, while it may be an electrical problem, or guage.. it is most likely that the tank will need to be dropped from the veichle to replace the fuel gauge sender unit.. if you dont already have one, i recommend getting a chilton's manual for the veichle.. however, if the sender at the tank is defective i reccomend having a shop do the repairs for you, as it can be a pain to empty and lower a gas tank with out a car lift..

Answer 5

Might be the gas tank ground wire, too, which is needed to complete the circuit for the gage. Check that, especially if you're in a rust belt state.

Answer 6

well, it could be the sender inside your gas tank, or something as simple as a loose wire.

I would start with the connection behind the dash to the Gage

good luck

Answer 7

I have the same problem. I was told the battery grounding wire was loose or there was a dirty connection. Took hours just to remove the battery and track the ground down. Worse car to work on I've ever seen and I grew up under the hood. Good thing no one was around to hear me express my opinions of the engineers.