1992 Dakota V6. Last week, before driving back to Michigan, I removed the instrument cluster to lubricate the speedometer cable. After driving more than 50 miles with no issues, I filled up in Bryan. I took the OSR road for about 40 miles, which needs to be resurfaced, or at least flattened. While chuckholes aren't a problem, the road has lots of short dips, and too many patches that need to be re-patched. I've driven this road before without incident, but as I approached the Interstate, I noticed that the gas gauge was jerking to the left, then easing back toward full. It kept doing so for about 5 miles, then gradually lessened this behavior for another 5 miles before reading properly through the rest of Texas. After filling up in Arkansas, the same problem occurred after only about 30 miles, again returning to normal after about 10 miles. Two more fill-ups didn't generate any erratic movements, but it happened again earlier today about 45 miles after filling up, this time after mostly slower city speeds. Perhaps I should add that Michigan roads are among the country's worst. I-30 in Arkansas is generally smooth, though it has plenty of hills and curves. Also, before this glitch, the needle normally didn't move from absolute full after filling up for about 60 or 70 miles, but then dropped to 3/4 full after about 120 miles or so. From then on, the gauge was accurate, and when it doesn't go flaky, it still seems accurate.
The problem could be the gas gauge, the sending unit, or that vague “somewhere in between”. I initially thought it was the gauge, but it's acting more like the sender. One friend up here said that it could be a loose ground wire on the sender. The FSM's diagnostic flowchart starts with “faulty wiring or components”, then recommends to “check all wiring including ground”. Its solutions are faulty printed circuit board, faulty sending unit, or faulty fuel gauge.
At this point, the problem is sporadic, but at least somewhat predictable as to when it will happen, if it does (between 30 and 50 miles after filling up). These problems never solve themselves, though. If anyone has had a similar problem, please share what the solution was.
The problem could be the gas gauge, the sending unit, or that vague “somewhere in between”. I initially thought it was the gauge, but it's acting more like the sender. One friend up here said that it could be a loose ground wire on the sender. The FSM's diagnostic flowchart starts with “faulty wiring or components”, then recommends to “check all wiring including ground”. Its solutions are faulty printed circuit board, faulty sending unit, or faulty fuel gauge.
At this point, the problem is sporadic, but at least somewhat predictable as to when it will happen, if it does (between 30 and 50 miles after filling up). These problems never solve themselves, though. If anyone has had a similar problem, please share what the solution was.