Fuel Gauge Inacurrate??

[53helofe]

So I have had my 01 X5 fortwo weeks now and I took it for a road trip this weekend. I would have to say that she did great all in all and it was a great drive. When I was nearing the end of my first tank of fuel, indicating just over 1/4 I looked down while I was driving and watched the fuel gauge start to rise and go back to indicating 1/1 Ithought man this thing gets such great gas milage that it actually replenishes itelf with fuel Ok, we all know that isn't true. When I stopped to fill her up I turned the vehicle completely off and then turned her back on prior to filling up and the gauge read just under 1/4, which is what she should have read.

Has anyone experienced this fule gauge going up while driving thing before, is it a common issue? Interestingly enough when I checked my miles remaining after it went up on its own, the milage remaining increased correspondingly.

[martinbaltes]

iam a chevy tech, and that is a common complaint on many of are vehicles. almost all of the time, it is due to a defective fuel level sensor which is located in the fuel tank. apparently, the fuel deteriorates the sensor card, causing incorrect signal voltage to be read by the engine control module.

[GmX5]

Originally Posted by martinbaltes

iam a chevy tech, and that is a common complaint on many of are vehicles. almost all of the time, it is due to a defective fuel level sensor which is located in the fuel tank. apparently, the fuel deteriorates the sensor card, causing incorrect signal voltage to be read by the engine control module.

[53helofe]

Thanks guys, sounds like and easy fix if the fuel sensor is not hard to get at.

[mtX5]

Mine was replaced not too long ago.. I think the dealer charged me somewhat of a hefty sum. (So I assume it is a little difficult to get at) Not sure though..

[ihab102000]

i had continious problem with fuel sensor.. i changed it 3 times in one month... cant figure out whts the problem... so if you had anyluck with yours.. advice me..

[X5Flyboy]

There are two sending units that can make the fuel guage show erroneous readings - when I first started driving my '01 in June, 2005, this was a very common occurence - switching over to "Top Tier" gasolines, especially Shell, cleared this up until recently - I had the "bad" unit replaced this summer

[nikpottala]

I had a similar problem and if your inclined to DIY, I found that if you pull both sensors out of the tank and clean the contact surfaces it fixes the problem and you don't have to spend any of your hard-earned money.

I cleaned the contact surface by wiping with 600-grit wet/dry sand paper. It made the surface all shiny and new and the gauge has worked perfectly for the last 20K miles.

[sgt.sweetchuck]

My 02 3.0 was doing this last year until i replaced the battery.Fixed the problem staight away.I think there are some other threads on this?

[53helofe]

Thanks for that suggestion nikpottala. I am not afraid of a DIY project, especially if I don't have to purchase any parts.