Just bought a 1990 K5

[vindemiate]

Two days ago I was pretty excited to pick up a 1990 K5 for a really good price. But...
I head off to work… Truck is running kinda weird. No biggie though. I get about ten miles from home and my truck dies. UGH!! I pull over and try starting it. It starts… YEAH!!! Then dies… UGH!!
I then walk a short distance to a little grocery store and buy a gas can. Then off to the gas station and fill up two gallons. Walk back to my truck and some really nice guy asks if I need a ride. I say no at first but he presses a little. Ok, I’ll take a ride. Says he saw my truck and thought he’d see if he can help me get to work a little faster. (see, people don't always suck)
So I empty the can into the truck, cross my fingers, say a little prayer and vrooooom! It works.
Turns out the seller neglected to tell me the gas gauge doesn’t work!!!!
By the way, this is the one day in years that I have left the house without my cell phone.

 

[496truck]

Sounds like you just learned one of the most important rules of owning one of these old trucks...

ALWAYS question the accuracy of the fuel gauge.



Welcome to CK5!!!

 

[ChevyToy04]

I drove a 1990 blazer the other day before determining I wanted to buy it, but the gauge read a quarter of a tank and I was told to drive it as far and as much as I wanted. I drove it about a mile or two down the road pretty hard. I returned and noticed the gauge was exactly the same as when i left. I asked if all the gauges were pretty accurate. His answer, "all except the fuel".

Welcome to the most useful forum I have joined

 

[chulisohombre]

congrats on the new k5.unless you drive it for awhile i dont trust that any guage works correctly.you never know what the owner didnt tell you and hoped you wouldnt notice on your pre trip inspection and actually buying the rig.hopefully it is just a bad ground on your fuel sending unit.or wire to your guage amy be piunched somewhere.mine was just unhooked.once you check that and it works mine goes slow from full to half then really quick from half to quarter,i know when it hits quarter tank you really need to fill up.at least when i ran out i was on a hill and the gas station was at the bottom of that hill.coasted on in and always fill mine when it hits quarter tank now.most of my chevy blazers and pickups have been this way.good luck and welcome to the site.

 

[clandr1]

The trip meter on my truck doesn't work (won't reset) so what I would do in your situation (fortunately my gas gauge works) is get a dry erase marker, and when you fill up/top off the tank, add 250 miles to your ODO and write it on the inside of the front windshield where your oil change sticker would be. Then you'll always know when you're about to run out of gas

As always, quite literally, YMMV

 

[vindemiate]

I like the idea of the dry erase marker since my trip meter doesn't work either. May have to keep a can of fuel to be on the safe side.

 

[meanboyjr]

Oddly enough, the gas gauge on my '76 works great. Topped off, the needle sits a wee bit above "F". When the needle hits "E" I know I have a little under 2 gallons left in the tank - about 15 miles before I have to start walking.

Don't ask how I know.