Stuck fuel sender?

[Mastiff]

I filled my tank a few days ago and around yesterday it struck me that the fuel gauge is reading too high for how much I've been driving. It's actually way beyond full, further than normal full I think. When I filled up, the auto shutoff thing for the pump didn't really do it's job, so it filled WAY up and dumped gas all over.

So, if I understand right, reading way beyond full and not changing would normally indicate an open circuit, probably messed up ground, right? But it's kind of coincidental with just having filled the tank, and everything was right before that. Do these floats sometimes stick up if you fill the hell out of the tank or something?

 

[dyeager535]

Haven't seen it happen, but anything is possible. Going over some nice bumps should cure a stuck float, if it's going to come loose on its own.

 

[abig84]

Yea bad ground everytime I ever seen it way past full that's what it is... Working on a truck now. That had a positive issue all it did was stay in the same spot

 

[TDS-MN]

I'd concur with a wiring issue, if your needle is pointing to the 3-O'Clock position, for example. A stuck sender float would not let it read that far over. If it's staying at or near the full reading, them I would believe a stuck float. Seems unlikely to me, though.

The single wire connector on the top of my tank on the '85, when it would pop off it's connection point, the gauge would swing way over. I was always able to get the gauge to read correctly once that wire was re-attached.

 

[combatmatt]

x3 for checking the ground . . . . . i've been forking around with mine for almost a year. sending unit then fuel pump then tank baffle. love the electricity gremlins