Fuel gauge problem

breghall

I have a 2002 ford focus , and for some time now the fuel gague has been acting up. Some days it'll read full , other days empty and the very odd day it may work. I accessed the sender through the rear seats and moved it up and down and nothing happened to the gauge. Can someone tell me how to troubleshoot the gauge itself in case this is faulty.

cheers

biko

When you checked the sender, were car running? Often the gauge won't move if car isn't on (most cars I've seen).
Just checking

breghall

Fuel gauge moves when the iginition is turned on , car doesn't have to be running for it move , so i tried then to see if it moved and it didn't budge.

ION08

Have exactly the same issue on a 01 focus.

Quite a common issues on them if you google it.

As far as i know (and from what ive read) you have to drop the fuel tank to access the sender unit, and that it cant actually be accessed through the back seats??

Anyway, it seems that replacing the sender unit fixes this issue for most people, however, i had mine replaced and the fuel gauge is still acting up and showing erratic readings.

dougie-lampkin

breghall wrote: »

I have a 2002 ford focus , and for some time now the fuel gague has been acting up. Some days it'll read full , other days empty and the very odd day it may work. I accessed the sender through the rear seats and moved it up and down and nothing happened to the gauge. Can someone tell me how to troubleshoot the gauge itself in case this is faulty.

cheers

How did you get at the sender through the back seats? There's no access to the tank from inside the car

It's the sender that's gone, very common problem where the tracks wear away. I fitted a sender off a Mondeo to my Focus, it's a straight swap and judging by the part number it's a revised part. I'm not sure about the petrol Focus, but the diesel will cut out and refuse to start if the sender is reading empty.

breghall

ION08 wrote: »

and that it cant actually be accessed through the back seats??

Anyway, it seems that replacing the sender unit fixes this issue for most people, however, i had mine replaced and the fuel gauge is still acting up and showing erratic readings.

With the aid of my trusty angle grinder , i was able to get to it from under the back seat , just have to cut it big enough to screw off the sealing cap.


I'll try and get a 2nd hand sender unit and see if i can install it, I just want to check that the gauge is ok before splashing out on parts I may not need

breghall

breghall wrote: »

With the aid of my trusty angle grinder , i was able to get to it from under the back seat , just have to cut it big enough to screw off the sealing cap.


I'll try and get a 2nd hand sender unit and see if i can install it, I just want to check that the gauge is ok before splashing out on parts I may not need

Angle grinder over the fuel tank? Brave man! :eek:

ION08

breghall wrote: »

With the aid of my trusty angle grinder , i was able to get to it from under the back seat , just have to cut it big enough to screw off the sealing cap.


I'll try and get a 2nd hand sender unit and see if i can install it, I just want to check that the gauge is ok before splashing out on parts I may not need

Well that answers that question! :P

If youre gonna replace it you may aswell get a new one. They have such a high failure rate that you may well be replacing it with another dudd if you go for a second hand part!

You can do a cluster check to make sure all gauges are working and toggle through what is essentially a hidden menu. It will also give you a code here to let you know if the sender unit is faulty

Google : mk1 focus diagnostic mode

ION08

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

I'm not sure about the petrol Focus, but the diesel will cut out and refuse to start if the sender is reading empty.

What a load of crap. Who told you this or did you just make it up? :rolleyes:

Mines' a diesel and this is definitely not the case!

dougie-lampkin

ION08 wrote: »

What a load of crap. Who told you this or did you just make it up? :rolleyes:

Mines' a diesel and this is definitely not the case!

Mine told me when it refused to start, because the sender was reading empty. The car emulated a misfire and cut out to prevent the pump running dry, and then wouldn't fire until the sender was disconnected. Maybe do a bit of research on your car. *insert smarmy rolleyes here*

breghall wrote: »

With the aid of my trusty angle grinder , i was able to get to it from under the back seat , just have to cut it big enough to screw off the sealing cap.


I'll try and get a 2nd hand sender unit and see if i can install it, I just want to check that the gauge is ok before splashing out on parts I may not need

On a petrol? Fair play, I was wary about cutting over a diesel tank :P

Take out the sender and you'll see the resistor card will be worn down. If it is, that's your culprit.

ION08

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

Mine told me when it refused to start, because the sender was reading empty. The car emulated a misfire and cut out to prevent the pump running dry, and then wouldn't fire until the sender was disconnected. Maybe do a bit of research on your car. *insert smarmy rolleyes here*

Your what told you?

First time ive read about this since initially researching this issue. And if thats the case how come mine starts and drives perfectly even when gauge is dropped right down to the bottom and sender is reading empty?

pred racer

ION08 wrote: »

Your what told you?

First time ive read about this since initially researching this issue. And if thats the case how come mine starts and drives perfectly even when gauge is dropped right down to the bottom and sender is reading empty?

Maybe the sender in yours is fine and the gauge is banjaxed.

ION08

pred racer wrote: »

Maybe the sender in yours is fine and the gauge is banjaxed.

Well the sender thats in it now is brand new. The gauge itself does work, it flies up and back dow when doing the cluster check.

Sometimes, it seems to show the correct amount, other times it'll show either completely full or completely empty.

Personally i dont think its thr gauge either. Probably a bad earth somewhere.

dougie-lampkin

ION08 wrote: »

Your what told you?

First time ive read about this since initially researching this issue. And if thats the case how come mine starts and drives perfectly even when gauge is dropped right down to the bottom and sender is reading empty?

Drain the tank of diesel and try and start it without waiting for the dash lights to go out. It will run while the guages are doing their inital sweep, and the lights are on, but then cut out. I can assure you they DO cut out just before the tank depletes, to prevent the pump running dry. This is a documented fact, it's even in the Hayne's manual for the car, so you can't have done that much research. Here's some more on the issue: http://www.playcircuit.com/diesel-wont-start-fuel-guage-71369.html

breghall

ION08 wrote: »

Well that answers that question! :P

If youre gonna replace it you may aswell get a new one. They have such a high failure rate that you may well be replacing it with another dudd if you go for a second hand part!

You can do a cluster check to make sure all gauges are working and toggle through what is essentially a hidden menu. It will also give you a code here to let you know if the sender unit is faulty

Google : mk1 focus diagnostic mode

Hey this worked !! 2 days and the gauge is reading what I think it should be....

oh and mine is a diesel and always stared and ran with the needle showing empty and the fuel light on, it never cut out or refused to start.... in case it helps with the discussion above...

anyway thanks guys..:D