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Lousy fuel gauge


r3dplanet
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For years I've been happily driving my '95 Pathfinder SE as my daily driver / work truck. But as I'm a mobile technician and my Pathy gets lousy mileage I'm always stopping for gas. The fuel gauge when full reads 3/4 of a tank. When empty it fills with 15.5 gallons. Only recently did I read in the service manual that it has a 20.5 gallon tank. This means that when the gauge shows empty I still have five gallons left.

 

WTF?

 

What on earth can I do to rectify this? Is it a problem with the electronics or perhaps the sender inside the tank itself? I've searched and found that many others complain that the gauge never reads full, but nothing beyond that. Has anyone ever experienced / rectified this?

 

Thanks.

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where in the FSM did you happen across this info?

 

hints, tips, and tricks are not covered in the FSM. This info is readily available as long as you do some research.

Edited by silverton
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Your gauge sounds like mine. My tank usually takes something like 16 gallons when the needle's approaching empty. The pump can't drain all 21 gallons out of there. I don't have much to check it against, but it will run out of gas just past empty, so I suspect the gauge is working more or less like it should. The low fuel light, not so much...

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Does sound like a bad sending unit. Sitting in gas for 20 years probably takes a toll on it lol.

 

Both my gauges on my two pathfinders have always read a little low. Takes about 65-70 liters when the light comes on.

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I have a tank that only holds 15 as well, the owners manual says it should be 21 gallons or something but it certainly doesn't. Ran it out of gas when I thought I had miles left to go.

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I believe the replacement tanks available through Nissan are only 15 gallons, but aftermarket suppliers still have 20 gallon units.

 

According to Alkorahil

 

 

There was a pre and post 1994 fuel tank for the V6.

The fuel tanks from Nissan with the V6 engines supercede now to the 94-95 part number: P/N 17202-61G00

This is a 57L (15.1 gallon) tank.

 

B

 

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89 here, but my gauge behaves like the OP. Gauge will read full only after I just filled my tank, then after about five miles, it will be at 3/4. When it gets to exactly empty on the gauge, I'll need 16 gal or so to fill up. Took it a little past E, but still no empty gas light.

 

The low fuel like is like a mythical creature; I've never seen it with my own eyes.

 

 

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My 90 sentra ( pretty soon formerly owned ! LOL) does the same thing right now, when I fill it, it goes to full than 5 minutes later it may say 3/4 or it may read empty, when the gauge was working semi normal it never went to full and when it was on empty it usually meant 1/4. I could leave work with the gauge below the "E" and drive 30 miles towards home, stop and fill it and it would only take 10 gallons out of the 13.2 gallon tank !

But getting 29 MPG helped too !!

 

I did see the low fuel light a couple times come on in the pathfinder.

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my previous 87 200sx would read full until I pulled out of the gas station.

 

sounds like most of you just need new sending units.

 

My truck does, I know that for sure. it'll show full when it's full, then drop down to 1/2 tank after about 30 miles, then the needle will drop all the way til it's resting on the bezel around 80'ish miles. Right now, if I've done my fuel calculations correctly, I should be able to travel another 20-25 miles and it's showing 1/4 tank.

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  • 7 months later...

I have the same exact gauge issues as the OP.

 

I think this is more to do with defective gauges, not the sending units. I recently swapped out my entire fuel pump,/ gauge assembly for out of a junkyard 95 year model.

 

No change in gauge operation.

 

and now I don't think my low fuel light is working. I put 19.8 gals of gas in this morning and my light never came on. I have been driving to work in back for a week with my fuel gauge as low as it can go. I got tired worrying if my light was working or not so I filled up.

 

 

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I've swapped gauges and sending units in my 88, when it's reading empty it still has about a 1/4 tank when it's full it will read between

3/4 and 7/8 of a tank, low fuel light came on 1 time about 30 seconds before it ran out of gas.

I'm beginning to think it's in the wiring

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I had to put a new sender into my brother's pathfinder. It would not read properly. I thought it might be the gauge. I looked in the service manual to do the sweep test but I was unable to make the gauge sweep. I tried messing with the sending unit and I could get the gauge to move.

 

Went to the wreckers and found a good one to use. All good now.

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