Cannot pump gas except a small amount it will cut off like it is full. Gauge will show half full or full. Later it will show empty
Cannot put gas in tank except a small amount it will the cut off like it is full. It will show full on the gage. However it is not. When putting gas in it will stop taking gas. I have to pump like two to three seconds and it will stop. The max I can put in the tank is 10.00 dollars. Could the tank itself be bad? Thanks
My car has 72000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
There are a lot of things that can cause what you’ve described: a faulty fuel sending unit in the tank and the tank is actually full, a stick ORVR valve not allowing pressure in the tank to leave when fueling, or a saturated charcoal canister that cannot let the excess pressure in the tank escape. Are you able to fill an additional $10 in fuel after it cuts off? If so, then this may be a malfunction in the evaporative emission system not allowing pressure to leave the fuel tank when filling. If it cannot take more than $10 at all, then the fuel tank may be full and the sending unit is failing and providing a false reading. I strongly suggest acquiring a qualified technician to perform an inspection due to the volatility of fuel. A certified professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to inspect the fuel problem and advise you on repairs.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :
Ray: Actually, you probably just have a faulty gas tank sending unit. There`s a float in your gas tank that floats down as the fuel level drops. As the float goes down, the metal contact attached to it slides down a variable resistor. And the contact`s point on that resistor tells your gas gauge how much fuel is left.
The most common cause of this type of gauge to read over full is typically due to no ground at the sender, an open circuit, or break in the wire going from the gauge to the sender.
The fuel pump may be starting to go bad, when you get below half a tank, the pump does not submerge in fuel as much to keep it cool and it will seize up and stall the motor. You will need to replace the pump and check inside the bottom of the tank for small metal bits that almost look like shiny sand.
One of the most common reasons for a fuel tank not filling up is because of a clogged EVAP system. Due to ill-maintenance of the car, debris and dirt can build up in the compartments or hoses of an EVAP system. Therefore, the EVAP gets clogged, unable to trap further fuel vapours.
Turn on the engine`s ignition and probe with a multimeter between the ground and the positive terminal on the back of the gauge; it should be marked with a “+” or an “I.” If there is no voltage then the fault is in the ignition circuit—and the gauge is probably good.
Press and hold the “Trip/Odo” button and turn the car back on. While you`re holding the button, turn the key back to the “ON” position. Hold the button down for another 2 seconds after the car`s back on, then release.
There is no way to reset a fluctuating fuel gauge. The fuel gauge is bouncing or fluctuating for either the float in the fuel tank has a bad ground in the rheostat or the gauge cluster has a broke or damaged ground to the chassis.
The good news is, in many cases, a faulty fuel gauge is simply due to a blown fuse, and replacing it can get your gauge up and running in no time. The fuse box is usually located under the dashboard on the driver`s side, in the engine compartment, or in the trunk. Fuses may be labeled using abbreviations or numbers.
Do cars use the gas in the last half of the tank faster than the first half? Of course not. Your fuel gauge is engineered to be more sensitive as the fuel level approaches empty, so the needle moves faster. This is a feature, not a bug.
1 Answer. The light flashes when you are going low on fuel (1 gallon left IIRC), and a solid light means get fuel now (1/2 gallon left). Now, if you have a full tank (i.e. > 1 gallon), and it is still flashing, the problem is most likely a stuck tank level float.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Cannot pump gas except a small amount it will cut off like it is full. Gauge will show half full or full. Later it will show empty
ANSWER : There are a lot of things that can cause what you’ve described: a faulty fuel sending unit in the tank and the tank is actually full, a stick ORVR valve not allowing pressure in the tank to leave when fueling, or a saturated charcoal canister that cannot let the excess pressure in the tank escape. Are you able to fill an additional $10 in fuel after it cuts off? If so, then this may be a malfunction in the evaporative emission system not allowing pressure to leave the fuel tank when filling. If it cannot take more than $10 at all, then the fuel tank may be full and the sending unit is failing and providing a false reading. I strongly suggest acquiring a qualified technician to perform an inspection due to the volatility of fuel. A certified professional from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to inspect the fuel problem and advise you on repairs.
Gauge showing full when only 3/4 full and gas pump cuts out at this time too.
ANSWER : It sounds like the fuel level sensor on your vehicle is faulty. The fuel level is always about a quarter tank lower than what the gauge says. This can cause the vehicle to run out of fuel when the gauge still reads 1/4 tank. I would recommend having your fuel level sensor inspected to determine if it is functioning properly. If not, have it replaced as soon as possible to avoid being stuck on the side of the road from running out of fuel.
I installed a new fuel sending unit the gas tank is full and it shows empty when u take all gas out it shows full what could it be
ANSWER : It sounds like you put in an incorrect sending unit or it is defective and needs a replacement. The fuel sending unit will vary resistance from low to high resistance controlling the gauge. If the signal from the sending unit is opposite of what it should be then the gauge will work opposite of the way it should. I would recommend replacing the sending unit and make sure the new one works opposite of the one you have now. You may have to get the correct one from the dealer since sometimes the aftermarket ones do not always work. You can connect the sender and check it before installing it back in the tank.
Faulty gas gauge or sending unit?
ANSWER : This is a problem likely related to your fuel tank sending unit. This is a small float type component inside your fuel tank that measures the level of the fuel inside the tank. As the fuel level drops, the float level changes and sends a signal to the car’s computer which then displays the reading on the fuel gauge in your dash. If you need assistance with this, I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose the issue and repair your fuel sending unit as necessary.
My new gas gauge should read from about 10 o’clock for empty and about 2 o’clock for full. My needle goes to about 5 o’clock.
ANSWER : You would need to see if the sending unit is shorted to ground. If you test it with an ohm meter you should get somewhere between the 5 and 30 ohms. If you are getting 5, then the gauge will be at full; and if you get 30, it should be at empty. If you are reading too low on ohms, then you have a shorted sender. If you’d like some help looking at this, a technician from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to inspect your electrical system in person and let you know how to best proceed.
Gas gauge doesn’t work correctly and moves randomly registering wrong amount of gas
ANSWER : Yes, the fuel sending unit is part of the fuel pump module. If there is an open in the fuel sending unit this will can you the false readings you are experiencing. The tank will have to be dropped to complete this repair. You may want to enlist the help of a mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who can safely drain and drop the tank and replace the fuel pump assembly.
Fuel gauge stopped working and now gas tank won’t let me pump more than a few gallons at a time.
ANSWER : The refueling problem is due to the fill pipe in the tank. The fill pipe has a smaller hose inside of the larger pipe which keeps you from overfilling the tank. If someone tried to siphon fuel from your vehicle or the small hose somehow came loose, it can cause the problem you are having. You should remove the fill pipe and inspect it for this problem.
From there you can decide if you want to fix it or have it replaced. The cluster would also need repair if the fuel gauge has the problem where the needle goes all the way around. If you decide to get this fixed, consider YourMechanic, as a certified technician can help you service your fuel gauge and inspect the issue with your fuel pipe. Good luck.
When refilling gas tank, gas overflows before tank is full.
ANSWER : The most common cause of this type of problem is when the fuel filler neck’s inner tube comes off of the neck itself. You will need to have the filler neck removed to check to see if the inner tube was knocked off from someone trying to get fuel out of tank with a siphon hose and managed to knock the hose off. This causes the tank to not get filled properly and the inner hose can get caught in the fuel sender causing wrong readings.
If you’d like to get this fixed, consider YourMechanic, as a certified technician can help you service your fuel filler neck and ensure that your fuel gauge functions normally. Good luck.
